A SMART goal is specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, time-bounded, and valuable than a conventional goal. This makes it more likely to be achieved. In other words, it takes into account the “big picture” of the task, project, or business initiative by addressing both short and long-term measures that are clear to employees and managers. When people know their day-to-day work activity deliverables, they focus and try hard to achieve them. But a SMARTER goal setting makes your goals more meaningful and successful.
What is the meaning of SMARTER goals?
A SMARTER goal meaning is Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Timely, Evaluate, Revise. It is a systematic approach to set meaningful goals that add real direction and accountability to the objectives.
Unlike a SMART goal, the SMARTER goal has a substance by obligating you to evaluate them from time to time and tweak or refine them to become meaningful and achievable.
That way, every objective becomes equally important as they are all interrelated to each other as you can see what SMARTER stands for in detail:
Specific – Be specific about what you want to achieve. It is one of the most important steps because it forces you to be clear and realistic about what you want.
For example, instead of saying “I want to get promoted this year,” say “I will finish these three projects by July 15th.” A specific goal gives you a visual way to measure your progress towards your overarching objective.
It’s easier for other people, your boss or co-workers—to know what they can do to help you reach your goal. It also pushes you along or motivates you.
Measurable – Create a specific target for yourself, one that is easy to measure against it. When writing out goals, you want them to be clear as day; quantifiable measures of progress.
Quotas are a great way to do this because you can break into smaller tasks or even parts of projects—which means more checkpoints along the way.
This practice also prevents us from becoming overwhelmed by too many things at once. If your goal isn’t measurable, then who knows how far away it is? What if your boss does not know how you are performing?
Achievable – Your work improvement goals must be attainable. This point is crucial. If your work goals are not achievable, then there’s no point in setting them.
This particular part of SMARTER goal setting should be considered with care when you create your work improvement goals. Try to set goals that are challenging but not overwhelming.
If your goal is too stretched, there’s a good chance of not achieving the results you want. However, if the goals are challenging, meaningful, and doable, then you will be focused and motivated to achieve them.
Realistic – Don’t set your goals too low or high. And a goal without a timeframe is meaningless. If you don’t meet the deadline, it ends up in the trash or bottom of the pile.
What counts as realistic depends on you—but there is no need to overdo it and end up being impossible to achieve.
It gives an impression of being dishonest, and even though you never intended to give anyone false hope, they might think otherwise.
Time-Bound – Include a deadline for each of your goals. It will not only give you more accountability but also provide a clear sense of urgency. One that will help propel you forward towards success in fulfilling them.
Also, include checkpoints along the way so that you can adjust and readjust when needed on the path to achieving your goals.
So, create deadlines to have something to aim at but also as a way of measuring our success.
If you have no deadline, how do you ever know when you have been successful? Deadlines provide you with both incentive and motivation to act.
Evaluable – the goal needs evaluating to determine what is working and what is not. Evaluation involves looking back and reflecting on past performance, learning what is going well and what is not.
Which ones need modification, and the ones that should be abandon altogether. Set up a regular progress evaluation point every week. Take some time to look back at your goals and calibrate accordingly.
Revisable – The last part of a SMARTER goal setting is that goals you can revise or adjust.
It is really about tweaking, refining, and readjusting them to make them serve the purpose, to take you in the right direction.
Also, you can take advantage of the checkpoint opportunities along the way — either re-write new goals if needed or adjust your tactics and strategies for executing the existing ones.
Read also: 8 Examples of What to Tell Your Manager to Improve On
What is the difference between SMARTER goals and conventional goals?
While there are similarities between SMARTER goals and conventional goal setting, the SMARTER approach emphasizes a more concrete direction of what you want to achieve by when.
For example, if you work in an office and your employer has a company-wide campaign for substantially reducing their carbon footprint over the next year, your individual goal may be to reduce electricity usage in your office or area of operation by 15%.
A SMARTER way of setting goals emphasizes time frames and specifics – it also allows employees to have a clearer understanding of what is expected of them while also providing a measurable and flexible approach to achieving results.
Here are the following 12 good smarter goals examples:
1. Ensure that team leaders are at the top 70% in terms of execution
Ensure that team leaders are at the top 70% in terms of execution, a metric that is easy to measure by the number of performance reviews, external feedback systems, or peer review results. It will help you to determine who’s doing well and why others are not.
