{"id":39453,"date":"2023-08-25T09:26:03","date_gmt":"2023-08-25T14:26:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.projectmanager.com\/?p=39453"},"modified":"2026-04-27T09:03:07","modified_gmt":"2026-04-27T14:03:07","slug":"how-to-create-smart-goals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.projectmanager.com\/blog\/how-to-create-smart-goals","title":{"rendered":"How to Write SMART Goals: SMART Goal Examples"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>While it&#8217;s always a good idea to put together project goals, the approach that you take to do so is important. Simply choosing goals because you think you should or those that are particularly difficult to track and measure don&#8217;t do a good job of keeping you on track throughout the project. This is why SMART goals are so effective.<\/p>\n<h2>What Are SMART Goals?<\/h2>\n<p>SMART is a mnemonic acronym that establishes criteria for ideal goals and <a href=\"\/training\/how-to-write-effective-project-objectives-every-time\">objectives in a project<\/a>. SMART stands for specific, measurable, assignable, realistic and time-related. This means that a goal must meet these criteria to be considered a SMART goal.<\/p>\n<p>The SMART <a href=\"https:\/\/www.projectmanager.com\/blog\/goal-setting-strategies\">goal-setting strategy<\/a> help project managers, business managers and any other types of team leaders define clear objectives that should be accomplished by their teams. Best of all, SMART goals can be used to measure the effectiveness of virtually any project, process or task. SMART goals are also used by <a href=\"\/guides\/pmo\">project management offices<\/a> (PMOs) for managing programs and project portfolios.<\/p>\n<p>Within that simple set of criteria is a guide to help teams be more productive, while always keeping goals in mind. Without goals, there is no focus, and without focus the chance of successfully completing a project, <a href=\"\/guides\/program-management\">program<\/a> or project portfolio is slim.<\/p>\n<div class=\"template-download-holder\">\n\t<div class=\"template-download-image-holder\">\n\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"900\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/SMART-goals-template.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"Smart Goals Template\" srcset=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/SMART-goals-template.jpg 1600w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/SMART-goals-template-600x338.jpg 600w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/SMART-goals-template-300x169.jpg 300w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/SMART-goals-template-768x432.jpg 768w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/SMART-goals-template-1536x864.jpg 1536w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/SMART-goals-template-450x253.jpg 450w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/SMART-goals-template-384x216.jpg 384w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/SMART-goals-template-800x451.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" \/>\t<\/div><p class=\"intro\">Get your free<\/p>\n<h3>SMART Goals Template<\/h3>\n<p class=\"subtitle\">\n\tUse this free SMART Goals Template  for Word to manage your projects better.<\/p>\n\t\t<button type=\"button\" data-file-id=\"68333\" data-categoryname=\"In blog post\" class=\"button green template-lightbox-trigger-68333\">Download Word File<\/button>\n\t<\/div> \n\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>How to Write SMART Goals<\/h2>\n<p>Now that SMART is clearly defined, how do you write SMART goals? Well, it should be obvious now that the process starts with asking a lot of questions. Pose questions to yourself, your team and even <a href=\"https:\/\/www.projectmanager.com\/blog\/what-is-a-stakeholder\">stakeholders<\/a>. The answers to these questions will whittle down your options and sharpen your strategy. From there, goals will become clear and attainable.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Related:<\/strong> <a href=\"\/blog\/goal-setting-templates\">Goal-Setting and Tracking Templates for Excel and Word<\/a><\/p>\n<h3>1. Make Your Goal Specific<\/h3>\n<p>Begin by defining what it is that you\u2019re trying to achieve. Be specific. Ask the five Ws: who, what, why, where and which. For example:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Who is going to be involved in achieving this goal?<\/li>\n<li>What <a href=\"https:\/\/www.projectmanager.com\/software\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">project management tools<\/a> will they need to accomplish it?<\/li>\n<li>Why is the goal important?<\/li>\n<li>Where will the work be located?<\/li>\n<li>Which <a href=\"\/guides\/resource-management\">resources are needed<\/a> to do it?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The more you can focus on the specifics, the more achievable the goal.<\/p>\n<h3>2. Make Your Goal Measurable<\/h3>\n<p>In order for a goal to be SMART, it must be measurable, and to <a href=\"\/guides\/project-tracker\">track your progress<\/a> toward your goal, you have to know how to measure it. That keeps you on track and motivates you to finish on time. So, in order to be successful, you need to regularly monitor and assess your progress.<\/p>\n<p>Also, you have to know how to tell when you\u2019ve reached that goal, so as not to waste time once it\u2019s already been achieved. Basically, you must set up metrics to measure your progress.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.projectmanager.com\/blog\/milestones-project-management\">Project milestones<\/a> can help break up a timeline if a project extends over some months.<\/p>\n<h3>3. Make Your Goal Achievable<\/h3>\n<p>There\u2019s no point in having and measuring a goal that\u2019s impossible to achieve. Therefore, another criterion for a SMART goal is discerning if the goal you\u2019ve defined is realistic. You want to reach beyond what you think is possible (because nothing is achieved by playing it safe), but not so far that the project comes crashing down on top of you.