The S.M.A.R.T. Framework: A Guide on How to Set and Achieve Better Goals
Achieve more by setting better goals with the most popular goal-setting framework, S.M.A.R.T.
Published in
8 min readAug 5, 2019
Whether we are talking about personal or team goals, long-term or short-term, the most widely used goal-setting framework used today is S.M.A.R.T.
The following guide will show you what S.M.A.R.T. means, explain how it works, and walk you step-by-step through a real-life goal-setting process so that you can implement S.M.A.R.T. in your own life or organization.
What is a S.M.A.R.T. goal?
S.M.A.R.T. is designed to bring structure, clarity and accountability into your goals. Every goal or objective, from a short-term milestone to an overarching vision, can be brought closer to reality with the S.M.A.R.T. framework.
The acronym S.M.A.R.T. has several slightly different variations, but the most common is this:
- S = Specific
- M = Measurable
- A = Attainable
- R = Relevant
- T = Time-Based
