What is a SMART goal? A SMART goal is a goal written to be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound. Managers and HR teams use the SMART format in performance reviews and planning because it turns a vague wish like “get better at sales” into a clear target you can track.
What does SMART goal mean at work?
SMART is a checklist for writing goals. Each letter is a test the goal must pass:
| Letter | Stands for | Question to ask |
|---|---|---|
| S | Specific | What exactly will be done, and by whom? |
| M | Measurable | How will we know it’s done? What number or result? |
| A | Achievable | Is it realistic with the time and resources available? |
| R | Relevant | Does it support the team’s or company’s priorities? |
| T | Time-bound | What is the deadline? |
The idea is usually traced to a 1981 article by George T. Doran in Management Review. Since then, the letters have been adapted. You may see “Attainable” instead of Achievable or “Realistic” instead of Relevant. The purpose stays the same.
At work, SMART goals show up in annual reviews, performance improvement plans, onboarding plans and team planning sessions. They make it easier for an employee and a manager to agree on what success looks like.
10 SMART goal examples for work
- Sales: “Increase my monthly closed deals from 8 to 10 by the end of Q2 by adding 15 new prospect calls a week.”
- Customer service: “Reduce my average first-response time on support tickets from 6 hours to 3 hours by June 30.”
- Marketing: “Grow our email newsletter from 4,000 to 5,000 subscribers by December 31 by launching two new sign-up offers.”
- Project management: “Deliver the website redesign to the client by September 15, within the approved $40,000 budget.”
- HR: “Cut average time-to-hire for engineering roles from 45 to 35 days by the end of the fiscal year.”
- Professional development: “Complete an Excel data-analysis course and build one automated report for my team by March 31.”
- Finance: “Close the monthly books within 5 business days of month-end for every month this year.”
- Management: “Hold a 30-minute 1:1 with each of my 6 direct reports every two weeks for the next quarter.”
- Operations: “Lower order-picking errors from 2% to under 1% by the end of Q3 by introducing a scan-check step.”
- New hire: “Shadow three senior teammates and handle 20 customer calls on my own within my first 60 days.”
Examples of SMART goals in emails and messages
Manager email: “Before our review, please draft three SMART goals for next quarter. Make sure each one has a number and a date.”
Slack: “Love this goal, can we make it SMART? What’s the target number?”
Review form comment: “Goal met: reduced invoice errors to 0.5% by Q3, ahead of the SMART target.”
SMART goal vs OKR vs KPI
| Term | What it is | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| SMART goal | A way of writing one clear goal | Individual reviews and development plans |
| OKR | An ambitious Objective plus measurable Key Results | Company and team planning, often quarterly |
| KPI | An ongoing metric that shows performance | Dashboards and regular reporting |
They work together. A SMART goal often aims to move a KPI, such as response time or revenue.
How to write a SMART goal correctly
- Start with the outcome, not the activity. “Improve customer satisfaction scores” beats “send more surveys.”
- Add a number. A count, a percentage, a dollar amount or a yes/no deliverable.
- Add a date. “By June 30” or “by the end of Q3.”
- Check it against reality. Ask if you have the time, budget and support to hit it.
- Link it to a team priority. Your manager should be able to see why it matters.
- Review it regularly. Check progress monthly and adjust if priorities change.
Common mistake: making goals so safe that they are not worth tracking. “Achievable” means realistic with effort, not easy.
Related terms
See more in our HR, Hiring and Leave hub.
FAQ
What does SMART stand for in goals?
SMART usually stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound. Some versions use Attainable or Realistic, but the idea is the same.
Who created SMART goals?
The SMART acronym is commonly traced to George T. Doran, who described it in a 1981 Management Review article about writing management goals.
How many SMART goals should I have?
Most people do best with three to five goals per review period. More than that makes it hard to focus and track progress.
What is an example of a SMART goal for an employee?
“Reduce my average support ticket response time from 6 hours to 3 hours by June 30.” It is specific, has a number, is realistic, matters to the team and has a deadline.
Are SMART goals the same as OKRs?
No. A SMART goal is a format for one clear goal. OKRs pair an ambitious objective with several measurable key results and are usually set for a whole team or company.
