Ahmad Hassan
07-22-2009, 02:28 PM
Nothing happens until we plan and good plans have goals and objectives. Setting goals and objectives correctly provides the necessary support and aids in there achievement. Before we dive into how to go about setting SMART objectives, it’s important to understand that there is a world of difference between goals and objectives.
Goals relate to our aspirations, purpose and vision. For example, I have a goal of becoming financially independent.
Objectives are the battle plan, the stepping stones on the path towards the achievement of my goal.
The most well known method for setting objectives is the S.M.A.R.T. way, the SMART approach is well understood amongst managers, but is poorly practiced. S.M.A.R.T refers to the acronym that describes the key characteristics of meaningful objectives, which are Specific (concrete, detailed, well defined), Measureable (numbers, quantity, comparison), Achievable (feasible, actionable), Realistic (considering resources) and Time-Bound (a defined time line). Lets look at these characteristics in more detail.
so S.M.A.R.T is abbreviation For
Specific
Measurable
Achievable
Realistic
Time-Bound
Here are some sample objectives
For a teacher - “90% pass marks for yearly batches”
For a bus driver - “99% on time scheduled stops every month
For a CEO - “50% market share by 2006
For a product development manager - “Getting down customer maintenance requests by 50% by 2006 end
Goals relate to our aspirations, purpose and vision. For example, I have a goal of becoming financially independent.
Objectives are the battle plan, the stepping stones on the path towards the achievement of my goal.
The most well known method for setting objectives is the S.M.A.R.T. way, the SMART approach is well understood amongst managers, but is poorly practiced. S.M.A.R.T refers to the acronym that describes the key characteristics of meaningful objectives, which are Specific (concrete, detailed, well defined), Measureable (numbers, quantity, comparison), Achievable (feasible, actionable), Realistic (considering resources) and Time-Bound (a defined time line). Lets look at these characteristics in more detail.
so S.M.A.R.T is abbreviation For
Specific
Measurable
Achievable
Realistic
Time-Bound
Here are some sample objectives
For a teacher - “90% pass marks for yearly batches”
For a bus driver - “99% on time scheduled stops every month
For a CEO - “50% market share by 2006
For a product development manager - “Getting down customer maintenance requests by 50% by 2006 end