SMART (project management)

SMART is a mnemonic used in project management at the project objective setting stage. It is a way of evaluating if the objectives that are being set are appropriate for the individual project.

A SMART objective is one that is specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound.

Peter Drucker, in his 1954 seminal work, "The Practice of Management" coined the usage of the acronym for SMART objectives while discussing objective-based management.

In recent years the term SMART (and more recently SMARTER) have been used beyond the original confines of MBO and Project management. They are now in common usage in helping managers agree objective within appraisal and performance management systems

Elements of a SMART objective

Specific

• Specific in the context of developing objectives means that an observable action, behavior or achievement is described which is also linked to a rate, number, percentage or frequency. This latter point is extremely important - let me illustrate. 'Answer the phone quickly' can be said to be a precise description of behavior, you can clearly see whether someone answers the phone or not, but there is no rate, number, percentage or frequency linked to it. So, if I state; 'Answer the phone within 3 rings' a rate has been added and the behavior is now much more specific.
• Summary: Is there a description of a precise or specific behavior / outcome which is linked to a rate, number, percentage or frequency?

Measurable

• A system, method or procedure has to exist which allows the tracking and recording of the behavior or action upon which the objective is focused. Setting an objective that requires phone calls to be answered in three rings is fine, provided a system exists which measures whether this is actually being achieved. If none exists the manager must be prepared to set time aside time to actually monitor the response rates to incoming phone calls. The only other alternative is to get the person with whom the objectives are being set to measure their own progress; in some cases and situations it may be acceptable to do this, in others maybe not - use common sense to decide this.
• Summary: Is there a reliable system in place to measure progress towards the achievement of the objective?

Achievable

• The objectives that are set with people need to be capable of being reached, put most basically; there is a likelihood of success but that does not mean easy or simple. The objectives need to be stretching and agreed by the parties involved. Setting targets that are plainly ridiculous does not motivate people; it merely confirms their opinion of you as an idiot. They will apply no energy or enthusiasm to a task that is futile. Consider sending a group of footballers out to play a game having told them the final score already, and they've lost! What's the point? So don't do it. (Some people feel that Agreed should stand for the definition of A in SMART. But as this relates to the process of communicating and deciding the objective rather than a definition of the content it seems out of context in relation to the rest of the criteria and consequently I do not use it. I concur however that objectives should indeed be agreed between involved participants rather than enforced.)
• Summary: With a reasonable amount of effort and application can the objective be achieved?

Relevant

• This means two things; that the goal or target being set with the individual is something they can actually impact upon or change and secondly it is also important to the organization. Example: Telling the cleaners that they 'have to increase market share over the next financial quarter' is not actually something they can do anything about - it's not relevant to them. However, asking them to reduce expenditure on cleaning materials by £50 over the next three months is entirely relevant to them. It's what they spend their budget on every day. As to whether it's relevant to what the organization is trying to achieve, the manager has to decide this by considering the wider picture.
• Summary: Can the people with whom the objective is set make an impact on the situation? Do they have the necessary knowledge, authority and skill?

Time-bound

• In the objective somewhere there has to be a date (Day/Month/Year) for when the task has to be started (if it's ongoing) and/or completed (if it's short term or project related). Simply: No date = No good.
• Summary: Is there a finish and/or a start date clearly stated or defined?

Ten Steps to SMART objectives (Download)