<h1>SMART Objectives</h1>

I mentioned in my previous post, my bucket list, that I think it is important to think SMART when setting objectives. Constructing SMART objectives will allow you to have very clear objectives and goals. It also allows you to take time to think about what you want. You may work through this and at the end decide that what you want to do is not relevant, or you cannot manage it and decide to take another course of action.

The SMART tool also allows you to take big ideas and break them down to bite-sized and more manageable goals. A SMART objective will be very clear and provide you and your team with a good understanding of what, where, when, why and how this goal is to be achieved. The result is an individual or team who can start off with the correct intentions and have a really good understanding of what is expected. It also minimises confusion and questions, allowing your empowered team members to get on with achieving.

I have used this tool for various types of things: -

1. Setting basic business objectives
2. Setting KPI's (Key Performance Indicators)
3. Delegating tasks and projects to subordinates
4. Setting personal goals (for example, new year resolutions)

SMART objectives can be defined as: -

S - Specific

A specific but brief description of the objective - i.e. what is the desired outcome?

M - Measurable

What are you going to use to measure performance? How will you know you have achieved anything?

A - Agreeable

Do all parties agree to the objective and understand why this is to be achieved?

R - Relevant

Is this goal relevant to higher level organisational objectives? Does this fit in with our business?

T - Time-bound

At this point you can agree a deadline, or milestones depending on the size of the project/goal/objective.

There are other versions of this out there including the 'SMART +' tool which can be defined as: -

S - Specific

M -

Measurable - The Parent Ego State - "How can I measure this, how will I know I have achieved the desired outcome?"

Manageable - The Adult Ego State - "How will I be able to manage this, can I manage this?"

Motivation - The Child Ego State - "Do I want to do this, does it interest me, am I motivated to achieve this goal?"

A - Agreeable

R - Relevant

T - Time-bound

As you can see this tool expands on the 'M' and includes three criteria allowing you to satisfy three ego states.

A Worked Example of the SMART + tool: -

Specific -

To respond effectively and listen to my customers.

Measurable

To respond to ALL customer responses.

Manageable

I will have to schedule time in my diary to concentrate on this, but it is manageable because it is a vital part of our business.

Motivational

To build a better relationship with my customers, to encourage more customer feedback, to learn from my customers.

Agreeable

Agreeable based upon the above - a vital part of business survival and growth.

Relevant

We are a customer service organisation, so completely relevant to what we do, and fits in directly with all organisational objectives.

Time-bound

The customer should receive a response from me within 5 working days of receiving the response.

Now you have something very clear - this basically details that you are going set time aside to respond to ALL customer responses within 5 days because you agree that it is vital for your business to be successful, and that you want to. Most people start and finish with the first point.

As you work though the SMART + tool you will probably start thinking of all the possibilities and have lots of relevant ideas, make sure you write them all down.

What's next?

You can then go on to break down each statement above, for example: -

• You will have to think about where you customer responses come from, i.e. Email, letter, verbal, etc.


• You will than have to decide how you are going to respond, i.e. by Email, letter, telephone, in person. This will depend upon the feedback you get, if it is severe you may want to personalise and have direct contact with the customer, you may decide that you want to do this for all responses. Also, you need to make sure that the language you use in response to your customer is delivering the message set out by your organisation.


• Based on how much feedback you receive, you will have to decide how much time it is going to take you to respond.


• You may think about using Trip Advisor, Facebook or Twitter (or other social media tools) to keep in touch with your customers.


• A 5 day response may be unrealistic and you may have to delegate the task to someone else or work as a team.


• You may also have some blue sky thinking about how you can encourage more feedback from your customers, which may kick start more mini-projects (just go back to the start of the SMART + tool and start with your fresh objective)


• You may now decide that you want to design an effective customer response (ECR) for your department or organisation.

I am happy for you to get in touch with me either by email or by commenting on this post. Let me know if you use the tool or if you need help delivering an objective, I am happy to help!

Feel free to download and use my SMART + Delegation Tool which I use to delegate tasks to those in my team.

I hope that you find this useful!

Thanks for reading,

Chris.

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