2. Reduce absenteeism by 50% within three months
Reduce absenteeism by 50% within three months. This ensures the focus is on specific deadlines — rather than just hoping for improvement.
It also allows you to measure your progress as you go along, identifying whether some steps to address the cause of absenteeism are working better than others and adjusting accordingly.
3. Hold a brainstorming session at least once per month
Brainstorming is an effective technique to help your employees find solutions for problems they’re facing.
Just be prepared to get the most out of it and keep track of all their ideas by having them jot down some notes on a whiteboard or index card.
It helps if you limit how much time you give them to do it, too. Give them a strict timeframe in which to think up some fresh concepts.
Read more: 9 Good Examples of Work Performance Goals
4. Initiate a three-month review process with team members
Even if you already have one-on-one meetings scheduled every week (biweekly), it’s still a great idea to initiate a three-month review process with team members as well.
This will give you an excellent way to look at each employee every quarter — which means that you’re essentially looking at their productivity in a longer format, providing greater insight into the kind of work they are doing.
5. Double our productivity and reduce costs by 10% over six months
Double your productivity and reduce costs by 10% over six months. This is a specific goal that is easily measurable, with clear timeframes.
Achieving this level of performance will give you a sense of real accomplishment, providing both incentive and inspiration for continuous improvements.
6. Reduce customer service response time by 15%
Reduce your customer service response time by 15% by the end of this year. This will give you a more concrete goal, making it easier to measure and monitor your progress.
It also gives you a target number that will allow you to track the effectiveness of any changes carried out to improve efficiency or customer satisfaction.
7. Set a goal to measure team leaders’ engagement in high-value activities
Track team leaders’ time on high-value versus low-value activities, like being in meetings that don’t have a productive outcome.
Calculate the percentage of time team leaders are engaged in high-value activities, like coaching, providing feedback, or doing one-on-one meetings with employees.
The number should be very high. And if it isn’t, your team leader is probably too involved in less productive work activities and not enough on more productive activities like developing her people.
Read also: The Top 14 Personable Skills of a Good Employee
8. Improve meeting effectiveness by 30% within 2 months of the start date
Improve meeting effectiveness by 30% within 2 months of the start date. Meetings are a necessary evil for most companies, but that doesn’t mean they’re good.
If you can work with your team leaders to cut down on the number of meetings and improve the content, you’ll have a more engaged workforce.
You can measure this by examining how much value each meeting delivers. All team meetings must have an evaluation process to ensure that it is delivering value. If a meeting doesn’t contribute to your company’s mission, get rid of it.
9. Decrease lost time injury rate (LTIR) by 50% over the next 6 months
Decrease lost time injury rate (LTIR) by 50% over the next 6 months for the next 12. Walk around the premises every morning and afternoon and do an audit to identify hazards that can potentially cause injuries to everyone in the workplace.
Ask your employees to do likewise, and get them to tell you about their findings. Write these findings on a blackboard in the staff room or other accessible place, and include photos of each hazard found.
From these, you will be able to identify possible risks to causing injury in the workplace. Then work with your employees to eliminate or reduce the risks to zero by implementing appropriate measures.
10. Maintain a 100% safety compliance record for 6 months
Maintain a 100% safety compliance record for 6 months while ensuring that maximum productivity is maintained at all times within the company’s scope of operations.
This includes adherence to all equipment and safety policies as well as adherence to good manufacturing practices (GMPs), international quality management certification standards, national regulations relating to food production and health requirements, and any other applicable laws, statutes, and guidelines.
Read also: 16 Examples of Taking Responsibility at Work
11. Increase monthly production by 35% within 1 year (12 months)
Increase monthly production by 35% within 1 year (12 months) and maintain that rate of improvement for the next 3 years.
To accomplish this goal, production must increase by 36% in the first 6 months and then maintain 20% growth over the next 6.
Also, implement process improvement programs with strict adherence to standard operating procedures (SOPs) — all deviations from SOP must be documented and approved by management before implementation.
12. Reduce annual HR costs by 30% relative over the next 12 months
Reduce annual HR costs by 30% relative to current levels over the next 12 months, and maintain at or below these levels for the following 3 years.
This includes all administrative and HR-related costs. All deviations from approved procedures are to be documented and approved by management before implementation.
Conclusion
With SMARTER goals, you will be able to spend your time and effort more wisely on projects that are worth pursuing instead of wasting it on ones that have no chance for success or satisfaction in the end anyway.