SMART Goals and Objectives

Developed by Sune Baldus

Abstract

SMART Goals is a method for effective setting of goals and objectives, first presented by George T. Doran in 1985, addressing the lack of ability by managers to set goals and objectives. SMART is an acronym for Specific Measurable Assignable Realistic and Time-related. The object is to avoid that goal- or objective setting such as KPI’s are inadequate or indecisive, and therefore impossible to fulfill, but to set goals that can be a framework for an action plan.

SMART Goals has been widely accepted as an effective tool for goalsetting, but the words behind the acronym is varying from author to author. MIT suggests the acronym is for Specific Measurable Attainable Relevant and Time-bound. [3] This version is the most common representation, according to Robert S. Rubin [4].

SMART Goals can be used for professionals in a wide range of areas of Project Management, along with also personal goal setting.

The SMART acronym is covering other word-combinations (Active, Achievable, Relevant, Timebound, Timely), but usually the meaning stays the same. Further additions such as SMARTER-acronyms also exists. The SMART Goal setting technique is widely known as a management tool but is also criticized for its banality and the absence of wisdom behind the goals. Also, used in the wrong way it may lead to setting base-line goals, instead of setting higher goals.

Goal setting

Goal Setting theory is a field within psychology, focusing on how goals and objectives can affect actions, and the application of goals. It addresses the relationships between goals and performance; difficulty of goals and probability of task succes. Based on 35 years of empirical research, Edwin A. Locke and Gary P. Latham describes four mechanisms that makes goals affect performance. They are (a) the Directive function, where goals directs attention to relevant activities, (b) the Energizing function, which means that higher goals leads to a greater effort, (c) goals affect persistence; a hard goal can prolong the effort, and (d) it is stated that goals has an indirect affect on action since they leads to "arousal, discovery and/ use of task-relevant knowledge and strategies". [7]

In Goal setting literature, objectives are often mentioned. George T. Doran explains how, in some organisations, goals are short-term and objectives are long-term, and in other organisations, the opposite is the case, or even that they are synonyms. For that reason he finds no reason to discuss the difference except from on an executive level. He uses the term "objectives" throughout his article ”There’s a S.M.A.R.T. way to write Management's goals and objectives”. [1]

Les MacLeod is arguing for a distinction is needed between goals and objectives where the goals is long-term and objectives are short-term in his article "Making SMART goals smarter". He distinguishes between goals and objectives by stating that goals are broad in scope, formulated in general terms, abstract and with a focus on an end-result whereas objectives are narrow in scope, specifically formulated, concrete and with a focus on the required steps towards an end-goal. His argument is that to make SMART Goals smarter, one should start refer to them as SMARTER Objectives. [6]

Big Idea

Objectives and goals enable an organization to focus on problems and give the company a sense of direction. This requires goals and objectives that are meaningful formulated. For that reason, George T. Doran introduced SMART Goals to help corporate officers, managers and supervisors write meaningful objectives. Doran adresses the issue that many managers are not capable of writing meaningful goals, even though they know the importance of setting goals. The difficulty of the goal-setting task, the time it requires, and the stress it results in, is the reason that the majority of the U.S. corporations do not have an effective process for planning and setting objectives. Doran's version of SMART-Goals, was a suggestion for coping with that issue, by making a simple mnemonic that every manager could remember. [1]

The Doran-version of SMART Goals

In 1981 George T. Doran presented SMART Goals for the first time in the article ”There’s a S.M.A.R.T. way to write Management's goals and objectives” in the academic newspaper Management Review. [1]. It is described in very few words, but he points out that it is not suggested that every goal should cover the whole acronym, but it is worth to aim for as a guideline. The suggested acronym was:

Specific

Is to target a specific area of improvement.

Measurable

Is to choose a quantifiable indicator for progress.

Assignable

Is to assign an agent to the task.

Realistic

Is to state what is realistic to achieve with the assigned resources.

Time-related

Is to specify when the results can be achieved.

The popular version of SMART Goals

SMART goals has become a widely popular method for writing goals and objectives, but there is a certain ambiguity on what the actual acronym stands for. According to Rubin, the most popular acronym is Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Rime-bound [4]. It is also the version used by MIT’s department for Human Resources [3].

Specific

A full description in concrete language of the desired outcome and describes the desired outcome. What needs to be done, what the outcome are and why it is important. If A does not stands for Assignable, then it is here it is stated who is responsible.

Measurable

The goal needs to be measurable or quantifiable in some way. Also, you need to describe how you will know the objective is achieved. If the goal is of qualitative, like improving employee satisfaction for instance, then some sort of measurement tool like an employment satisfaction survey will be needed.

Attainable

Latham and Locke found that the highest level of effort occurred when the task was moderately difficult [7], which corresponds with a goal that is stretch, yet achievable, making sure that most effort will be put into the objective. This, as a follow, will also result in the highest possible outcome. The Attainability will be dependent on practicalities and available resources. This needs to be assessed in order to secure an attainable goal.

Attainable is synonymous with Achievable, and it covers the same criteria as Realistic would do - for that reason, coupling Attainable/Achievable with Realistic will not contribute further to meaningful goals.

