Food-Service-Manual-for-Health-Care-Institutions

Food Service Manual for Health Care Institutions
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Characteristics of a Well-Written Objective
Objectives must be specific statements that explain how the broader goals of the organization
are to be accomplished. The more specific an objective is, the more efficiently it can be reached.
In addition, specific objectives are essential as tools for adequately evaluating and controlling
the performance of the organization as a whole, of specific departments, and of individual
employees. A well-written objective has the following characteristics:
• Specificity. The objective identifies the specific outcome of an activity. The results of
quantitative objectives (that is, those whose results can be measured mathematically) are easier
to determine than the results of qualitative objectives. For example, the objective of increasing
the productivity of the tray preparation line by 2 percent is a quantitative objective. The
objective of improving employee morale is qualitative and is, therefore, harder to measure.
However, a manager should not be discouraged from setting qualitative objectives because
other factors can be measured that are good evidence of employee morale, such as the number
of employee grievances filed or the rate of absenteeism.
• Conciseness. The objective is succinct, uncluttered by identification of the method for
accomplishing a task, for example; that is, it contains no extra information.
• Time dimension. The objective is time related in that everyone involved understands by
what point a task must be accomplished.
• Reality. The objective is achievable and within the work group’s capabilities and available
resources. On the other hand, an objective should not be so easily achieved that the work
group does not feel challenged to give its best performance.
• Method. Each objective is accomplished by an action plan that outlines the steps for
achieving the objective.
• Value dimension. Objectives should have value to the department and to those responsible
for carrying them out.
In the following example, a food service department objective reflects one of the hospital’s
overall goals: to provide service in a cost-effective manner. The department implements this
goal by stating its own objective:
To reduce the overall cost of each patient meal by 1 percent by the end of the current fiscal
year.
This objective is specific, and its achievement can be measured (quantified) against the
financial information from department records. The objective is stated concisely, clearly, and
within a designated time frame. To decide whether the objective is realistic, the food service
director would need to assess the costs involved in current meal preparation and delivery and
decide whether a 1 percent reduction is feasible and, if so, through what means—reductions in
staff, changes in methods of preparation, or some other adjustment. Devising or amending production
methods involves the creation of action plans. It also incorporates a value element in
that doing so must be worth while to those who must perform the tasks that lead to attainment
of the objective.
To implement departmental objectives effectively, each one must be prioritized in relation
to the others. In addition, each objective must be broken down into its component tasks in an
action plan. The resources available for accomplishing each task should be assigned according
to the objective’s relative priority.
Steps for Writing Objectives with Outcome Measures
A manager who uses a department business plan will have a clear idea of what areas would benefit
from having objectives established. Otherwise, the first step is to determine which areas need
objectives. Experts estimate that about 20 percent of the activities in any business necessitate