What Do We Mean By SMART Goals or Objectives?

As we define Goals or Objectives we need to make sure they are concrete, and that you can easily answer whether you hit the goal or not. SMART is a simple mnemonic to help you ensure that your Goals or Objectives have the characteristics that make them concrete:

Specific: Make your goals narrow to something that is specific, significant, and simple.

Measurable: Make sure you know how you will know whether you have achieved the Goal or not. This usually involves tracking a metric. Making the metric meaningful will also mean it is motivating to those involved in the work.

Achievable: Make sure the Goal is achievable in the time-period, that it is attainable. For Teams, this means ensuring everyone is in agreement with the Goal.

Relevant: Make sure your Goal aligns with your over strategy and objectives.

Time bound: Make sure you have an end-time when you validate your result. For Teams working in Iertations (Sprints) this often defaults to “the end of the Iteration (Sprint)”.