SMART (project management)
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SMART is a mnemonic used in project management at the project objective setting stage. It is a way of evaluating if the objectives that are being set are appropriate for the individual project.
A SMART objective is one that is:
- Specific
- the goal and methods are clearly defined
- Measurable
- the objectives are measured numerically
- Achievable
- humanly possible, and the project has all the required resources
- Relevant
- avoid the temptation of defining a goal just because it fits nicely to the previous three criteria
- Time framed
- set deadlines
There is no clear consensus about precisely what the 5 keywords mean, or even what they are. Possible values are:
S - Specific[1]
M - Measurable[1]
A - Agreed, Achievable, Attainable, Assignable[1], Appropriate, Actionable
R - Realistic[1], Relevant, Results, Results-oriented, Resourced[2]
T - Time framed[1], Timed, Time-based, Timeboxed, Timely, Timebound, Time-Specific, Timetabled
Obviously, certain labels overlap; such as Attainable and Realistic; or Measurable and Results. Agreed is often used in management situations where buy-in from stakeholders is desirable.
This tool is very commonly used in public services in the United Kingdom.
