Factors are the domains over which a client's circumstances are determined, for example, Substance Abuse, Transportation, and Domestic Violence. Depending on how the system is configured, they can be added to an outcome plan as a result of an assessment (assessment factors), selected from a pre-configured list of factors configured for the outcome plan (outcome plan factors), or defined by a worker to address a particular circumstance (user-defined factors).
The organization needs to consider the factors that are required, and what type they fall into. For example, an organization which intends to configure a self sufficiency plan may configure that the factors Substance Abuse, Child Care and Transportation will be assessment factors. If the organization expects to receive information on a particular area from a third party, for example, the results of a General Education Diploma (GED), then an outcome plan factor for GED may be defined for the plan. When the worker receives information on the GED for a client, the factor can be added to the plan. The organization must also consider whether workers need the facility to add user-defined factors to outcome plans.
When adding an objective to an outcome plan, the worker has the option to associate the objective with the factors across which the client's functioning is being measured. For example, the worker can select Child Care and Transportation factors when adding the objective Find a Job to an outcome plan. Similarly, when adding an action, the worker can select the factors that the action is intended to address. By associating the same factor with an objective and an action, the worker can identify the actions that are being undertaken to achieve that objective.