<\/p>\n<p>You must know your <a href=\"\/blog\/quick-guide-resource-management\">project resources<\/a> well, and ask if this goal can be accomplished considering the constraints under which you\u2019re working, which include scheduling and costs.<\/p>\n<h3>4. Make Your Goal Relevant<\/h3>\n<p>The goal is now defined, measurable and achievable, but is it relevant? A SMART goal has to be relevant, and that doesn\u2019t mean just to you but <a href=\"\/blog\/how-to-align-your-project-to-business-strategy\">should be aligned<\/a> with the larger goals of the organization.<\/p>\n<p>That means your goal, even after meeting all the prior criteria, must align with other relevant goals because success requires support and assistance from everyone on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.projectmanager.com\/blog\/assemble-a-project-team\">project team<\/a>. It must work in tandem with other parts of the project and the overall strategy of the organization.<\/p>\n<p>This creates a whole new set of questions such as, is the goal worthwhile? Maybe the time isn\u2019t right. Does it match other needs? Maybe you\u2019re not the right person to lead this initiative, or maybe it\u2019s not aligned with current economics or social trends. If it offers the right answers to these questions, then it\u2019s relevant.<\/p>\n<h3>5. Make Your Goal Time-Bound<\/h3>\n<p>A SMART goal will always be time-related because goals often cannot be achieved without a deadline. A deadline serves as a great motivator and can provide context for you to recognize the various tasks necessary to reach that goal in the time allotted. Therefore, giving the goal time <a href=\"\/blog\/10-project-constraints-that-endanger-your-projects-success\">constraints<\/a> helps keep you on track.<\/p>\n<p>Naturally, you must answer questions, such as: when must the goal be achieved? Then get more specific; is that in six months, six weeks, six days? Without a time frame, you can\u2019t devise a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.projectmanager.com\/training\/make-action-plan\">plan<\/a>, and the goal will never be realized.<\/p>\n<h2>Free SMART Goals Template<\/h2>\n<p>Ready to make your own SMART goals? Download this <a href=\"https:\/\/www.projectmanager.com\/templates\/smart-goals-template\">free SMART goals template for Word<\/a> and then read through the examples below for some inspiration. We&#8217;ve also created other <a href=\"https:\/\/www.projectmanager.com\/blog\/goal-setting-templates\">goal-setting templates<\/a> you can use to establish personal, project and organizational goals.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_67724\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-67724\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.projectmanager.com\/templates\/smart-goals-template\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-67724 size-medium\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/smart-goals-template-image-600x603.jpg\" alt=\"SMART Goals template for Word\" width=\"600\" height=\"603\" srcset=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/smart-goals-template-image-600x603.jpg 600w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/smart-goals-template-image-300x301.jpg 300w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/smart-goals-template-image-768x772.jpg 768w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/smart-goals-template-image-100x100.jpg 100w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/smart-goals-template-image-220x220.jpg 220w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/smart-goals-template-image-450x452.jpg 450w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/smart-goals-template-image-125x125.jpg 125w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/smart-goals-template-image.jpg 810w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-67724\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">ProjectManager&#8217;s SMART Goals template for Word <a href=\"https:\/\/www.projectmanager.com\/templates\/smart-goals-template\">Download now<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>5 SMART Goals Examples<\/h2>\n<p>It\u2019s one thing to write about SMART goals and another thing to actually use them. That\u2019s why we\u2019re going to share five SMART goals examples to provide a fuller understanding of the concept.<\/p>\n<h3>1. Project Management SMART Goal Example<\/h3>\n<p>Scope creep is when more features are added to a project during the execution phase, which can have a negative impact on the <a href=\"\/guides\/project-scheduling\">project\u2019s schedule<\/a> and budget.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Specific:<\/strong> Speak with stakeholders and get them to give you all the requirements so that you\u2019re not surprised down the line when they say they\u2019ve forgotten something.<br \/>\n<strong>Measurable:<\/strong> Be sure that each of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.projectmanager.com\/blog\/requirements-management\">requirements<\/a> they request can be measured. That is, each requirement should be tested and then checked off the list.<br \/>\n<strong>Achievable:<\/strong> Look over the list of requirements. If some are not realistic then go back to the stakeholder and tell them why it\u2019s not feasible considering the time and costs involved.<br \/>\n<strong>Relevant:<\/strong> Again, look over the list of requirements you received from your stakeholders and make sure each is relevant to the product. If it\u2019s not, it\u2019s got to go.