SMART is an acronym – Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-bound – and a simple tool used to create actionable plans for results for both personal and business goals.   SMART goals simply summarize your performance expectations and outline measures to determine when the goal is met.  Let’s take a quick look at each part of a SMART goal:

• Specific:  Goals must be clear, well-defined, and strategic.  A specific goal has a much greater chance of being accomplished than a general goal.  Because the goals are focused, you can easily measure your progress toward their completion.
• Measurable:   Goals must be measurable where you can quantify concrete indicators of progress and accomplishment.  A goal without a measurable outcome is like a sporting event without a scoreboard.  If your goals are not measurable, you never know whether you are making progress toward their successful completion.
• Attainable:   To be attainable, goals must fall within a practical range of achievement and represent an objective toward which you are both willing and able to work, both personally and financially.  Realistic business goals should be based on the current economic conditions and realities.  The best goals require you to stretch to achieve them.
• Relevant:  Goals must support your overall business mission and vision.  These results-oriented goals must also align with current tasks and projects.
• Time-bound:   Goals must be grounded within a time frame with a starting point, ending point, intermediate checkpoints, and a fixed duration. Commitment to intermediate and final deadlines helps to focus work efforts on completion of the goal and build a sense of urgency.  Mark goal dates on your calendar.

Watch for the next post where we continue on the topic of setting goals.

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