A Sectoral Planning Manual: Samoa was first published in March 2000. It was endorsed by the Cabinet Development Committee as the basis for preparing Sector Plans for all sectors of the economy. The Manual was revised in 2003 and translated into Samoan, to make it more accessible to public officials involved in planning, and also to reflect the Realignment of Government Departments approved by Cabinet in April 2002 and implemented in mid-2003. The Manual has been updated and reissued as a 2009 edition because sector planning is being revitalised as a key component of the 2008 Public Finance Management Reform Plan (PFMRP).

SMERF manual provides a guide for design of Sector Plans (SP) outcome maps and building of SP monitoring, evaluation and reporting framework and/or plans. SMERF manual focuses on achieving clarity of description of the casual pathway to achieve the desired ‘end of sector plan’ outcomes and a plan for monitoring and reporting the progress made towards achieving ‘end of sector plan’ outcomes.