<br \/>\n<strong>Time-related:<\/strong> Can the requirements requested be completed by the deadline? Will the requirement lead to overspending the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.projectmanager.com\/training\/create-and-manage-project-budget\">budget<\/a>? Unless the requirement can be delivered on time and within budget it should be removed.<\/p>\n<h3>2. Business SMART Goal Example<\/h3>\n<p>Businesses are always trying to expand and add to their profits. One way to do this is by acquiring more clients.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Specific:<\/strong> Decide how many new clients to add to your business. One might not impact your bottom line and 100 will likely just lead to frustration. Find the number that\u2019s right for your business.<br \/>\n<strong>Measurable:<\/strong> Set up a metric to measure the success of your campaign to acquire new clients. This way you\u2019ll be able to know if you\u2019re in fact delivering on your goal or not.<br \/>\n<strong>Achievable:<\/strong> Again, be realistic. How many <a href=\"https:\/\/www.projectmanager.com\/blog\/resource-allocation\">resources can you allocate<\/a> to this endeavor without negatively impacting your business? There\u2019s a sweet spot and you want to hit it.<br \/>\n<strong>Relevant:<\/strong> You\u2019ll also want to make sure that the clients you\u2019re wooing are a good fit for the business. If you partner with someone who isn\u2019t it will not serve them or you.<br \/>\n<strong>Time-related:<\/strong> Have a deadline, whether that\u2019s adding x amount of new clients by the end of the quarter or the year. Then stick to it.<\/p>\n<h3>3. Manufacturing SMART Goal Example<\/h3>\n<p>A manufacturer wants to reduce breakdowns on their machines.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Specific:<\/strong> Decide if this is a factory-wide effort or if there are specific machines that are always breaking down and need special attention.<br \/>\n<strong>Measurable:<\/strong> Have metrics to track machines\u2019 performance to see if the measure used to reduce downtime due to mechanical failure is in fact working.<br \/>\n<strong>Achievable:<\/strong> Maybe a factory-wide maintenance is unrealistic and will cut into <a href=\"\/blog\/production-process\">production<\/a> or perhaps you have the resources to address all machines on your production line. Determine what can be done without a negative impact on the business.<br \/>\n<strong>Relevant:<\/strong> Look at the big picture and decide if a factory shutdown to replace or repair machines is necessary or if there can be a less disruptive approach, maybe over phases.<br \/>\n<strong>Time-related:<\/strong> Define a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.projectmanager.com\/guides\/project-timeline\">project timeline<\/a>. The last thing you want is to keep it open-ended.<\/p>\n<h3>4. Construction SMART Goal Example<\/h3>\n<p>A construction company has razor-thin profit margins because they budget projects and programs with their profit included, but in <a href=\"\/blog\/project-execution\">executing the project<\/a> they always end up spending more, which cuts into their profits.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Specific:<\/strong> Decide on what the goal is. It could be to find inefficiencies or to complete work faster. But whatever it is, make the goal specific.<br \/>\n<strong>Measurable:<\/strong> Establish <a href=\"\/guides\/project-portfolio-management\">project portfolio management<\/a> key performance indicators (KPIs) that will help you track your projects and identify those areas that are underperforming. Then as you implement solutions, you can measure whether they\u2019re in fact working.<br \/>\n<strong>Achievable:<\/strong> Don\u2019t create a goal that you can\u2019t keep. Maybe you want to only gain 10 percent more profitability. Whatever is achievable should be your goal.<br \/>\n<strong>Relevant:<\/strong> You might have to revise your goal as you determine what is relevant to your company. If you change the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.projectmanager.com\/blog\/cost-estimation-for-projects\">project estimates<\/a>, for example, it might make you less competitive in the market.<br \/>\n<strong>Time-related:<\/strong> Set a realistic timeframe for achieving your goals. You don\u2019t want it to be too long nor should it be too short. Find the deadline that will allow you to make the effort without turning it into an impossible task.<\/p>\n<h3>5. Marketing SMART Goal Example<\/h3>\n<p>Let&#8217;s say I wanted to increase my content output in the marketing department of my business. I would write my SMART goal like this, &#8220;Frank and Caroline (the content team) will need to work together to create 3 more eBooks per month, for the next 6 months.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Specific:<\/strong> This is an important project because eBooks can collect emails, creating warm leads. Frank and Caroline will collaborate using Google Docs. They can use Meeting Room B on Tuesdays and Thursdays before 10 am.<br \/>\n<strong>Measurable:<\/strong> It&#8217;s easy to measure if 3 eBooks are created each month. They simply have to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.projectmanager.com\/status-report\">compile a short report<\/a> and submit it to the manager with links to each of the 3 new eBooks.<br \/>\n<strong>Achievable:<\/strong> This is an aggressive goal, given how much work goes into an eBook, but it&#8217;s certainly attainable.<br \/>\n<strong>Relevant:<\/strong> I&#8217;ll ensure this project stays relevant by keeping the eBook content related to the business. As a safeguard, I&#8217;ll make sure that a product expert approves the eBook topic before Frank and Caroline begin writing it.<br \/>\n<strong>Time-related:<\/strong> By requiring that all 3 eBooks are done by the end of the month, this goal is time-related. Additionally, my content team knows they have to do this for 6 months, so they know exactly how many eBooks they need to create.