Transcription
Foreign, do you ever feel like your projects aren't quite achieving what you want them to? I've been there.
But you know what I've learned? Establishing the right goals in project management is half the battle. You've probably heard of SMART goals, right? Well, yeah, you'd hope all of your goals are SMART, right? But SMART, the acronym, gives us guidance on how to make goals you can reach. Let's break it down.
SMART goals are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound. That gives us a clever acronym, which makes it pretty easy to remember.
First, be Specific. The goal should target a specific area of improvement or answer a specific need. This is the first step in the SMART goal process, so you'll want to make sure you get it right. The more specific your goals, the more likely you are to get the results you want. Think about this example: your goal could either be "make a sandwich" or it could be "make a sandwich for myself to eat using wheat bread, peanut butter, and strawberry jam." Obviously, the second goal is more specific, so you'll be more likely to end up with what you actually want to eat for lunch. Small, yet important, details will help other people on your team envision the end result in the real world. This translates to outlining the tools or steps required, as well as who will benefit when the goal is achieved.
Next, it's got to be Measurable. The goal needs to be quantifiable or at least allow for measurable progress. You need to choose progress markers or project KPIs and how you'll track them. Also important: decide who's in charge of keeping track of progress against those markers, how often they'll be measuring them, and how they'll show that information with everyone else.
Your goal should also be Attainable. You've got to set realistic goals that are achievable based on the available resources and constraints. Those could be your team's capacity, your budget, your timeline. A good hint: looking at past projects can give you a glimpse into what's possible this time around.
Your goal also needs to be Relevant. That means it needs to align with other business objectives in order to be considered worthwhile. One way to make sure your goal is relevant is to break it down into smaller goals that will keep your team focused. If you spot any irrelevant goals or sub-goals, get rid of those. You don't need to waste time on them.
Finally, it needs to be Time-bound. The goal must have a timeline or a defined end. Trust me when I say you do not want an indefinite timeline. You can measure your goal in hours and minutes, business days, or even years, depending on the project's scope. You'll definitely want to check in with your stakeholders on this one to get a sense of when they think the project is going to start delivering results.
The last thing you need to know about SMART goals is that you need a reliable way to share them with your team. Reich has a handy OKR template that will help you identify, build, discuss, track, and even rate goals of all sizes for any type of project. Keep that in mind next time you're setting SMART goals.