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(U) USSS Strategy and Long Range Plan: A Vocabulary Lesson
FROM:
SIGINT Performance Planning (S01X)
Run Date: 08/11/2006
(U) In the first article in this series, we mentioned the Long Range
Plan - an 18-month implementation plan supporting the USSS
Strategy. The Long Range Plan contains Milestones and Metrics
associated with the Objectives under each of the Goals of the USSS
Strategy (Placemat). You may ask what the difference is between
an objective and a goal, or between a milestone and a metric.
Here's a brief description of each.
Goal: The words directly on the Placemat, a big-picture
view of the desired end-state. The Placemat has three levels
of goals (A-level -- mission, B-level -- capabilities, and Clevel -- running the Enterprise)
Objectives: Specific focus areas under each goal, major
components of the goal
SERIES:
(U) The Placemat
1. The Placemat: What
in the World Is It?
2. USSS Strategy and
Long Range Plan: A
Vocabulary Lesson
3. Strategies Are Nice,
But What Are We
Doing About It?
4. The New A&P
Strategy
Measures or Metrics: Outcomes or outputs contributing to
a desired end-state. Measures are compared to a
performance target that is set based on available funding
and manpower.
Milestones: Events or check-points of significance to the
completion of an objective. Completion of key milestones
will allow a performance target to be met.
(U) Why does it need to be so complicated? Typically, goals are
broad and encompass a myriad of activities. Objectives give the
goals more depth and clarify what must be accomplished by
identifying the major components. And what's the difference
between a milestone and a metric?
(U) Milestones are discrete events. Measures, or metrics, show
performance over time. It is possible to achieve all your
milestones, and still not improve your metric if your milestones
only allow you to sustain, rather than improve a capability.
Milestones compliment the performance measures and
demonstrate progress that will support the achievement of longterm performance targets. Milestones provide the near-term
accountability that allows management to "manage" the strategy.
(U) To see some specific examples, go to the placemat ("go
placemat" in your browser) and click on any of the goals for a
hyper-link to the objectives, measures and milestones for key
activities under that goal.
"(U//FOUO) SIDtoday articles may not be republished or reposted outside NSANet
without the consent of S0121 (DL sid_comms)."
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DERIVED FROM: NSA/CSSM 1-52, DATED 08 JAN 2007 DECLASSIFY ON: 20320108