S.M.A.R.T.

In 1981, George T. Doran (deceased), a consultant and former director of corporate planning for Washington Water Power Company, a west coast energy company now known as Avista, published a paper called There’s a SMART Way to Write Management’s Goals and Objectives. In the document, he introduced S.M.A.R.T. goals as a tool to create criteria to help improve the chances of succeeding in accomplishing a goal.

S: Specific > Be specific about what you want to accomplish. Think about this as the mission statement for your goal. This isn’t a detailed list of how you’re going to meet a goal, but it should include an answer to the popular ‘w’ questions:

• Who is involved in achieving this goal - especially important if it’s a group project.

• What are you trying to accomplish? Be detailed.

• When does this need to be completed? Set a time frame.

• Where – if a location is relevant to the completion of your goal, list it.

• Which obstacles or requirements could arise in pursuing your goals?

• Why this goal?

M: Measurable > make sure your goal is measurable to track progress and remain focused. What metrics are you going to use to determine if you’ve met the goal? If it’s a project that will take months to complete, set milestones for specific tasks and their deadlines.

A: Achievable > be realistic; set goals you can achieve. Focus on how important a goal is to you and what you need to do to make it attainable. It may require developing new skills and changing attitudes. The goal is meant to inspire motivation, not discouragement. If you don’t currently have the tools/skills needed, consider what it would take to attain them.

R: Relevant > set goals relevant to whatever it is you’re trying to accomplish. Does this goal make sense within the broader objective(s)?

T: Time-bound > set a deadline for completion. If it lacks realistic timing, it may lessen your chances of success. Providing a target date is imperative. If your goal takes three months to complete, see where you are halfway through the process. Providing time constraints also creates a sense of urgency and accountability.

In my experience, if you apply the S.M.A.R.T. goals framework, you can be honest with yourself from the very beginning and have a blueprint for probable success; once you have the blueprint, like the architect and director of your life that you are, you can always tweak it along the way.