IHI TOOL
Aim Statement Worksheet
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Improvement.What? What’s the problem or opportunity? Make sure it relates to a fundamental customer need.
How much? By how much will you improve? Or “how good” do you want to get?
By when? What is the date by which you will achieve the level of improvement you’ve set out to accomplish?
For whom? Who is the customer or population who will benefit from the improvement?
Where? What are the boundaries of the process or system you’re trying to improve? Where does it begin and end?
Complete aim statement:
Ask a colleague to double-check your work and recommend improvements:
q Is the problem or opportunity clearly stated?
q Do you know what the team is going to do about the problem?
q Has the team set a numerical goal to quantify the amount of improvement they’d like achieve?
q Do you know the calendar date by which the team plans to achieve the goal?
q Is it clear who will benefit from the improvement?
q Is the scope of the project clear?
q Do you know why this improvement effort is important?
Aim Statement Worksheet
An aim statement is the answer to the first question in the Model for Improvement, “What are we trying to accomplish?”
Effective aim statements delineate clear, specific plans for the work ahead.
Use the prompts below to write an effective aim statement. Then use the checklist to double-check your work.
IHI TOOL: Aim Statement Worksheet
Institute for Healthcare Improvement • ihi.org 2