<\/p>\n<h2>Be Flexible With Your SMART Goals if Needed<\/h2>\n<p>All this information will combine to help you define and reach SMART goals. But, remember, the SMART criteria is not chiseled in stone. It can be flexible and is open to revision as needed. So, monitor and evaluate key metrics as your project progresses to make sure that the goal you set is in fact smart!<\/p>\n<h2>Turn Goals Into Action With ProjectManager<\/h2>\n<p>Defining your goals and objectives before starting a project is smart. Determining that those goals are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-related is SMARTer! Once you\u2019re ready to take action, using a project management tool is the smartest. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.projectmanager.com\/\">ProjectManager<\/a>\u00a0is an award-winning software that helps turn your goals and objectives into a reality.<\/p>\n<h3>Lay It Out on a Gantt Chart<\/h3>\n<p>Use the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.projectmanager.com\/software\/gantt-chart\">Gantt tool<\/a> to add a duration to each task\u2014once done, our software will populate a timeline for the entire project. You can link dependent tasks to avoid bottlenecks. Add priority and other tags to make the tasks easy to search and find. Then break the project into phases, which makes it easier to track, by adding milestones.<\/p>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.projectmanager.com\/software\/gantt-chart\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-64486 size-full\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/marketing-plan-gantt.jpg\" alt=\"ProjectManager's Gantt chart\" width=\"2559\" height=\"1366\" srcset=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/marketing-plan-gantt.jpg 2559w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/marketing-plan-gantt-600x320.jpg 600w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/marketing-plan-gantt-1600x854.jpg 1600w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/marketing-plan-gantt-300x160.jpg 300w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/marketing-plan-gantt-768x410.jpg 768w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/marketing-plan-gantt-1536x820.jpg 1536w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/marketing-plan-gantt-2048x1093.jpg 2048w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/marketing-plan-gantt-450x240.jpg 450w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2559px) 100vw, 2559px\" \/><\/a>\n<h3>Track Your Progress with Reports<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.projectmanager.com\/software\/reporting\">One-click reports<\/a> get deeper into the data, which can be filtered and shared with stakeholders, who have a vested interest in seeing the project succeed. Smart goals and objectives need a smart project management tool.<\/p>\n<a href=\"\/software\/reporting\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-61538 size-full\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Reports_Wide_Zoom-175_Workload-Report.jpg\" alt=\"Screenshot of the workload report in ProjectManager\" width=\"1568\" height=\"817\" srcset=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Reports_Wide_Zoom-175_Workload-Report.jpg 1568w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Reports_Wide_Zoom-175_Workload-Report-600x313.jpg 600w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Reports_Wide_Zoom-175_Workload-Report-300x156.jpg 300w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Reports_Wide_Zoom-175_Workload-Report-768x400.jpg 768w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Reports_Wide_Zoom-175_Workload-Report-1536x800.jpg 1536w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Reports_Wide_Zoom-175_Workload-Report-450x234.jpg 450w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1568px) 100vw, 1568px\" \/><\/a>\n<p><em>To successfully use SMART as a method to determine the feasibility of your goals, you\u2019ll need <a href=\"https:\/\/www.projectmanager.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">project management software<\/a> that can help at every stage of your project. ProjectManager is an online tool that has planning, scheduling and reporting features that help managers create and complete SMART goals. See for yourself with this <a href=\"https:\/\/www.projectmanager.com\/freetrial?edition=d&amp;cycle=year\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">free 30-day trial.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>While it&#8217;s always a good idea to put together project goals, the approach that you take to do so is&#8230;<br \/><a class=\"excerpt-read-more button blue\" href=\"https:\/\/www.projectmanager.com\/blog\/how-to-create-smart-goals\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":65381,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":0,"_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-description":"","head_code_insert":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[193,131],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-39453","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-project-management","category-blog"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v28.3 (Yoast SEO v28.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>How to Write SMART Goals: SMART Goal Examples<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"What are SMART goals and why do they matter? This simple acronym can help you get better project results. Learn how to set SMART goals.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.projectmanager.com\/blog\/how-to-create-smart-goals\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to Write SMART Goals: SMART Goal Examples\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"What are SMART goals and why do they matter? This simple acronym can help you get better project results. 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