In this lesson, you learn to define and create measurable project goals and deliverables. Now, let's focus on SMART goals.
Specific, measurable, Achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals are beneficial for ensuring project success. As you start your career in project management, you may not directly set the project goals, but you should be able to clarify and understand them. SMART goals help you see the full scope of a plan, determine its feasibility, and clearly define project success in concrete terms.
Let's recap what we discussed in the previous video by taking a look at a breakdown of the criteria for SMART goals below:
- Specific: The objective has no ambiguity for the project team to misinterpret.
- Measurable: Metrics help the project team determine when the objective is met.
- Attainable: The project team agrees the objective is realistic.
- Relevant: The goal fits the organization's strategic plan and supports the project charter.
- Time-bound: The project team documents a date to achieve the goal.
You may see variations on what each letter in the "SMART" acronym stands for. (For example, you may see "actionable" or "achievable" instead of "attainable" or "realistic" instead of "relevant.”) However, each of these terms' general intent—to ensure the goal is within reach — is always similar.
Focusing on the "M" in SMART
Let's take a moment to zoom in on the M in SMART, which stands for measurable. Having measurable goals allows you to assess the success of your project based on quantifiable or tangible metrics, such as dollar amounts, number of outputs, quantities, etc. Measurable goals are important because they leave little room for confusion around expectations from stakeholders.
Only some metrics have value, so you must determine which ones make sense for the project. For example, measuring how many meetings the software engineers on your project attend every week may not be the most valuable metric for a productivity goal. Alternatively, you might measure other aspects of the engineers' productivity, such as a particular number of features created per engineer or a specific number of issues flagged daily.
Defining a SMART goal
Let's explore an example related to making a personal goal measurable. Imagine you are looking to make a career change and set a goal to complete a Google Career Certificate. You can measure the success of this goal because after completing the entire program, you will receive a certificate — a tangible outcome.
Now, let's determine how to make the remaining elements of this goal SMART. In this example, your purpose is to attain a Google Career Certificate. You can make this goal attainable by deciding that you will complete one course per month. This goal is relevant because it supports your desire to change careers. Finally, you can make this goal time-bound by deciding that you will complete the program within six months.
After defining each component, your SMART goal becomes: Obtain a Google Career Certificate by taking one course per month within the next six months.
Key takeaway
Determining metrics can be extremely helpful in capturing statuses, successes, delays, and more in a project. As a project manager, identifying meaningful metrics can help move the project toward its goal. Additionally, by defining each element of a project goal to make it SMART, you can determine what success means for that goal and how to achieve it.
