SMART Requirements
How to specify goals in a way that encourages team performance.
Section 1
SMART Requirements
In This Section
1. What Is SMART?
2. Is SMART Only For Goals?
3. Is SMART Only For Assignees?
What Is SMART?
SMART is an acronym for the ideal goal attributes:
• Specific
• Measurable
• Attainable
• Relevant
• Time-bound
The information about the goal that meets these attributes es- sentially states the requirements for success. A goal that is not SMART is a goal with poor requirements definition.
Is SMART Only For Goals?
In general, the acronym SMART is only used in the context of goal setting.
But what about other aspects of teamwork?
Responsibilities, in particular, are also a good fit for SMART. Likewise, a task is also a thing that should be SMART. And, again, the SMART attributes are required for a good risk definition. When you look, you can find a need for SMART in many areas of teamwork.
Is SMART Only For Assignees?
SMART is clearly beneficial to assignees. A SMART goal is, by definition, attainable and therefore aids the assignee's success. So, you could say that SMART requirements are in some ways a benefit to the assignee and a burden for the assigner.
However, an assignment that can not be described as SMART is one that is much less likely to result in success. No goal giver wants a poor result to reflect back on them. The extra effort to make an assignment that is SMART is a small price to pay for the successful competition of the assignment.
Moreover, success in one assignment may improve the likeli- hood of success in others. This happens because:
• There are often linkages between assignments
• Assignees' future performance often improves with success
Teams perform better as the expectation of further success im- proves members' commitment to the team and their level of ef- fort on assignments. SMART is the first step in that direction.
Section 2
Identification
In This Section
1. What Is Common Here?
2. Specific
3. Measurable
4. Attainable
What Is Common Here?
The SMART attributes can be split into two groups:
• Identification
• Integration
The identification attributes are:
• Specific
• Measurable
• Attainable
These attributes make sure that the assignee is doing a single, real thing with an expected outcome.
In many ways, the three overlap. Can you imagine a measur- able thing that is not specific? Perhaps you can, but it takes ef- fort. Nevertheless, it is worthwhile to assess each individually.
Specific
The important thing to remember about being specific is that completeness counts.
In general, as assignees, we want more than just specific in- structions. In many cases we want a specific context. Likewise, it is often helpful to also have specific facts that help us evalu- ate the instructions and the context.
For example, a specific goal might be to create a hammer and deliver it on Friday. A more specific instruction might be to cre- ate a 5 pound hammer and deliver it on Friday.
However, with specificity often comes questions. It is reason- able to ask why 5 pounds and not 7 pounds. Equally, it be- comes reasonable to seek more information about what the 5 pound hammer will be used for because that may influence the choice of material.
In short, specificity is not limited to the instructions, but should also extend to related information. The limitation as to how much information you should provide is mainly common sense and practicality.
Measurable
Measurable results require you to give an up-front definition of an approach and a scale. This may require creativity. In some cases measurement may not seem doable, especially for qualitative results or results that can not be measured in isolation.
However, in certain cases “measurable” could also mean:
• Rank orderable
• Perceptible indirectly
• Comparable using partial information
• Approximated to some degree of accuracy
• The presence or absence of a range of indicative indicators
Basically, when an assignee does something meaningful you should be able to see an effect, soon or later, with a degree of accuracy that allows you to know how they did. If that is not possible the effort was not meaningful.
Attainable
The main thing to remember is that attainability is not a static or abstract thing, it is contextual. For a result to be obtainable you need to not only say what is being attained, but also expand on who, what, when, where, with what resources, and maybe even why. Those things determine attainability for a given team or team member operating in the real world.
Section 3
Integration
In This Section
1. What Is Common Here?
2. Relevant
3. Time-bound
What Is Common Here?
The Integration attributes of SMART help keep goals firmly at- tached to the work of the team. They are:
• Relevant
• Time-bound
Like the identification attributes, they are closely linked and overlap to some degree.
Relevant
In the usual case, goals that are relevant are closely associated with one of two things:
• Another team goal
• The organizational context that shapes the team's reason for existing
Let's unpack the second bullet.
Teams have goals that are their reason for being. And there is a reason that those team goals are desired by the organization. The reason is itself a goal; although, it may not apply to the team directly. Such indirect goals may include:
• Strategic goals
• The goals of another group that requires the team to exist in a supporting role
Regardless of the source of relevancy, it is important to create an explicit link to it. The clear link helps team members remain focused on why they are working together. This is especially important if the negotiations between team members on how they will succeed become messy.
Time-bound
Time-bound means definite start and complete deadlines.
It is relatively hard to imagine a goal that is both relevant and that may stretch out over an indefinite time. Such a goal would invite procrastination and low prioritization, regardless of the merits.
Moreover, a goal that is not time-bound can lower the sense of urgency within the team in general. When this happens it tends to have a negative effect on other goals as well.
All of the SMART attributes carry this possibility of contagion. Getting them wrong often impacts other goals. However, timeliness is perhaps the most critical because it is in a sense more specific.
For example, a team member may feel that a goal is not suffi- ciently relevant. But he or she will usually realize that there could be information that they don't know that makes the goal more relevant than it first appears. In contrast, the lack of a time- frame is unambiguous. If there is no due date then there is sim- ply no due date.
Section 4
Implementation
In This Section
1. Some Suggestions
2. Address SMART Explicitly
3. Write It Down
4. Keep It Simple
5. Use SMART As a Filter
6. Using MetaTeam
Some Suggestions
This chapter looked at how to create quality goals through the lens of the SMART attributes.
In this last section we offer a few quick suggestions.
Address SMART Explicitly
As with any structured approach to work, it helps to explicitly identify SMART as the guideline the team is following. Doing so sets expectations and helps ensure that there are more than one set of eyes on the problem of defining goals well.
Write It Down
This probably goes without saying, but you need to write up your goals in an accessible place. When you do, you should specifically include how they fit with the SMART attributes.
Keep It Simple
We will return to this thought over and over in this book: keep it simple, short and sweet. There is no C for complicated in SMART. After you are done defining a SMART goal try going back and see if you can earn another S for simpler. If you can't, consider breaking the goal down into smaller goals, if possible.
Use SMART As a Filter
Earlier in this chapter we pointed out that responsibilities can be SMART. That's not all. While nobody wants to get a reputation for being the SMART guy, it may pay to use the SMART attrib- utes as a filter for many things. Decisions, risks, requirements, skills, etc. can all be SMART. You may want to use the acronym judiciously, but the concept widely.
Using MetaTeam
To use MetaTeam to create SMART goals start by doing the fol- lowing:
• Log in
• Select your team from your My Teams page
• Click the Todos button in the top nav bar to begin creating goals. By default MetaTeam calls goals “todo lists”.
• After creating a goal click its name to open it. Notice the four date fields and the assignment drop-down. Also have a look at the Criteria tab and the tabs for linking goals together and for updates.
For more suggestions, tips and screenshots look in the MetaTeam blog. The Goals and Task Management labels are good places to start.
