SMART goals are a method used to set a clear, measurable, and realistic target that drives both employee and company performance. SMART is the short form of Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. These are the 5 characteristics that make your goals effective and actionable. 

Setting goals using this method helps provide direction and clarity about the goals. It also helps the employees to understand what their goal is and what they need to do to achieve it. Using SMART goals increases employee focus and dedication to the task, which ultimately leads to significant business growth.

Understanding the Elements of the SMART Method

As we already said earlier, the SMART approach to setting goals is made of 5 elements. But how do those 5 elements work? These are common questions that come automatically while talking about the SMART method. To answer these questions, we will explore those elements.

Specific

The goals you set have to be very specific about the target. How do you know if the goal is specific? Well, the goal itself should answer the “How,” ”What,” and “Why.” Specifying the goal removes any possible confusion about the target and gives a general idea of how the employee can achieve it. 

For example, if your target is “Improve Sales,” it may confuse your employees about how much to improve or when to report. Instead, your SMART goal should be “Improve sales by 16% within next 4 months.” You can feel the difference between these two goals yourself!

Measurable

The goal must be measurable so that you can track the progress and success rate of it. To make a goal measurable, you can add numbers, percentages, or any other measurable value to the goal. 

If you set a target like “Generate new leads for the next month,” it takes the measurement value. The goal will be SMART if you say, “Generate 50 new goals for the next month.” In this way, you can measure the employee’s growth mindset based on how many leads he/she generated.

Achievable

One of the most important factors is that the goal you set must be realistic and attainable. You must consider available resources, employee skills, and the time frame you set. An ideal goal will be challenging, but it will be possible to accomplish. 

For example, if your goal for a content writer is “Write 5K words per day,” it will not make any sense. Instead of encouraging the writer to work hard, it will demotivate them and drive them further away from the goal. So, set a realistic value like “Write 1.5K to 2K word per day.”

Relevant

It is obvious that the goal you set has to align with the employee’s role and designation in your company. The goals must also contribute to your company’s vision to an extent so that the work remains meaningful. If you assign sales goals to the marketing team, it won’t make any sense, right? 

Also, if you have an e-commerce business and started promoting computer learning courses, that won’t make sense either. It may bring you temporary cash but will contribute nothing to achieving your company vision. So, set goals that are relevant to your company and employee role.

Time-bound

Your goal must have a deadline. An infinite goal with no time limit makes no sense or contributes to anything. You must provide a clear timeframe to create a sense of urgency and build focus. 

Assigning a time limit helps schedule the tasks accordingly and to deliver the result on time. For example, you can set a goal for the web development team, like “Establish a clear structure of this website in 5 days.”

How to Set Smart Goals for Employees?

Setting SMART goals can be a complicated task if you don’t have previous experience. We have broken down the rest of the process into 3 simple steps.

• Identify Key Responsibilities and Objectives: First of all, understand the roles of the employee and how one can contribute to the company’s growth. You can determine key areas where you can expect measurable outcomes.
• Involve Employees in the Process: Involving the employees is a crucial step in setting goals. Arrange a discussion session with them to discuss their growth and capabilities. It will encourage ownership of targets and motivate the employee to work hard.
• Monitor Progress and Provide Feedback: Regularly monitor the progress of the targets you set. It will allow you to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the employee. Moreover, it will provide a chance for the employees to develop their skills and contribute more to the company’s success.

How to Set Smart Goals for an Organization?

Setting SMART goals for an organization is a bit different. Obviously, the SMART approach is always there but there are some more additional steps you need to focus on.

• Define Strategic Business Objectives: First, you need to find out the strategic objectives of the business like customer satisfaction, revenue growth, and market expansion. The goals should reflect the vision and long-term plans of the organization.
• Break Down Goals into Specific Areas: Divide the objectives into small, specific, actionable, in a word, SMART approach for different teams and departments. You must ensure clarity and focus on what different parts of the organization need to achieve.
• Communicate Goals Across the Organization: Clearly explain the goals to the employees of the organization. It will ensure understanding, alignment, and commitment towards the objectives. You can arrange meetings or dashboards to communicate efficiently.
• Encourage Accountability and Ownership: You should assign the goals as a responsibility of team leaders or project managers. It will encourage a culture of accountability where everyone is dedicated and committed to achieving the targets.
• Monitor Progress and Adjust if Needed: Like the employee goals, you need to track the progress of the organization’s goals and provide feedback to the relevant people. The situation will not always be the same, so you also may need to adjust the goals of the organization.

Tools for Setting and Tracking SMART Goals

It is not possible to set and track goals for every employee of the organization manually. You need to use specific tools or software to do the job for you. There are many options you can find on the internet that offer tracking goals. But ProKPI stands out in the crowd.

ProKPI is a goal management software that you can use to manage both your organization and employee goals. It is the best tool to assign, track, and evaluate strategic business objectives properly. We offer the following features for ProKPI users:

• Set organization goals
• Set employee goals
• Set goals based on team, department, or employee role
• Unlimited goals set
• Set goals with daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly deadlines.
• 24/7 customer support service
• Reasonably priced

In addition, the dashboard of ProKPI is very user-friendly and logically arranged. Research Gate states that a good user experience and a simple dashboard are crucial features of any tool. You don’t need to waste a lot of time learning or getting used to it.

Remember, you also need to track the progress and status of the goals. How are you going to do that? ProKPI offers tracking goals and their status updates in a smart and simple form. 

You can get an overall idea just by looking at our simplified reporting system, like pie charts or graphs. This data is crucial to track the progression of employees and the goal itself. As a result, you will be able to make data-driven decisions for the organization, minimizing the risk factors.

Final Thoughts

So what is the bottom line? Setting SMART goals for your employees and the organization is a delicate task that guides the future of the company. And, you can use dedicated goal management software to make this easier. 

Therefore, be careful while setting goals and make sure they follow the SMART method. It will eventually turn your company vision into reality and bring you the ultimate success.

FAQs

How can I ensure that SMART goals are achievable?

To make sure your SMART goals are attainable, consider the deadline, workload, employee capabilities, and past records. Different employees have different levels of capability, so arrange a discussion with them before setting a SMART goal.

How often should I update the SMART goals?

You need to monitor the SMART goals on a regular basis. Every once in a while, check the progress of the goals to identify any issues. It will allow you to react fast and minimize the waste of time.