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Writing SMART and Meaningful Objectives: A Comprehensive Guide, Study Guides, Projects, Research of Strategic Management

A detailed explanation of smart objectives and how to write effective and meaningful objectives for programs. Smart objectives are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely, and this guide covers each component in depth. Learn how to define objectives, set benchmarks, and ensure alignment with organizational goals and missions.

Typology: Study Guides, Projects, Research

2021/2022

Uploaded on 09/12/2022

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SMART Objectives
What are SMART Objectives? What Does SMART Stand For?
Objectives concretely measure a program’s successes or shortcomings, and to show how a program is
translating an organization’s mission, vision, and values into action. However, organizations often struggle in
creating objectives that accurately measure progress toward a goal, or that are meaningful to other team
members or to external partners.
Many programs are run on grant funding tied to achieving objectives, and it is important that a program can
prove its success to continue funding. It is also important to know whether a program has failed, and by how
much, in order to change the program to be more effective in the future.
To ensure you’re effectively measuring a program’s impact, draft objectives that are:
Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely.
How to Write SMART Objectives
Learn more about the components of SMART objectives below by asking the questions provided.
Specific
Objectives should be well-defined, and clear to other team members and to partners with the same level of
knowledge as you. Using action-oriented verbs, such as “increase” or “decrease,” will make your objectives
easier to measure in the end.
Resource: Who is involved with executing this program?
Target Population: Who is your target population?
Action: What exactly will you do for them?
What are the benefits of this goal?
Where will this program be executed?
Measureable
Objectives should have a benchmark and a target, to help determine whether the objective is achieved, if it
has been exceeded (and by how much), or if it hasn’t been met (and by how much).
Change: How much change is expected? In what direction?
What data will prove this change has occurred? Where will this data come from?
Is there a proxy measure to use if this objective cannot be directly measured, or is there another
measure that would be more appropriate to use instead?
Also in this Tool: Meaningful Objectives
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SMART Objectives

What are SMART Objectives? What Does SMART Stand For?

Objectives concretely measure a program’s successes or shortcomings, and to show how a program is translating an organization’s mission, vision, and values into action. However, organizations often struggle in creating objectives that accurately measure progress toward a goal, or that are meaningful to other team members or to external partners. Many programs are run on grant funding tied to achieving objectives, and it is important that a program can prove its success to continue funding. It is also important to know whether a program has failed, and by how much, in order to change the program to be more effective in the future. To ensure you’re effectively measuring a program’s impact, draft objectives that are: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely.

How to Write SMART Objectives

Learn more about the components of SMART objectives below by asking the questions provided. Specific Objectives should be well-defined, and clear to other team members and to partners with the same level of knowledge as you. Using action-oriented verbs, such as “increase” or “decrease,” will make your objectives easier to measure in the end.

  • Resource: Who is involved with executing this program?
  • Target Population: Who is your target population?
  • Action: What exactly will you do for them?
  • What are the benefits of this goal?
  • Where will this program be executed? Measureable Objectives should have a benchmark and a target, to help determine whether the objective is achieved, if it has been exceeded (and by how much), or if it hasn’t been met (and by how much).
  • Change: How much change is expected? In what direction?
  • What data will prove this change has occurred? Where will this data come from?
  • Is there a proxy measure to use if this objective cannot be directly measured, or is there another measure that would be more appropriate to use instead? Also in this Tool: Meaningful Objectives

Achievable/Attainable Objectives should be within reach for your team or program, considering available resources, knowledge, and time.

  • How can this objective be accomplished?
  • Given the current time frame or socio/political environment, can this objective be achieved? Should we scale it up or down?
  • What resources will help us achieve this objective? What limitations or constraints stand in our way? Hint: You can use a SWOT analysis to map out internal and external factors that might positively or negatively impact your objectives. Relevant Objectives need to be in line with your program’s mission, vision, and goals, as well as agreed-upon by important stakeholders and partners. Objectives related to your organization’s mission and guiding principles are more likely to be endorsed by organizational leadership; objectives endorsed by community partners and stakeholders will lead to a greater level of buy-in from community members and other participants.
  • Will this objective lead to achieving this organization’s goals?
  • Does it seem worthwhile to measure this objective? Does it seem reasonable to measure this objective? Timely Objectives should be attainable within a specific time frame that isn’t so soon as to prevent success, or so far away as to encourage procrastination.
  • Time Frame: When will this objective be achieved?
  • Is this time frame realistic? Should it be closer, or further in the future?

Fill In the Blanks

Use the bolded questions to directly inform your SMART objective: [Resource] will [action] to [target population], resulting in [change] by [time frame].

Examples of SMART Objectives

Objective SMART Objective We’ll train community members using the curriculum. By the third year of the grant period, program staff will have trained 80% of school nurses on the selected train-the-trainer curriculum. Participants will understand the importance of smoking cessation. By the end of the event, 90% of participants will be able to identify at least three techniques that can lead to successful smoking cessation. Reduce smoking rates By 2020, the rate of smoking in the seven-county area will decrease by 25%.

Outcome Objectives Outcome Objectives help your organization measure quantifiable progress against benchmarks and goals grounded in measurable data. Outcome objectives are extremely easy to measure—your organization has either met them, or it hasn’t. They provide a great way to see where you’ve exceeded your goals and by how much, and where you might have fallen short of goals and by how much. Outcome Objectives should be SMART : Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely. Examples of SMART Outcome Objectives

  • By the third year of the grant period, program staff will have trained 80% of school nurses on the selected train-the-trainer curriculm
  • By the end of the event, 90% of participants will be able to identify at least three techniques that can lead to successful smoking cessation
  • By 2020, the rate of smoking in the seven-county metro area will decrease by 25%