SMART Goals is based on the acronym that stands Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Timebound. Following this acronym is a great way to construct clearly-defined goals that matter to an organization. Expanding on each element:
- Specific: “Reduce lead time in minutes” as opposed to “Improve productivity”
- Measurable: “Reduce lead time to 2 minutes” as opposed to “Double productivity”
- Attainable: “Cut defects from 30% down to 15%” as opposed to “Reduce defects to zero”
- Relevant: “Reduce customer complaints by 20%” as opposed to “Increase holiday party effectiveness”
- Timebound: “Increase application completion rate by 50% by end Q2″âinclude a “by when” date
There are many good guideline for goal creation, but following the SMART acronym covers 5 critical goal attributes.
