It is easier to succeed when you have well-defined goals that are grounded in reality. Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound are the acronyms for SMART goals.
Defining these parameters in relation to your goal helps ensure that your objectives are met within a reasonable time frame. This method eliminates generalizations and guesswork, establishes a clear timeline, and makes tracking progress and identifying missed milestones easier.
A SMART-goal statement might look something like this: Our objective is to [quantifiable goal] by [timeframe or deadline]. [Key players or teams] will achieve this goal by [outlining the steps you will take to achieve the goal].
Achieving this goal will result in [result or benefit].
S: Specific
A goal must be specific in order to be effective. A specific goal provides answers to questions such as:
What tasks must be completed?
Who’s to blame for it?
What steps must be taken to accomplish this?
Thinking through these questions can help you get to the heart of what you’re trying to achieve.
M: Measurable
Specificity is a good place to start, but quantifying your goals (that is, making sure they are measurable) makes it easier to track progress and know when you’ve arrived.
A: Achievable
This is the point in the process when you have to give yourself a hard reality check. Goals should be attainable, not placed on pedestals from which you will inevitably fall. Consider whether your goal is something your team can reasonably achieve.
When you set the goal, it is much easier to ensure that it is attainable. But this isn’t always the case. When goals are given to you from somewhere else, make sure to communicate any constraints you may be working with. Even if you can’t change the end goal, you can at least state your position (and any potential roadblocks) up front.
R: Relevant
This is where you must consider the big picture. Why are you establishing the goal that you are?
T: Time-bound
To properly measure success, you and your team must agree on when a goal has been reached. What is your time frame? When will the team begin developing and executing the tasks they’ve identified? When are they going to finish?
SMART goals should include time-related parameters so that everyone knows how to stay on track within a given time frame.
Knowing how to set goals using the SMART framework can help you succeed in setting and achieving goals of any size.
Want to make things even simpler? From our friends at HubSpot, you can download a SMART goal template.
