I-3 Select supervision objectives based on assessment of supervisee's skills

Supervision objectives are clear, concise statements of what the supervisee is expected to achieve. Objectives must be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and timely (SMART).

Recommendations for setting SMART monitoring goals:

• Specific: Objectives should be specific and describe what the supervisee is expected to accomplish. For example, instead of saying "improve performance," a specific goal could be "reduce response time to customers by 20%."

• Measurable: Goals must be measurable so that progress can be evaluated. For example, the goal of reducing customer response time by 20% can be measured by counting the number of calls answered in a given time period.

• Achievable: Objectives must be achievable so that the supervisee has a realistic opportunity to achieve them. For example, reducing customer response time by 20% is an achievable goal for an experienced customer service team.

• Relevant: Objectives must be relevant to the supervisee's position or responsibility. For example, a goal of reducing response time to customers is relevant for a customer service team.

• Timely: Objectives must be timely so that the supervisee has enough time to achieve them. For example, a goal of reducing customer response time by 20% within six months is timely.

Assessment of supervisee skills

Assessing the supervisee's skills is an important process to ensure that the supervisee is making progress in his or her professional development. Evaluation can be carried out using a variety of methods, such as:

• Performance observation: The supervisor observes the supervisee at work to evaluate his or her skills.

• Interviews: The supervisor interviews the supervisee to obtain information about his or her skills and knowledge.

• Work Review: The supervisor reviews the supervisee's written work or presentations to evaluate his or her skills.

• Tests: The supervisor may administer tests to the supervisee to evaluate his or her abilities.

Recommendations for evaluating the skills of the supervisee:

• Use a variety of methods: It is important to use a variety of methods to evaluate the supervisee's skills to obtain a complete picture of his or her performance.

• Be objective: The supervisor must be objective in his evaluation and avoid bias.

• Provide feedback: The supervisor must provide feedback to the supervisee about his or her performance.

Links between supervision objectives and assessment of supervisee skills:

Supervision objectives should be linked to the evaluation of the supervisee's skills. This will help ensure that the evaluation is relevant and focuses on areas in which the supervisee needs improvement.

For example, if the supervisory goal is to reduce response time to customers by 20%, the supervisee's evaluation could focus on the following areas:

• The supervisee's ability to prioritize tasks and respond to calls in a timely manner.

• The supervisee's ability to solve problems and respond to customer questions effectively.

• The supervisee's ability to communicate effectively with clients.

By evaluating these areas, the supervisor can identify areas in which the supervisee needs improvement to achieve the supervisory goal.