Speaking My Language

This week's readings were speaking my language, teacherease. I'm understanding the "Backward Design" process to be
1 - identifing learning goals: including the learners, their final tasks, the situation the task will be completed and the supplies the learner will use for task completion. (Dick, Carey, Carey)
2 - determining what the evidence of the goals learned will be: How will we know the students have arrived?
and
3 - setting up the learning plan: creating "minds-on" lessons that effectively achieve the learning goals.
As I thought about the clear goals and outcomes being in front of the lesson planning, I thought about a number of instances in my life where I have been using goals first, then how will it look, and then setting a plan. One of those situations is about the accreditation process my school is going through this year. We are looking at how we've been doing with our goals and outcomes that we've been working on for the last 6 years. The process helps us to keep a big picture goal in the midst of our smaller daily, weekly, or monthly goals.
Another situation this fits is how I use goal setting and communicating that within my family. My husband and I have 3 kids: 11, 9 and 6. If we start out the average day with them knowing what is happening, and what is expected of them, we have much more success having them come along with us in the cleaning, homework, piano practice, etc. They know what is expected of them. If we spring the responsibilities on them, they have a harder time accepting their tasks.
I have also thought about the times I have been in class as a student and an instructor asked us to read material for a specific purpose. It guided my reading in such a way that I learned more because I was looking for something.
Question is, in these processes have we really figured out the "assessment evidence" as Wiggins calls it, or is it just setting clear goals?