Writing SMART Goals

1. Smart Goals

Each project objective should be stated as one sentence that describes the focus and outcome of a project.

One method project managers use to write these goals is to rely on the acronym SMART. So what does SMART stand for?

• Specific: Any goals should be clear and distinct from other goals.
• Measurable: It should be obvious when a goal is completed and simple to track production percentage to monitor progress.
• Action-oriented: That means the goal should be written so that they describe the actions taken with the deliverables of the project.
• Realistic: It must be reasonable to complete the goal in the schedule and budget allotted, using the resources the project has available.
• Time-phased: A goal must have a deadline that fits within the schedule.
  
  

2. Examples of SMART Goals

Read the example and determine whether or not it is SMART.

• Is it specific? Yes, we know who the goal impacts, and we know what those people need to do.
• Is it measurable? Yes, it's obvious when it's complete, and we can track progress toward the goal.
• Is it action-oriented? Yes, it focuses on the tasks performed by the users (enter an order on a tablet without tech support).
• Is it realistic? Yes, you may have already realized that we need to know the budget, schedule, and resources to know for sure. But, this task does appear achievable, so we'll consider it realistic.
• Is it time-phased? Yes, we know it needs to be completed within six months.

try it

Read this goal and try to determine if it fits the SMART criteria:

"The design for our new line of headphones should allow users the ability to adjust the volume on their microphone with one simple control."

Does it meet all the criteria?

Well, it is specific, measurable, action-oriented, and realistic. But you don't know when this product is needed.

The goal assumes that everyone knows when the new line will be released, but what if they don't know? Maybe the engineers will plan on using electronics that aren't available until the new line should be shipped, which can cause a big problem.

What would it look like if it needed to be revised to a SMART goal?

Like this:

"The design for our new line of headphones, to be completed no later than three months from now, should allow users the ability to adjust the volume on their microphone with one simple control."