Smart Goals: Understand how to apply them to get better results!

Setting goals is essential to achieving your goals. And one of the best ways to define them is to use the Smart Goals concept, which is based on some specific criteria for you to achieve your goals.

And the most interesting thing is that its versatility allows you to use this methodology for both your personal and professional life — applying it in the corporate environment.

If you are thinking that this subject is too difficult to understand, don’t worry! In this article, we explain better about this concept and how you can add it to your daily life. Good reading!

What are Smart Goals?

Smart Goals are a method to define objectives in a coherent way, with each process being evaluated individually in order to finally achieve the desired results.

They are mainly centered on team management, working as a strategic checklist to propose new goals.

That is, the idea is to align employees with the objectives of a given organization — aiming to achieve the expected results —, basing strategic planning and operational details on the concept of Smart Goals.

How does it work and how to apply Smart Goals?

At first, it is worth noting that the Smart Goals are based on 5 factors for defining goals: specific; measurable; attainable; relevant and timely.

Even before applying the methodology, it is essential to understand these conceptual criteria that encompass this term “SMART”.

In fact, when goals are clearly defined, teams start to feel more motivated, as this clarity generates more fluidity and, consequently, better performance in processes.

Examples of Smart Goals to help you understand the technique

For you to understand in a more practical way, we have brought the Smart Goals criteria and which operational points it must meet. Check out:

Specific goal

Consider the following objective: “increase sales by 30%”. From there, to test whether that goal is specific, ask the following questions:

What will be achieved with this goal?
Who will be responsible for it?
Where will it be held?
How will it be conquered?
Why is she so important?

The answers to these questions will help you define the specific goal, making it easier to build the next steps.

Measurable goal

In terms of analytics, you need to make sure your goal is also measurable.

It is through it that you will be able to more efficiently monitor your progress and identify whether it has actually been achieved.

Therefore, regarding the goal of increasing sales by 30%, consider the following questions to identify whether it is measurable:

What is the expected result with the goal?
How long does it take for this result to be achieved?
How can this result be measured?

Attainable goal

Overall, it’s essential to identify whether your goal is attainable. Therefore, be consistent and sensible when defining it, so that it is possible to fully achieve it.

Consider the structure, team and investment power to know if the goal is really attainable.

For example: there’s no point in having a goal of doubling your sales if you don’t have the necessary team or structure to do so.

Just as there is no point in wanting more than 100 stores in 3 months, if your company does not have enough capital to expand.

Therefore, still considering the example of “increase sales by 30%”, see the following questions to understand if the goal is attainable:

Does the company have the capacity to achieve the target?
In historical terms of the company, is it possible to achieve the goal?
Is it financially viable to bet on this goal?

Relevant goal

You must be convinced that the defined goal is really relevant to be worked on. That is, be sure that the goal is important and will make a total difference when achieved.

Remember that the more relevant the goal, the greater the motivation of the entire team to achieve it.

Some points for you to consider when defining whether the stipulated goal is relevant are:

How will the company be impacted by the goal?
Is the goal seen as relevant to employees?
Is the moment opportune to go in search of the goal?
Are there priorities that could be undermined by this goal?

Time target

Unrealistic deadlines are one of the main points that influence goals not being achieved.

Therefore, it is necessary to understand how long the goal needs to be achieved — to assess whether this deadline is consistent and possible to be met — and to create a well-planned schedule to make this happen.

To determine whether the goal has a good time base, consider the following questions:

Does this goal have a well-defined and planned timeline?
Is everyone involved aware of the deadlines?
What is the final date for the goal to be achieved?

Considering all the highlighted elements, it will be possible to define that this is really a Smart Goal.

The importance of studying Smart Goals

Regarding learning, Smart Goals are a frequent subject in administration and organizational management courses .

Thus, it is necessary for students to be aware of what they will encounter in undergraduate and graduate courses.

In addition, this theme is something recurrent even after students graduate, indicating the moment to experience, in practice, the concepts seen in the classroom and the skills they acquired . That is, you have to be prepared for when that time comes.