The Ultimate Guide to S.M.A.R.T. Goals (original) (raw)

Any project without clear goals will struggle to reach the finish line. Fortunately, S.M.A.R.T. (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound) goals can help all project managers create clearly defined mission objectives that can help ensure success.

In this guide, I’ll explain what S.M.A.R.T goals are, how they can help you and your team succeed, how to write and implement them using the best project management software and offer some examples.

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What Are S.M.A.R.T. Goals and Why Are They Important?

S.M.A.R.T. goals provide leaders with a framework to create specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound goals that can help teams finish tasks and projects on time and with desirable outcomes. Setting S.M.A.R.T. goals can help remove uncertainties and guesswork and help ensure projects and tasks are completed within specified time frames—which, in turn, can help eliminate the risk of scope creep.

S.M.A.R.T. is an acronym that stands for specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound.

Managers and project leaders can set S.M.A.R.T. goals to help with more than just project-related tasks. S.M.A.R.T. goals can be set to ensure efficient resource management, budget control, employee training, sales goals, customer satisfaction and more.

How To Write S.M.A.R.T. Goals

At first, creating S.M.A.R.T. goals may seem complicated. However, when you break them down into the five components (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound), the process becomes much more straightforward. Below, I’ll walk you through each step to help you better understand how to structure clear, effective S.M.A.R.T. goals.

Specific

To be effective, your goals must be as specific as possible. You need to answer the who, what, why, when, where and how questions that will set the foundation for what you want to achieve. Think about specific steps that need to be taken, who will be completing the task and what the overall goal is. Here are a few examples of specific goals:

• Employee X will obtain a scrum master certification so they can manage scrum teams more effectively
• We will implement new agile project management processes to increase productivity
• We will use new CRM software to simplify workflows and increase customer satisfaction
• I will improve employee retention in my department by creating a fun and engaging work environment

When you have defined the goal you want to achieve, you have to come up with a way to quantify it, which is where the next step, measurable, comes into play.

Measurable

Any goal you set must be quantifiable with data that clearly shows the desired outcome has been achieved. Ensure the S.M.A.R.T. goal you set mentions specific numbers, lengths of time, costs and any other metrics and benchmarks that are easy to track. Look at the examples below to get an idea of the measurable portion of S.M.A.R.T. goals:

• The new agile processes will increase project completion rates from 80% to 95%
• The new CRM software will increase customer satisfaction scores from 60% to 90%
• Employee retention will improve by 15% by the end of Q3

Dashboards in leading project management software, such as Monday.com, can help you track progress toward your goals.

Achievable

The last thing you want to do as a leader is set unattainable goals. By setting goals that are clearly out of reach, you risk upsetting team members and lowering team morale, which can lead to lower-quality work, decreased productivity and higher turnover rates. Ensure that the goals you set are reachable for yourself, team members, or the team at large. You want to do everything in your power to ensure everyone involved can taste success. Below are some examples of goals that could set people up for failure.

• I will lose 25 pounds in one week by exercising for four hours and eating one meal daily
• I will finish next week’s marathon, even though I only own a pair of loafers and have no previous running experience
• We will complete our next project on time by using new software that will be implemented right before the project start date

Relevant

Have a long think about why you are setting the goals you are. Ensure S.M.A.R.T. goals align with the needs and wants of individuals, teams and your organization. Don’t fall into the trap of setting goals just for the sake of it. You have an opportunity to make long-lasting impacts on yourself, team members and your SMB if you set goals that everyone will benefit from. For example, if an SMB were wanting to increase sales and customer satisfaction, relevant goals could include:

• We will roll out training that will be completed by the end of Q2, so that every employee has a better understanding of the new products we will be selling in Q3
• All employees will complete a customer service training module by the end of Q2. This will help us reach our goal of improving customer satisfaction by 25% by the end of Q3
• We will hire five new employees to help reduce customer wait time at the service desk by 20% by the end of Q3

Time-Bound

The last part of setting a S.M.A.R.T. goal is to ensure you set a point in time when the task needs to be completed. Setting an end date helps keep team members on track and gives them something to aim for. When the completion deadline rolls around, you can assess and determine if the goal has been met or if more work is needed. You can set due dates on calendars and even Gantt charts in many of the best free project management software. A few examples of time-bound goals include:

• I will learn how to speak German by the end of the year by studying for 30 minutes daily
• I will run a 5K in nine weeks by training for 30 minutes three times a week
• I will complete a management course in six months to improve my career outlook

You can use a calendar in project management software, such as Asana to set goal due dates.

The Pros and Cons of S.M.A.R.T. Goals

As with most things in life, implementing new business strategies has upsides and downsides, and S.M.A.R.T. goals are no different. While I always recommend setting S.M.A.R.T. goals to help drive individuals and teams, you must also be aware of the negative consequences of implementing them.

Pros

By implementing S.M.A.R.T. goals, you can set realistic targets for yourself, individual employees and an entire team. If the goal is realistic, it can help increase productivity, collaboration and team camaraderie. By setting S.M.A.R.T. goals and following the S.M.A.R.T. framework, you can:

• Improve efficiency, increase productivity and reduce waste
• Energize and motivate individuals and teams
• Create a sense of ownership
• Promote learning and development
• Provide clarity and align teams with your company’s mission

Cons

While S.M.A.R.T. goals offer many benefits, at the same time, they can also introduce less desirable outcomes, including a lack of vision, workplace rigidity, decreased creativity and unsavory behaviors in pursuit of meeting deadlines. When implementing S.M.A.R.T. goals, you can:

• Focus too much on short-term goals and lose sight of the big picture
• Micromanage yourself or others, creating an unsustainable environment
• Increase pressure and stress, leading to decreased morale and lower productivity
• Limit how creative teams can be by forcing them to only focus on the S.M.A.R.T. goals
• Encourage unethical practices to meet goals, especially if they aren’t realistic

S.M.A.R.T Goal Examples

At this point, you may be wondering what full S.M.A.R.T. goals look like. Well, fear not. Below, I will share a few examples so you can better understand what a complete S.M.A.R.T. goal is.

