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3.2 Methodology: SMART Goals

Introduction

Setting clear and achievable goals is paramount for professional growth and organizational success. The SMART framework offers a structured approach to goal-setting that enhances clarity, focus, and motivation. This guide outlines the process of establishing SMART goals within the workplace to drive individual and collective progress.

Specific:

Clearly define your goals. Ambiguity leads to confusion. Set straightforward objectives that delineate what you aim to achieve, why it's important, who's involved, where it's located, and which resources or limits are involved.

Measurable:

Attach metrics and milestones to your goals. This enables you to track progress and stay motivated. Define criteria for measuring success to know when your goal has been achieved.

Achievable:

Ensure your goals are realistic and attainable. While ambition is valuable, setting impossible targets can lead to discouragement. Assess your current capabilities and resources to set challenging yet achievable goals.

Relevant:

Align your goals with broader organizational objectives and your professional growth. Relevance ensures that your efforts contribute value to your team and company while also advancing your personal career path.

Time-bound:

Set deadlines. A goal without a timeline is just a dream. Time constraints create urgency and prompt action, helping you to prioritize tasks and manage your time effectively.

Management by Objectives (MBO)

SMART goals were developed as part of Peter Drucker’s Management by Objectives (MBO) system, a strategic management model that uses prioritized company goals to determine individual employee objectives. MBO allows everyone in the company to see what they've accomplished and how each individual accomplishment relates to the top goals and priorities of the company. This shows how individual employee activities can influence company objectives and highlights the importance of individual employee contributions to the greater goals of the business.

Implementing SMART Goals:

Review Organizational Objectives: Understand Mazzetti's vision and how your role contributes to these broader goals.
Self-Assessment: Evaluate your strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement to identify meaningful goals.
Collaboration: Discuss your proposed goals with supervisors or team members to ensure alignment and feasibility.
Plan of Action: Develop a step-by-step plan to achieve each goal, including resources needed and potential obstacles.
Regular Reviews: Schedule periodic check-ins to assess progress, celebrate achievements, and adjust goals as necessary.

Examples of Professional SMART Goals:

Increase the use of sustainable materials in projects by 20% within the next year to promote environmental sustainability.
Reduce project delivery times by 15% over the next six months through improved project management practices.
Implement a new project management software across all teams within the next three months to enhance collaboration and efficiency.
Achieve a 10% reduction in construction waste by the end of the fiscal year by adopting lean construction techniques.
Secure three new contracts with a focus on green building within the next quarter to expand Mazzetti's portfolio in sustainable projects.

NOTE:

Paylocity's Goals tool currently pairs SMART and MBO goals together, i.e., 'SMART/MBO'.

Vocab Lesson: Key Performance Indicators

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are the units used to measure progress toward a particular goal. Effective KPIs follow the SMART goal framework. KPIs are the measuring units you’ll use to check off the “M” in your SMART goal.

Suggested Reading

Title	Source	Relevance
Management by Objectives: Definition and Examples	Indeed	Connects SMART goals to the broader context of performance management and business strategy.
Management by Objectives (Drucker)	Communication Theory	Shows the origins of SMART goals in Drucker’s classic MBO theory. Helpful for historical and theoretical grounding.
Setting and tracking team goals: let’s get SMARTER	Culture Amp	Introduces the “SMARTER” variation—great for teams who want to continuously evaluate and adapt goals.
Why 'SMART' Job Objectives Are Exactly That	Forbes (PDF via Guru)	Validates the SMART framework in professional settings, reinforcing its real-world effectiveness.
How to write SMART goals	Asana	Offers a practical, approachable guide with examples—perfect for implementation.
What Are Goals?	Guru	Defines goals and sets a clear foundation before introducing the SMART method.
What are KPIs?	Asana	Links goal-setting to measurable outcomes, aligning with the “Measurable” and “Achievable” parts of SMART.

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