Relevant

The goal needs to be relevant for objectives for the performing group, as well as for the organization’s vision and mission. Relevance is to avoid doing the wrong things right or vice versa, but to make sure that the effort put into work that supports the overall goals or objectives for the organisation. The advantage of the higher effort that was gained by setting a moderately difficult goal should not be wasted on work that is not fruitful.

Time-Bound

What is the timeframe for achieving the goal? When will the desired end-result be achieved? In order to maintain a level of enthusiasm in the team for meeting the goal, a set-in-stone deadline will be needed. Without that, expectations to a team, or within the team, will be hard to manage, since there is no date of closure.

Here it is important to note that large goals may have milestone dates.

Other editions

Not only the versions of SMART goals presented by George T. Doran or used by MIT, exists. Robert S. Rubin wrote in 2002 the article “Will the Real SMART Goals Please Stand Up” in the scientific newsletter The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist, where he represents a myriad of different words and combination that can form the acronym SMART [4].

According to Rubin, the SMART acronym could cover not only the Doran or MIT-versions but also the following:

S	Simple, specific with a stretch, sensible, significant
M	Meaningful, motivating
A	Acceptable, achievable, action-oriented, accountable, as-if-now, agreed, agreed-upon, actionable, assignable
R	Realistic, reviewable, relative, rewarding, reasonable, results-oriented, relevant to a mission
T	Timelines, time-frame, time-stamped, tangible, timely, time-based, time-specific, time-sensitive, timed, time-scaled, time-constrained, time-phased, time-limited, time-driven, time-related, time-line, timed and toward what you want, truthful

Further additions to the acronym

After SMART goals, other authors have expanded the acronym with "E" and "R", called SMARTER Goals. Also here there is ambiguity about the words behind the acronym.

Application

An example of SMART Goals:

In a volunteer NGO, keeping in touch with members is crucial for the bare existence of the organization, since they are forming the NGO. A sample goal for a volunteer NGO could be:

Keep in touch with all members.

That goal is not SMART. First, it is not specific. To “keep in touch” could be the NGO members paying their annual membership fee, or when they are receiving the newsletter.

It is not measurable, since there is no clear indication for progress. Is the goal reached if the members pay their membership fee? And will it then be a failure if people are unsubscribing the NGO?

It is not assignable since it is not clear who is to do it. Is it the chairman, the head of secretariat, local groups, or some other group?

It is not realistic since there is no assigned resources to it. Also, reaching 100% of the members is quite a task, if it is a large NGO. People might change phone numbers or email-addresses.

It is not time-related. It does not state when the goal needs to be achieved.

The SMART goal could then be:

The Head of secretariat is responsible for that 95% of our members of the organization has received a phone call from, or participated in an email correspondence with, the secretariat (Head of secretariat, one of the volunteers or, if needed, a board member). The content of the communication should as a minimum be if the members still wants to be a part of our organization. This needs to be done every year, and the membership database should be updated along as the correspondences are conducted.

This is specific, since it states exactly what has to be done; Phone calls or emails with a clear purpose.

It is measurable, since there is a clear indicator for progress. The percentage of members contacted by secretariat is trackable for everyone with access to the membership database.

It is assignable, since it states who is responsible (Head of secretariat), and who is to perform the job (the secretariat).

It is realistic since there are resources assigned to the task – the secretariat itself. Also, the board members will assist in case of lack of resources.

It is time-related, since it is clearly stated that it has to be done every year.

Limitations

The SMART-acronym is widely used, but not necessarily a recipe for instant success. The goals might be SMART but that does not mean that they are clever. The example with the volunteer organization shows how a goal can be SMART without being a wise, what so ever.

First, it is relevant to question the need for contact with the members? To create a feeling of cohesion in the organization? Or to call them and check if they are actively supporting the organizations work? Even though it is stated that the content should be “if the member still wants to be a part of the organization”, it is not clear what the desired output should be. The member could say “no”, and take the opportunity to unsubscribe from the organization, during the phone call. Then the NGO might be bleeding members during these correspondences. It should also be clear for the organization that its members still want to be a part of the organization if they keep paying their membership fee.

Another critical aspect of SMART goals is that it does not necessarily stretch for highest possible achievement. In the given example, the objective is to be in touch with 95% of the members. That is fine, but it does not create significant value for the organization. A focus on member activity, recruitment of new members, maintaining partnerships and creating new alliances, visibility in public debate or fundraising could create much more value for the NGO – even though these goals might not be formulated in a SMART way.

Also, the great thing about recipes is that they are a guideline of doing things – with the wide array of word combinations forming the acronym SMART, the goals can take so many forms that the acronym is not an indicator for quality. This ambiguity bears a risk to defer the SMART-goals purpose; Making the goal setting easier and understandable. If a manager uses a version where A & R stands for the synonyms Attainable and Realistic, the goal might irrelevant or unassigned.

Annotated Bibliography

Locke, E. A. & Latham, G. P. (2002). Building a Practically Useful Theory of Goals Setting and Task Motivation: Two of the leading scientists within theories of Goal Setting theory is summarizing 35 years of empirical research. They describe their core findings and the relations between goal setting and performance. They present the application and limitations of the goal setting theory.

https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/smart-goals.htm

Latham, G. P. (2001). The reciprocal effects of science on practice: Insights from the practice and science of goal setting. Canadian Psychology, 42(1), 111.

Locke, E. A. & Latham, G. P. (1990). A theory of goal setting and task performance. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall.