Setting effective goals and objectives is critical to the success of any project or initiative. By making objectives specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound (SMART), you give your goals the best chance of being accomplished. In this article, we’ll explain what SMART objectives are and provide examples to help you write better goals.
What are SMART Goals and Objectives?
SMART is an acronym that stands for:
- S – Specific
- M – Measurable
- A – Achievable
- R – Relevant
- T – Time-bound
SMART criteria were first proposed by management expert Peter Drucker in his book The Practice of Management. The concept suggests objectives should be clearly defined, measurable, realistic, relevant to the goal, and have a specific deadline.
Adhering to SMART goal principles gives you a simple, standardized way to set objectives and break down large goals into achievable steps. SMART goals are commonly used by managers and leaders, but can be applied to projects in any industry or setting.
Examples of SMART Goals
Here are some examples of SMART goals:
S – Specific:
- Launch a new website by December 1st.
- Release the first edition of a product by January 15th.
M – Measurable:
- Increase website traffic by 25% within 6 months.
- Reduce operational costs by 15% this quarter.
A – Achievable:
- Hire 5 new employees to meet increased demand.
- Complete market research needed to expand to a new region.
R – Relevant:
- Update our social media strategy to increase engagement.
- Implement an employee training program focused on customer service skills.
T – Time-bound:
- Increase revenue by 10% by the end of Q3.
- Reduce weight by 10 lbs in the next 3 months.
By following the SMART criteria, these objectives are more likely to be achieved. Having measurable, time-framed goals keeps teams focused and motivated.
How to Write SMART Goals and Objectives
Follow these five steps when writing SMART objectives:
- Specific: Clearly define what you will do, why, and how.
- Measurable: Quantify your objectives and outline how to measure progress.
- Achievable: Ensure you have the resources and capacity needed to achieve the goal.
- Relevant: Align goals with wider strategy and vision.
- Time-bound: Set a deadline showing when the objective will be achieved.
Ask yourself questions like:
- What exactly will be accomplished and why?
- How can progress be tracked quantitatively?
- Do I have the necessary knowledge, skills, and resources to achieve this?
- Does this align with short and long term plans?
- When will this objective be completed?
Answering these questions will help you develop focused, realistic SMART goals.
Benefits of Using SMART Goals
There are many advantages to setting SMART objectives including:
- Clarity: Well defined goals are easily understood by everyone.
- Focus: SMART goals help maintain attention on the end result.
- Motivation: Specific, achievable objectives encourage progress.
- Alignment: Goals aligned to wider strategy keep teams pulling together.
- Measurement: Quantifiable metrics facilitate monitoring and evaluation.
- Accountability: SMART goals encourage personal responsibility.
SMART goals create transparency around expectations. They motivate employees and let people know what they are working towards. Goals also provide standardized metrics that let you track progress and measure success.
SMART Goal Examples for the Workplace
SMART criteria can be applied to individual, team, project, and organizational goals. Here are some examples of SMART goals for the workplace:
Individual SMART Goals
- I will complete the required training to be promoted to senior engineer by June 1st.
- I will take on 3 new client accounts in the next quarter to utilize my expertise in social media marketing.
- I will proactively seek feedback from my manager every month to improve my customer service skills.
Team SMART Goals
- Our engineering team will reduce production defects by 50% in 9 months through improved quality control monitoring.
- Our marketing team will implement a social media content calendar and increase followers by 15% by year end.
- Our customer support team will improve first contact resolution from 70% to 90% in 6 months through additional training.
Project SMART Goals
- We will complete building the new website and migrate all content by December 31st.
- We will reduce project risks by identifying the top 5 threats and creating mitigation plans for each.
- We will come in under budget by carefully tracking all project expenditures weekly.
Organizational SMART Goals
- We will increase annual revenue by 20% by focusing on value added products and services.
- We will improve our Net Promoter Score from 45 to 60 by Q3 through enhanced customer experience.
- We will reduce employee turnover from 25% to 15% within a year by increasing professional development and leadership training opportunities.
Applying SMART criteria ensures organizational goals are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound. Well defined objectives cascade down through departments, teams, and individuals for complete strategic alignment.
Tips for Writing Effective SMART Goals
Follow these tips when developing SMART goals for yourself or your team:
- Involve others and get agreement on goals.
- Align objectives across departments and levels.
- Set specific, quantifiable metrics and deadlines.
- Ensure adequate resources are available.
- Assign responsibility for completion of each goal.
- Regularly monitor progress and measure results.
- Review and update goals as priorities shift.
- Provide feedback when goals are achieved.
SMART goals have the most impact when people are committed to achieving them. Collaborating on goal setting and providing regular communication on progress is key.
SMART Goals Template
Use this SMART goals template when writing your own objectives:
| Goal | Specific | Measurable | Achievable | Relevant | Time-bound |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Objective] | [Detailed description] | [Quantitative metrics] | [Resources needed] | [Alignment with wider goals] | [Deadline] |
Filling out each component of this table will help you develop goals that meet SMART criteria.
SMART Goal Setting Best Practices
Follow these best practices when writing and implementing SMART goals:
- Involve team members in goal setting for greater commitment.
- Write down goals and share for transparency.
- Set both short and long term SMART objectives.
- Ensure goals are achievable but push people outside comfort zones.
- Be specific on what defines successful completion of a goal.
- Regularly monitor progress and measure results.
- Provide resources, training and support to empower achievement.
- Offer rewards and recognition when SMART goals are met.
With good SMART goal setting techniques, you can empower people to succeed both individually and collectively.
SMART Goal Setting Tools
There are many helpful tools available to manage SMART goals including:
- OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) – Framework for setting business objectives and measuring progress.
- Project management software – Track project goals and milestones.
- KPI dashboards – Display key metrics for company goals.
- Productivity apps – Manage personal OKRs and productivity.
- Performance management tools – Align individual goals to company objectives.
Leverage technology to help implement SMART goal setting principles across your organization.
Common Challenges with SMART Goals
Some common challenges encountered with SMART goals include:
- Setting vague objectives that are not specific and measurable.
- Failing to secure needed resources which renders goals unachievable.
- Not having buy-in from stakeholders on relevance of goals.
- No sense of urgency when deadlines are not fixed.
- Lack of regular progress monitoring and measurement.
- Changing priorities that make static goals quickly outdated.
SMART goals lose their effectiveness when stakeholders are not actively engaged in the process. Teams should continually review objectives and alter goals as priorities shift to keep them relevant.
Conclusion
SMART goals are critical to the success of any project or initiative. By making objectives specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound, you set clear expectations and benchmarks to track progress.
SMART criteria can be applied to individual, team, project, and organizational goals at all levels of a company. The SMART framework improves communication and coordination while also creating accountability. Leverage technology and involve stakeholders in collaborative goal setting.
With the proper goal setting techniques, SMART objectives empower people to excel both individually and collectively within an organization.