Defining goals you want to reach is easier said than done. Checking goals against the SMART criteria can help in assessing whether the defined goals can be realised.
SMART is an acronym for - Specific- Measurable- Achievable- Realistic- Timely.
- Specific : objectives should be clearly and well defined. This definition can exist out of a scope description, stating what is included, how things should be done and why we are doing it.
- Measurable; to be able to determine if the goals are reached, the goals must be sufficiently measurable. Examples of what can be measured are eg. quantity, quality, time and cost.
- Achievable; the objectives need to be accepted by the employee and his team. It is important not to define goals that are considered as not being achievable.
- Realistic: "can it be done ?”. When the goal is not realistic, it works demotivating for the employees
- Timely; the goal should have a timeline during which the objective is supposed to be realized.