The 5 stages of SMART Goals
SMART goals are a popular goal-setting framework that is used to help people set specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound goals, in order to deliver projects and personal goals in a timely and professional manner.
What are SMART goals?
The acronym “SMART” stands for the following:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Achievable
- Relevant
- Time-bound
SMART – clearly defined
Specific
The first step towards successfully implementing SMART goals is ensuring that goals are ‘specific’ and well-defined, with clear and concise descriptions of what is to be accomplished.
For example, a specific goal might be “I will increase my sales by 10% in the next quarter.”
Measurable
Second on the list of SMART goals is making sure that your goals are ‘measurable’, with specific metrics and targets that can be used to track progress and determine whether the goal has been achieved.
For example, a measurable goal might be “I will send out 10 sales proposals per week.”
Achievable
The third step towards achieving SMART goals is outlining goals that are ‘achievable’, meaning that they are realistic and within the reach of the person setting the goal.
For example, an achievable goal might be “I will not deliver by Tuesday, but definitely by Friday, due to my current workload”
Relevant
Fourth on the list for great SMART goals is tailoring goals so that they are ‘relevant’ to the person setting the goal, and should align with their priorities and values.
For example, a relevant goal might be “I will develop a new product line to meet the needs of our target market.”
Time-bound
And, last but not least, the final part to SMART goals is having a ‘specific timeline’, with a clear start and end date, to help ensure that they are completed within a certain timeframe.
SMART goals in use
It’s all good knowing what the SMART goals are, but how do we translate them into the real world?
Here is an example of how SMART goals might be used in day-to-day business life:
Specific
- “I will increase my website’s conversion rate by 15% within the next quarter by implementing A/B testing on my landing page and optimizing my call-to-action buttons.”
This goal is specific (increase conversion rate by 15%), measurable (track conversion rate through A/B testing), achievable (increase conversion rate by a realistic amount), relevant (improve website performance), and time-bound (within the next quarter).
Measurable
- “I will reduce the average response time for customer support inquiries by 50% within the next month by implementing a new online ticketing system and increasing the number of support staff.”
This goal is specific (reduce average response time by 50%), measurable (track response time using the new online ticketing system), achievable (reduce response time by a realistic amount), relevant (improve customer support), and time-bound (within the next month).
Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound
- “I will increase employee engagement by 10% within the next six months by implementing a new employee recognition program and holding regular team-building activities.”
This goal is specific (increase employee engagement by 10%), measurable (track engagement through surveys and other metrics), achievable (increase engagement by a realistic amount), relevant (improve employee satisfaction and productivity), and time-bound (within the next six months).
Overall, these examples demonstrate how SMART goals can be used in day-to-day business life to set specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound goals that can help to improve performance and achieve desired outcomes.
In summary
SMART goals are a popular goal-setting framework that is used to help people set specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound goals, in order to deliver projects and personal goals in a timely and professional manner.
Do this correctly and many more goals will be achieved.
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Further industry information
Check out this link for more info from Indeed:
https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/smart-goals