Introduction to SMART objectives and SMART Goals

Management by Objectives is often credited to Peter Drucker in his 1954 book “The Practice of Management”, from this claimed history and approach the use of the acronym SMARTer has grown. Having said that, for those that have bothered to read the book – there is NO DIRECT reference to SMART by Drucker in this publication. While it is clear that Drucker was the first to write about management by objectives, the SMART acronym is harder to trace in terms of documented evedence. Read about our investigation into the history and origins of the SMART objectives acronym.

The use of the approach to managing known as “Management By Objectives” or MBO, has reduced in recent years, however increasingly, many organizations are using the SMART and SMARTER acronym within goal setting and performance appraisal or management environments. The use of SMART objective formatting is not limited to business and performance management, indeed SMART possibly started in the world of personal development.

This page has been written to provide not only an overview of the SMART objective format, but to help you the manager or developer to write your own.

SMARTer is an acronym to help in the writing of objectives. the objectives can be for managing performance or for developmental purposes.

There are a variety of types of objectives that can be written, all can be done in the SMARTer format.

Process objectives

lets you know what you are doing and how you will do it; describes participants, interactions and activities

Impact objectives

lets you know what the long term implications of your program[me]/ activity will be; describes the longer term impact on your target audience or organization

Outcome objectives

lets you know how you will change attitudes, knowledge or behavior (short term); describe the degree to which you expect this change

Personal objectives

personal development is an ideal application for SMARTer objectives. Often we see SMARTer objectives written for project management or business and performance management, however as individuals in our personal development plans, SMARTer objectives are also a valuable formula within which to set and individual measure performance.

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Language in objectives

Objectives are active using strong verbs. Action verbs are observable and better communicate the intent of what is to be attempted, like plan, write, conduct, produce, apply, to recite, to revise, to contrast, to install, to select, to assemble, to compare, to investigate, and to develop. etc.

Avoid generalities in objective statements and infinitives to avoid include to know, to understand, to enjoy, and to believe. rather than learn, understand, feel. The words need to be not only active but measurable.

A goal can be defined as “The purpose toward which an endeavor is directed; an objective“ In personal and organizational development terms, the goal is set as the main single aim and objectives are the elements which together achieve the goal. goal may only have one objective.

Specific

Objectives should specify what they need to achieve

A specific objective has a much greater chance of being accomplished than a general goal. To set a specific

Measurable

You should be able to measure whether you are meeting the objectives or not

Establish concrete criteria for measuring progress toward the attainment of each objective you set. When you

Achievable

Are the objectives you set, achievable and attainable?

Establish concrete criteria for measuring progress toward the attainment of each objective you set. When you

Realistic

Can you realistically achieve the objectives with the resources you have?

To be realistic, it must represent an objective toward which you are both willing and able to work. An objective can be

Time

When do you want to achieve the set objectives?

Tangible when you can experience it with one of the senses. When your goal is tangible, or when you tie a tangible goal to an

objective you need to answer the six “W” questions:Who: Who is involved?What: What do I want to accomplish?Where: Identify a location.When: Establish a time frame.Which: Identify requirements and constraints.Why: Specific reasons, purpose or benefits of accomplishing the goal

Specific in the context of developing objectives means that an observable action, behaviour or achievement is described which is also linked to a rate, number, percentage or frequency. This latter point is extremely important – let me illustrate. ‘Answer the phone quickly’ can be said to be a precise description of behaviour, you can clearly see

measure your progress, you stay on track, reach your target dates, and experience the feeling of achievement that drives you on to continued effort required to reach your objective. To determine if your objective is measurable, ask questions such as……How much? How many? How will I know when it is accomplished?

A system, method or procedure has to exist which allows the tracking and recording of the behaviour or action upon which the objective is focused. Setting an objective that requires phone calls to be answered in four rings is acceptable, provided a system exists which measures whether this is actually being achieved. If none exists the

measure your progress, you stay on track, reach your target dates, and experience the feeling of achievement that drives you on to continued effort required to reach your objective. To determine if your objective is measurable, ask questions such as……How much? How many? How will I know when it is accomplished?

