Getting things done In the 1950s was called Management by objectives. Now we call it SMART goals; a cool acronym for the same principle – used by businesses and community organizations alike.
Setting goals is one thing, but actually accomplishing them is tricky. If you don’t make them precise they tend to wander and either get accomplished without ever making a difference (who wants busy work), or get lost in the shuffle (Yeah, we talked about that some time ago…). In stead, make goals SMART! That is an appropriate acronym for
Smart Goals
Specific –narrow it down; don’t keep it vague!
Measurable – how does success look like…?
Attainable or doable – don’t ask the impossible! Also, if this is for a team, make it Accountable; make sure one person is task leader.
Relevant – is it likely to make a difference for what we are looking for?
Time-bound: when is it due…
The linked document gives you a template for setting action items for your team and by doing so remind you to make them smart…
More reading
The concept of SMART goals has been around for a long time — after all: they make sense. Peter Drucker, an influential professor of management who died in 2005, started promoting the use in business in the 1950s in a method called MBO, or Management By
Objectives. Paul Meyer, a motivational speaker and writer, popularized the concept through a book titled “Attitude is everything” originally published in the early 2000s.
See also: http://www.oma.ku.edu/soar/smartgoals.pdf