Video 10: Objective Work Plan

Objective Work Plan (OWP)

This section will provide you with an overview of the Objective Work Plan (OWP)

The OWP is a standalone document that mirrors the project’s implementation plan and identifies all the key elements of the project description including the project goal, objectives, milestone activities, outputs and outcomes, staff responsible, and time-frame for the completion of each activity. Key project elements in the OWP should reflect those stated in the project narrative and support consistency throughout the application. The OWP identifies how (through key activities), when (by established timeframes for key activities), and by whom (staff responsible for activity completion) the project will be implemented.

Please Note: We highly encourage completing the OWP and the budget first, then going back to complete the narrative sections. This will allow you to see the full extent of the scope and costs of the project and ensure the narrative matches these key pieces of the application and your project.

Hello and welcome to the 2025 ANA Pre-Application Training, Objective Work Plan. The Objective Work Plan in the NOFO has two elements. Element 11 asks that the OWP aligns with the project narrative and implementation plan and provides details of how, when, and by whom project activities will be completed. Element 12, I ask you to identify outputs that demonstrate progress towards the project goal. We're going to talk about both of these in this video.
Your Objective Work Plan is essentially a blueprint for project implementation. It's one of the most important documents in your application and outlines what you're going to be doing throughout your project. You're going to provide one OWP for each of your objectives. You can have up to 25 activities per project year. Please note that the project year for SEDS begins September 30 and ends September 29th for the project period. In your OWP, you're going to provide the when, how, and by whom for every activity of your project. It's also a good practice to build the OWP before you start writing the project narrative. You'll have to put a lot of thought into this document.
Also in your OWP, you can include administrative activities. They are optional, but we do highly recommend it. As you're outlining all the activities and functions for your project in your OWP, this can provide good reminders of when reports are due, when mandatory travel needs to take place, everything pertaining to your project.
Now, there are three ways to obtain the OWP. We do have a Microsoft Word version available on the USB flash drive and on the training website. You can also access this version on the ANA website through the following link. You can also fill out the OWP on the Grants.gov website at the following SF-424 link. Another option is to complete your OWP in the workspace online version, embedded in Grants.gov. Again, we do recommend using the Word version just so that you know that all the information that you put in there is successfully uploaded and you don't have any issues on the other platforms that may arise.
So, here's a look at the OWP template. In your OWP, you will include your project title, the project goal, which objective that OWP corresponds with, the outcome that you created earlier in your application, your outputs, and then you'll list all of the activities and the project staff, start dates and end dates.
This is what the fillable version of the OWP looks like, very similar. You'll see that you have options to add objectives, add activities. Again, you can use either one. We just highly recommend using the Word version.
So, when you're filling out your OWP, please copy and paste the following, your project title, project goal, objective, and outcome. It's very common to fill this out and not copy and paste and have something written out differently, and that can cause some confusion with the reviewers, so it's very helpful to just copy and paste these in your OWP. And then, also, list each milestone activity by the start dates. This includes both your start-up activities, the project specific activities, and even those admin activities we talked about. This will help you keep track of when things need to happen and in order so that you're ensuring all your activities are getting done in a timely manner.
Some possible start-up activities that you can include in your OWP can include setting up office space, it can be the recruitment, hiring, and onboarding of staff. If you have any MOUs or letters of commitment that have not been finalized, this could also be a start-up activity, and then also initiating outreach plans.
This is an example of what some start-up activities could look like in an OWP. And here, you'll see on the left-hand side, everything is numbered in order by the corresponding activity. There's a brief description of what that activity is. You'll list the project staff responsible for that activity. There can be a primary. Some activities may also have a secondary responsibility, and that's okay. You'll list the start dates in order, and then you'll show when those activities are concluding or should be ended by. One thing I'd like you to keep in mind when you're filling out your OWP, have it be a realistic timeframe of when it can be achieved. Please do not put the full year or the full project period. This should be something that you should be able to follow throughout your project and know when things are starting and ending.
Here are some examples of key activities in your OWP. And again, brief description, who is responsible, and then those start and end dates for the activities.
So, Element 12 deals with the outputs for your project. Now, keep in mind, outputs are the tangible products or services resulting from activities in your project. This is often confused with outcomes, and they're very different. The outputs are measurable. They are achievable. They, again, are the result of the completion of those activities, and it's important to have them have a numerical number or some form of measurement so that you can track that throughout your project to ensure that you're on track with what you're supposed to be doing.
Okay. The activity for the Objective Work Plan, you can use the Microsoft Word handout found on our virtual USB drive or on the training website. For this, I can have you put down your project title, goal, objective, outcome, and copy and paste those from previous sections we've discussed in this training, and then list your activities for year 1 and any subsequent years for your project. Be sure to keep it very succinct and brief for your activities, and then list primary and, if applicable, secondary staff responsible for those activities. Identify the start dates and ensure that they're all in order by start date, and then put their end date based on when the activity will realistically be completed. Lastly, after creating all of your activities, you can determine what the anticipated outputs are for those activities, and include that in the output part of the table.

Up next

Video 11: Data Management Plan

Data Management Plan

Training episodes

Video 1: Overview of ANA and the Funding Opportunities

Video 2: Project Introduction

Video 3: Current Community Condition

Video 4: Project Goals

Video 5: Objectives

Video 6: Project Implementation Plan

Video 7: Community Based Strategy

Video 8: Population to be Served

Video 9: Outcomes

Video 10: Objective Work Plan

Video 11: Data Management Plan

Video 12: Staffing Plan

Video 13: Partnerships and Consultants

Video 14: Oversight Plan

Video 15: Line Item Budget and Budget Narrative

Video 16: Preparing your ANA Application

Video 17: Submitting the Application to ANA

Video 18: Conclusion

Video 10: Objective Work Plan

Objective Work Plan (OWP)

Up next

Video 11: Data Management Plan

Training episodes

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