The objectives that are set with people need to be capable of being reached, put most basically; there is a likelihood of success but that does not mean easy or simple. The objectives need to be stretching and agreed by the parties involved.Setting targets that are plainly ridiculous does not motivate people; it merely

both high and realistic; you are the only one who can decide just how high it should be.Your objective is probably realistic if you truly believe that it can be accomplished.

Additional ways to know if your objective is realistic is to determine if you have accomplished anything similar in the past or ask yourself what conditions would have to exist to accomplish this objective.

This means two things; that the goal or target being set with the individual is something they can actually impact upon or change and secondly it is also important to the organization Example: Telling the cleaners that they ‘have to increase market share over the next financial quarter’ is not actually something

intangible goal, you have a better chance of making it specific and measurable and thus attainable.

In the objective somewhere there has to be a date (Day/Month/Year) for when the task has to be started (if it’s ongoing) and/or completed (if it’s short term or project related). Simply: No date = No good. Summary: Is there a finish and/or a start date clearly stated or defined

whether someone answers the phone or not, but there is no rate, number, percentage or frequency linked to it. So, if I state; ‘Answer the phone within 4 rings’ a rate has been added and the behaviour is now much more specific.Summary: Is there a description of a precise or specific behaviour / outcome which is linked to a rate, number, percentage or frequency?

An objective must be specific with a single key result. If more than one result is to be accomplished, more than one objective should be written. Just knowing what is to be accomplished is a big step toward

manager must be prepared to set time aside time to actually monitor the response rates to incoming phone calls.The only other alternative is to get the person with whom the objectives are being set to measure their own progress; in some cases and situations it may be acceptable to do this, in others maybe not – use common sense to decide this.

Remember what gets measures gets done. so be careful!

Summary: Is there a reliable system in place to measure progress towards the achievement of the objective?

An objective must be measurable. Only an objective that affects behavior in a measurable way can be optimally effective. If possible, state the objective as a quantity. Some

confirms their opinion of you as an idiot.

They will apply no energy or enthusiasm to a task that is futile.

Summary: With a reasonable amount of effort and application can the objective be achieved?

An objective must be attainable with the resources that are available. It must be realistic. Many objectives are realistic. However, the time it takes to achieve them may be unrealistic. For

they can do anything about – it’s not relevant to them. However, asking them to reduce expenditure on cleaning materials by £50 over the next three months is entirely relevant to them. It’s what they spend their budget on every day. As to whether it’s relevant to what the organization is trying to achieve, the manager has to decide this by considering the wider picture.Summary: Can the people with whom the objective is set make an impact on the situation?

Do they have the necessary knowledge, authority and skill?

The objective should be central to the goals of the organization The successful completion of the objective should make a difference. How will this objective help the organization move

The objective should be traceable. Specific objectives enable time priorities to be set and time to be used on objectives that really matter. Are the time lines you have established

achieving it. What is important to you?Once you clarify what you want to achieve, your attention will be focused on the objective that you deliberately set. You will be doing something important to you

Specific means that the objective is concrete, detailed, focused and well defined. The objective must be straight forwards and emphasize action and the required outcome.Specific also means that it’s results and action-orientated.

Objectives need to be straightforward and to communicate what you would like to see happen. To help set specific objectives it helps to ask:

WHAT am I going to do? This are best written using strong, action verbs such as

objectives are more difficult to measure than others are. However, difficulty does not mean that they cannot be measured.How will you know you’ve progressed?

If the objective is measurable, it means that the measurement source is identified and we are able to track the actions as we progress towards the objective. Measurement is the standard used for comparison. For example, what financially independence means to one person, may be totally different compared to what is means for another.If you cannot measure it .. you cannot manage it

It’s important to have measures that will encourage and

example, it is realistic to want to lose ten pounds. However, it is unrealistic to want to lose ten pounds in one week.What barriers stand between you and your objective? How will each barrier be overcome and within what time frame?

Objectives need to be achievable, if the objective is too far in the future, you’ll find it difficult to keep motivated and to strive to attain it. Objectives, unlike your aspirations and visions, need to be achievable to keep you motivated.Objectives need to stretch you, but not so far that you become frustrated and lose motivation.

ahead? Is the objective aligned with the mission of the organization?

