For small or rural agencies, planning, purchasing and managing new technology can feel like a daunting task. That's why it's so important to define your goals and objectives prior to diving into the deep end. Typically, these objectives are linked to solving the specific problems that led to the need for change in the first place.

Here are examples of a few common goals and objectives:

This project will focus on implementing technology that:

• Improves responder and citizen safety
  
• Facilitates internal and external information sharing among the participating agencies
  
• Enhances the ability and effectiveness of staff members to perform their jobs
  
• Provides an open, flexible, reliable technology base for the future
  
• Facilitates the electronic capture of data at its source
  
• Eliminates redundant data entry throughout the organization
  

U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services