Individual S.M.A.R.T Goal (Personal)

I will improve my overall fitness by walking for 30 minutes, five days per week, at 3.5 mph for the next four weeks. I’ll track my weight and monitor my average walking and resting heart rates using a fitness tracker. This will help me achieve the overall fitness goal set by my cardiologist.

Individual S.M.A.R.T. Goal (Professional)

I will improve my department’s employee engagement score by 15% by the end of Q3 by conducting weekly 1:1 sessions with direct reports and biweekly whole team meetings.

Team S.M.A.R.T. Goal

We will reduce the number of unsatisfied customers from 40% to 20% between July 1 and August 1 by retraining all agents on phone etiquette and customer service, and by implementing easier-to-use CRM software with user-friendly workflows. The goal will be measured by the number of complaints received during this time frame compared to the previous month. This will help us live up to the values and mission statement of the company.

How To Ensure S.M.A.R.T. Goals Are Met

It’s all well and good to talk about using S.M.A.R.T. goals, but as they say, the proof is in the pudding. To ensure your team buys into them, follow the simple steps below. Before you know it, you and everyone on your team will have a clearer understanding of the challenges ahead and be better equipped to meet and/or exceed your goals.

Openly Communicate With Your Team and Stakeholders

Before setting goals, meet with stakeholders, clients and your team to see how everyone feels about them. By doing this, you can ensure the S.M.A.R.T goals align with company goals and the client’s needs.

You can also speak with your team so they know what to expect. You can use video conferencing tools like Zoom, chat tools in project management software or collaboration software like Slack. Just remember that communication is the key to success.

You can use chat tools in popular project management software to discuss S.M.A.R.T. goals.

Write Your Goals Down and Organize Them

When creating S.M.A.R.T. goals, I recommend writing them down. If you have team-based goals, print them and place them where they are visible. You could also create a collaborative document in free project management software, such as ClickUp, Coda, Notion or Monday.com, so everyone can see them. If they are individual goals, only share them with the required party. You can also quickly organize your goals and determine the resources needed to complete them with project portfolio management software.

You can use collaborative documents in many project management software solutions to write down and share goals.

Plot Goals on a Gantt Chart

One way to track S.M.A.R.T. goals, dependent tasks and due dates is to use Gantt charts. These horizontal timelines can turn goals into bite-sized, easy-to-manage tasks with due dates and dependencies. You can plot your goal out over the defined period and update and track your progress as you go.

If you’re looking for a tool to build and manage Gantt charts, check out our guide to the best Gantt chart software. If you need robust software with Gantt charts to set S.M.A.R.T. goals for construction projects, see our roundup of the best construction project management software.

You can use Gantt charts to plot S.M.A.R.T. goals and dependent tasks.

Celebrate Every Win

To help build confidence and morale, every S.M.A.R.T. goal win should be celebrated. You can celebrate successes during daily standup, weekly team meetings and retrospective meetings. No matter when you celebrate, be sure to congratulate individuals or entire teams for their efforts. Doing so will inspire everyone to keep working toward their goals. When managing projects, I ensured that everyone who completed a goal was recognized publicly (with their permission) to show my appreciation for their hard work.

Be sure to celebrate every S.M.A.R.T. goal win during daily stand-ups, weekly meetings and retrospective meetings.

S.M.A.R.T. Goals and Artificial Intelligence

If you’re having trouble creating S.M.A.R.T. goals for your current project, you can use artificial intelligence (if it’s available in your project management software) to help you. While I prefer writing goals for myself and my teams, there’s no doubt that AI can help save you time.

I asked Notion’s AI to generate S.M.A.R.T. goals based on my task list; it did so in under 30 seconds.

I tested several AI assistants in a few different pieces of project management software and I have been quite impressed with the results. You can make your AI prompts as simple or as complex as you would like. I usually find that simple prompts are the best way to go.

If you have a project built, with assignees and due dates, you can pull up AI and create good results with a prompt. The above screenshot shows a list of S.M.A.R.T. goals Notion’s AI assistant generated in less than 30 seconds using this prompt: Create a set of S.M.A.R.T. goals for the Team Beta Project. Include the assignee, due date and how each goal will be measured.

Just be sure to check all of the details and make any needed edits before sharing the AI-generated content. You can add more or fewer details to your prompt. My advice is to play around with your wording, as every AI assistant will react differently.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Can an individual use S.M.A.R.T. goals?

Yes, everyone can use the S.M.A.R.T. framework to help them achieve goals, whether personal or professional in nature. You can create individual goals that can help you stay focused on losing weight, obtaining a degree or gaining a promotion at work.

Can my SMB benefit from S.M.A.R.T. goals?

Yes, every SMB can benefit from S.M.A.R.T. goals. They can help boost morale and confidence, increase productivity, improve collaboration and help reduce risks and waste.

Can I use software to create S.M.A.R.T. goals?

Yes, you can use software to create S.M.A.R.T. goals. Many of the best project management software solutions offer collaborative documents that allow teams to create and share goals.