Objectives that are achievable, may not be realistic….. however, realistic does not mean easy. Realistic means that you have the resources to get it done. The achievement of an objective requires resources, such as, skills, money, equipment, etc. to the task required to achieve the objective. Whilst keeping objectives realistic, ensure that they stretch you.Most objectives are achievable but, may require a change in your priorities to make them happen.

realistic? Will other competing demands cause delay? Will you be able to overcome those demands to accomplish the objective you’ve set in the time frame you’ve established?

Time-bound means setting a deadlines for the achievement of the objective. Deadlines need to be both achievable and realistic. If you don’t set a time you will reduce the motivation and urgency required to execute the tasks. Agreed Time frames create the necessary urgency and prompts action.

conduct, develop, build, plan, execute, etc. This helps your objective to be action-orientated and focuses on what’s most important.WHY is this important for me to do?WHO is going to do what? Who else need to be involved?WHEN do I want this to be completed?HOW am I going to do this?

motivate you on the way as you see the change occurring, this may require interim measures.

Measurements (and the visible progress) go along way to help us to know when we have achieved our objective.

Other objective setting models and acronyms include:

SMAART goals are:

S – Specific

M – Measurable

A – Attainable

A – Action-oriented

R – Results-oriented

T – Time-phased

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SCCAMP objectives or goals

S – goals must be Specific

C – within the Control of the individual

C – goals are Challenging

A – goals must be Attainable

M – training targets should be Measurable

P – goals are Personal

To make your team function effectively, the first thing you need to know is the GREAT model.

G – Goals

R – Roles/ Results

E – Expectations / Performance

A – Accountabilities / Abilities

T – Timing

The GREAT model specifies what people must know so that they can work together effectively.

10 Tips for Setting SMART-er Goals and or Objectives

George Ambler has a good post on SMART goals at his blog The Practice of Leadership. It’s title is the “10 Steps to Setting SMART objectives” and references an article by Andrew Bell whose title is also “10 Steps to SMART Objectives” (.pdf). Some of the tips may seem like no-brainers, but I find it’s usually the simple things that get forgotten or overlooked:

1. Sort out the difference between objectives and aims, goals and/or targets before you start. Aims and goals etc relate to your aspirations objectives are your battle-plan. Set as many objectives as you need for success.

2. SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely.

3. Don’t try to use the SMART order, often the best way to write objectives is: M-A/R-S-T.

4. Measurable is the most important consideration. You will know that you’ve achieved your objective, because here is the evidence. I will know too! Make sure you state how you will record your success.

5. Achievable is linked to measurable. Usually, there’s no point in starting a job you know you can’t finish, or one where you can’t tell if/when you’ve finished it. How can I decide if it’s achievable?

• You know it’s measurable

• Others have done it successfully (before you, or somewhere else)

• It’s theoretically possible (ie clearly not ‘not achievable’)

• You have the necessary resources, or at least a realistic chance of getting them

• You’ve assessed the limitations.

6. If it’s achievable, it may not be realistic. If it isn’t realistic, it’s not achievable.You need to know:

• Who’s going to do it?

• Do they have (or can they get) the skills to do a good job?

• Where’s the money coming from?

• Who carries the can?

• Realistic is about human resources/time/money/opportunity.

7. The main reason it’s achievable but not realistic is that it’s not a high priority. Often something else needs to be done first, before you’ll succeed. If so, set up two (or more) objectives in priority order.

8. The devil is in the specific detail. You will know your objective is specific enough if:

• everyone who’s involved knows that it includes them specifically

• everyone involved can understand it

• your objective is free from jargon

• you’ve defined all your terms

• you’ve used only appropriate language.

9. Timely means setting deadlines. You must include one, otherwise your objective isn’t measurable. But your deadlines must be realistic, or the task isn’t achievable. T must be M, and R, and S without these your objective cannot be top-priority.

10. It is worth this effort. You’ll know you’ve done your job well, and so will others.