SMART Goals – The Ultimate Fundamental

What Are SMART Goals?

SMART goals are a way to write goals and objectives. It is a tool to create measures to help progress the chances of succeeding in completing a goal.

What Does the SMART Acronym Stand For:

S – Specific

When setting a goal, be detailed about what you want to achieve. This isn’t a detailed list of how you’re going to meet a goal, but it should include an answer to the popular ‘5 w’s’ questions.

M – Measurable

What system of measurement are you going to use to determine if you meet the goal? Numbers? Quality? Quantity? This makes a goal more tangible because it provides a way to measure progress.

A – Achievable

This focuses on how important a goal is to you and what you can do to make it attainable. Think about how to accomplish the goal and if you have the tools/skills needed. If you don’t currently possess those tools/skills, consider what it would take to attain them.

R – Relevant

Relevance refers to focusing on something that makes sense with the broader business goals.

T – Time

Anyone can set goals, but if it lacks realistic timing, chances are you’re not going to succeed. Providing a target date for deliverables is imperative.

Once you’ve defined your SMART goals, it’s essential to put a plan in place to achieve them. To help with getting started and making sure to complete your goals, you need a tool that enables you to plan, track, manage, automate, and report on your goals in real-time. One such tool is Smartsheet.

Examples of SMART Goals:

Goal 1: I want to complete a project

• Specific: Many people are accessing our current site from their mobile devices. Since it’s not a responsive site, it provides a poor experience for customers. I want to launch a mobile app for my company website by the end of Q2, which requires involvement from software development, design, and marketing.
• Measurable: Creating a mobile app for our company site will require a lot of resources. To make it worthwhile, I’d like to have 50,000 installs of the site within six months of launch. I’d also like to show a 5% conversion rate from customers using the mobile site.
• Achievable: The departments that will be involved have signed off on creating a mobile app. I’ll need to manage the project and set milestones to keep everyone motivated and on target.
• Relevant: Improving the customer experience on mobile devices is a core initiative for my company this year.
• Time-Bound: In order to achieve 50,000 mobile app installs and a 5% conversion rate by the end of the fiscal year, the app will need to be launched by Q2 with a robust marketing campaign that should continue through the end of the year.

Goal 2: I want to improve my performance

• Specific: I received low marks on my ability to use PowerPoint at my last performance review. Improving my skills requires that I learn how to use PowerPoint efficiently and practice using it by creating various presentations. I’d like to be more proficient in using PowerPoint in time for my next review in six months.
• Measurable: By the time of my next review, I should be able to create presentations that incorporate graphs, images, and other media in a couple of hours. I should also be able to efficiently use and create templates in PowerPoint that my coworkers can also use.
• Achievable: Improving my PowerPoint skills is instrumental in moving forward in my career and receiving a better performance review. I can set time aside every week to watch PowerPoint tutorials and even enroll in an online class that can teach me new skills. I can also ask coworkers and my manager for PowerPoint tips.
• Relevant: Working with PowerPoint is currently 25% of my job. As I move up in the company, I’ll need to spend 50% of my time creating PowerPoint presentations. I enjoy my career and want to continue to grow within this company.
• Time-Bound: In six months, I should be proficient in PowerPoint ensuring it only occupies 25% of my workload instead of the nearly 40% of the time it occupies now.

SMART goal: I want to complete a project

• Description: Improving the customer experience on mobile devices is a core initiative for my company this year, so we are going to create a mobile app. By the end of the fiscal year, there should be 50,000 installs of the mobile app we develop, and it should produce a 5% conversion rate. We’ll build the mobile app in-house and launch it by the end of Q2 with an app-related marketing campaign that will continue until the end of the year.
• Milestone: Mobile app launches end of Q2.
• Deadline: End of the fiscal year.

SMART goal: I want to improve my performance

• Description: To grow in my career, I need to improve my PowerPoint skills. By taking online classes and reviewing tutorials, I’ll improve my PowerPoint skills so that it only requires 25% of my work time.
• Milestone: Complete an online PowerPoint course in three months.
• Deadline: Next employee review in six months.