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SMART Objectives Development Approach

Specific Measurable Time-Bound Achievable Relevant Different Ways to Write SMART Objectives Additional Examples of SMART-er Objectives Further Resources Courses and Training Sessions

Good public health practice requires strong objectives in order to monitor progress toward achieving goals and outcomes. Many programs and services are funded by grants that require developing, implementing and completing objectives to prove success for continued funding. Organizations often struggle to create objectives that accurately measure progress toward a goal and that are meaningful to other team members or stakeholders.

A SMART objective is one that is SPECIFIC, MEASURABLE, ACHIEVABLE, RELEVANT AND TIME-BOUND.

• Why use SMART objectives?
• To provide a structured approach to developing and designing a work plan.
• To systematically monitor progress towards a target
• To set the stage for measuring performance and identifying opportunities for improvement
• To succinctly communicate intended impact and current progress to stakeholders
• To concretely describes how goals will be met

Devoting time and resources early on to intentionally writing SMART objectives is an investment in the future of a plan, program, or service. By starting out with SMART objectives, a program or plan can systematically and meaningfully measure progress, show achievements and identify opportunities for improvement.

How to Write SMART Objectives

In order to understand how the parts of SMART objectives flow together, the order of the SMART components listed below will go out of order—SMTRA. This is because the Specific, Measurable and Time-Bound parts are clearly visible in the standard written format for objectives. The Achievable and Relevant pieces are more abstract and require reflection. Each of these parts will include an example objective that will be re-written to be SMART.

SMART objectives should:

• Include all components of SMART
• Relate to a single result
• Be clearly written

Specific

Objectives should be well-defined, and clear to other team members and to stakeholders who also understand the program or plan.

Consider these prompts:

What:

• What exactly will you do?
• What is the action?
• What do you intend to impact?

Who:

• Who is responsible for carrying out the action?
• What are you intending to impact or who is your target population?

Note that not all of these questions will apply to every objective.

Example Objective

Measurable

This involves selecting what will be measured to show improvement, impact or success. There may be existing measures and targets that are required for a specific program or grant. Try to pick a measure that is meaningful. The easiest things to measure may not be the most meaningful.

Consider these prompts:

• How much and in what direction will the change occur?
• What data will be used to prove the target is met?
• Where will this data come from?
• Is there a stand-in or proxy measure to use if this objective cannot be directly measured, or is there another measure that would be more appropriate to use instead?

Key Terms

Measure: Show success or impact over time. It is the number, percent or some standard unit to express how you are doing at achieving the goal or outcome.

Target: The desired level of performance you want to see that represents success.

Example Objective

Time-Bound

Objectives should be achievable within a specific time frame that isn’t so soon as to prevent success, or so far away as to encourage procrastination.

Consider these prompts:

• When will this objective be achieved?
• Is this time-frame realistic?
• Should it be closer or further in the future?

Example Objective