Turning to any modern field of activity, be it the construction industry, the field of education or information technology, one may encounter project activities. Project activity allows you to correctly formulate a task, choose a goal and place emphasis on important aspects, directing the overall progress of work in the right direction. In project activities, an important step is the goal setting. One of the most popular and effective goal-setting methods is the SMART technology (SMART).
What is SMART goal setting?
This goal-setting technology appeared a long time ago and has already managed to prove itself from the best side. Thanks to this method, it is possible to clearly formulate the task, summarize the available information, choose the timing and amount of resources. Any self-respecting manager is required to have the skills in setting goals for SMART.
SMART is an abbreviation that stands for:
- Specific.
- Measurable - Measurable.
- Achievable - Achievable.
- Realistic - Pragmatic (Real).
- Timed - Timed.
We will analyze each component in more detail.
Specific - the task must be specific
In order to increase the likelihood of the successful implementation of a project, it is necessary to establish a specific goal. In fact, it is necessary at the initial stage to decide what the result will be. A number of questions hidden behind the 5W acronym help in concretizing the future goal:
- What? (What?) - What do I need, what goal do I pursue, what do I want to achieve?
- Why? (Why?) - Why do I or my team / company need this?
- Who? (Who?) - Who will work on this task?
- Where? (Where?) - Where should this task be dealt with?
- Which? (Which?) - What are the requirements and limitations that will have to be faced?
It is important to understand: if there is one goal, then the result follows one. Any changes in terms of results should result in changes in the number of goals.
Measurable - the task must be measurable
Setting goals and objectives for SMART requires a clear understanding of what constitutes a successful completion of this task. Measurement of success can be expressed in a certain monetary profit or increase in web traffic, the number of audience and so on.
In order to clearly formulate a measurable task, you should turn to yourself with the following questions:
- At what point will the goal be considered accomplished?
- Which of the selected indicators (the amount of revenue, the number of visits on the web resource) has a greater impact on success and indicates that the task has been completed?
- What should be the value of this indicator for a project or task to be considered successfully completed?
Achevable - the task must be achievable
Setting goals for SMART involves setting a realistic task, one that your team or company can achieve. This is an extremely important element of the SMART system, as it has a huge impact on the motivation of the artist. Unattainable goals almost never finish. In order not to dream again, but to adhere to reality, one should rely on work experience, the availability of certain resources. It is also necessary to keep in mind the existing restrictions.
The restrictions may include:
- Temporary resource.
- Availability of investment.
- Number of employees / performers.
- Available knowledge and experience (human capital).
- Access to the necessary information.
- The leader’s ability to fully control the work process.
Realistic - the task must have value
Setting goals for SMART is notable for its adequacy, it is important not only to prescribe the workflow, but also to realize precisely those goals that will be significant for the company. It is necessary to choose goals that will be useful in the long run and allow the development of the team / company.
Simply put, if an implemented goal does not bring any benefit, then this is not a SMART goal, and work on it is wasted.
It is important to note that not only the pragmatic component is important, but also the compatibility of the goal with the realities of the company, the principles of performers, and the general development strategy.
Timed - the task must have a time frame
The SMART task setting system imposes a number of restrictions on the executor, including a limited time resource. Forming such a task, it is necessary to establish a deadline (deadline), exceeding which automatically makes the goal / project a failure.
Such a restriction positively affects the motivational component, and also facilitates control over the task.
Naturally, the task itself, the calculation of resources, etc. should be formed taking into account time constraints. Simply put, the time required to complete a task must be consistent with the deadlines.
SMART Tasks: An Example
Here is one illustrative example.
Suppose an employee of a pipe manufacturing company (let's call her Lena) received a large order from one of the clients, checking the database for the availability of goods, Lena agrees to deliver it to the client. After some time, the client calls up Lena and declares that the quantity of goods does not correspond to the previously agreed. This happened due to the fact that another employee sold pipes to another client an hour earlier.
Such a curiosity could have been avoided if Lena worked according to the SMART scheme:
- S - Lena clearly forms the order, finds out what the client requires.
- M - Lena specifies the amount of necessary goods that the client should receive.
- A - Lena coordinates the order with the client, as well as with the employees of the company. For example, she could call the warehouse and make sure that the goods needed for the client will be enough.
- R - The actions taken would help to ensure that the task is feasible and will not create company problems.
- T - Based on the information received, it would be possible to indicate the actual dates.
Thus, setting goals for SMART would help the employee to realize the conceived transaction, without undermining the credibility of the company.
SMART goal-setting technology in everyday life
SMART task setting skills can be useful in everyday life, because the structure of project activities can be applied to any purpose.
Imagine that someone was eager to learn a foreign language, as this implies a promising job as a translator.
- S - Man clearly formulates his goal: to learn a language. He knows that he will work alone, he knows that this skill will allow him to get a good job. He also knows what difficulties this process is associated with and where to start.
- M - How to measure knowledge of the language? In this case, the certificate may be a measure. A similar certificate can be obtained by passing international exams.
- A - Is such a goal reachable? Yes. A person has a lot of free time, Internet access, the opportunity to go to courses and funds for these same courses.
- R - Is there any benefit to doing this? Yes. You can benefit from a skill like speaking a foreign language.
- T - In order not to miss classes and not to filter, a person can set a specific time frame, say, a year. This time is enough to get the necessary skills.