Ideas and Tools
S.M.A.R.T. Objectives
Successfully Setting and Achieving Organisational Objectives
'SMART' is a useful acronym for setting objectives,
which should be
Specific,
Measurable,
Achievable,
Realistic and
Time Based.
Specific objectives are those which are unambiguous so that all concerned understand precisely what outcome, action or
behaviour is required. For example it is not specific enough to say 'we will set up a Shanghai office' because this
could mean different things to different people. There needs to be a specification of the office, its purpose,
location, staffing and equipment.
Measurable refers to the ability to evaluate achievement of the objective using numbers, rates, frequencies
or percentages. In other words, how will we know if we are contacting customers frequently enough? There
should be no room for argument in assessing whether we are meeting our objective and/or exceeding it by 10%.
Achievable objectives are those which all the people involved believe can be reached, yet not so easy that they do
not stretch the organisation or demand significant effort. Staff concerned should ideally be involved in
setting the objective so that they commit to it. Importantly, the people who are to achieve the objective
need to have the necessary skills, budget and authority to deliver results.
Relevant objectives are those that are linked to the organisation's strategy and so the achievement of the
objective moves the business forward towards its goals. The more clearly linked to the wider success of the
organisation, the more motivated people are likely to be in achieving the objectives. On the other hand,
targets which are not linked (or the link not explained properly) are unlikely to be taken seriously,
(such as keeping company vehicles clean or unnecessarily strict timekeeping for starting and finishing shifts.)
Time Based (some say 'timetable-able'!) objectives are those whose progress can be measured against an agreed time frame. It is
important that these time targets are set not only for the ultimate deadline but for stages along
the way. This means that at each agreed 'milestone' towards achieving our goal we know whether we
are ahead of schedule - or behind it. Clearly, the time based objectives for progress have to be
Achievable.
In conclusion, using SMART objectives is a good way not only to set objectives but involve all
concerned in setting targets and committing to their achievement. Each aspect cannot be decided
in isolation, as they are obviously interconnected and need to be reviewed and revised in
relation to each other. For example an objective everyone agreed was achievable may no
longer be the case by the time the boss imposes an unrealistic Time Based target on its
achievement, and so
adjustments may be needed until
all five aspects of objectives are consistent with each other.
Note: This web page is not intended to provide comprehensive coverage of the
subject, merely a brief introduction to provoke thought and to lead to a more in depth
understanding and application of the topic, either through further reading - or from me
as your management consultant, executive trainer or personal coach in a
consultancy project, training course, workshop or seminar.