Vision, Mission and Objectives

a) Vision and Mission

The vision of the organisation will refer to the ideal situation that you want to achieve one day.

The vision should grasp the

· beliefs

· basic values and

· self-understanding of your institution.

It will guide and motivate the institution's staff and support team. In order to incorporate your beliefs and values you will consequently translate your vision into your “mission statement”.

The mission statement defines the purpose of your support organisation.

$image\checkred.gif$ Note 5 What is the mission statement?

The mission statement summarises:
ü	what you do
ü	for whom
ü	how you do it

The mission statement should only comprise a few sentences and include your organisation's name, its overall purpose and why it exists.

Example “ITC’s Mission & Value Statement”:

Mission:" The International Trade Centre (ITC) is a technical co-operation organisation whose mission is to support developing and transition economies, and particularly their business sectors, in their efforts to realise their full potential for developing exports and improving import operations with the ultimate goal of achieving sustainable development. ITC deals specifically with the operational aspects of trade promotion and export development."

Values: "ITC is a demand-driven organisation responsive to national development objectives and programmes. It endeavours to deliver relevant and cost-effective services for sustainable development ends. Its staff are committed to providing information and advice according to criteria implicit in the United Nations Charter: the highest standards of efficiency, competence, integrity and neutrality."

$image\example.gif$ See some sample mission statements from different purchasing and supply chain management associations.

b) Overall Objectives

The difference between where you are now and your vision & mission defines your long-term work objectives. What needs to be done in order to fulfil the mission statement? Objectives are expressed in a measurable way, i.e. how many people of the target group will be reached in the coming year? How many activities will take place in the coming year? How will these figures develop in the coming 3 years?

Your overall objectives will mainly focus on three areas:

· Quantity and quality of activities

· Membership

· Sustainability and other organisational goals

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Try InnoNet’s Workstation, a for free guiding tool to elaborate your mission statement and overall objectives. Furthermore, the workstation gives you a very structured platform to develop your programme and activity plans (see also operational planning) and derive concrete work plans.

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