SMART – We have heard this many times in management presentations and/or have been advised that our goals should adhere to this standard.

So what is SMART goal –

S  – Specific

M – Measurable

A – Attainable

R – Relevant

T – Time-bound

Also, the goals should answer these questions (W’s) –

*Who:      Who is involved?

*What:     What do I want to accomplish?

*Where:    Identify a location.

*When:     Establish a time frame.

*Which:    Identify requirements and constraints.

*Why:      Specific reasons, purpose or benefits of accomplishing the goal.

Looks good. Now look a the Supper Committee that was formed in US to cut the deficit and analysis from HBR blog post what happened.

Takeaways –

• Common goal + separate agendas = failure
• Beware of Silos
• Manage SMART goals by checking for agenda conflict and changing incentives.

The Super Committee’s Two Failures
Morten T. Hansen
Tue, 22 Nov 2011 21:54:20 GMT