SMART - formulating project goals according to the PMI methodology

03 October 2025

SMART is a practical tool supporting project goal planning. It helps teams create goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound. It is particularly useful in project environments where the clarity and enforceability of goals translate into project success.

🔤 What does the SMART acronym mean?

Letter	Meaning	Description
S	Specific	The goal should be clear and well-defined.
M	Measurable	You must be able to measure progress or result.
A	Achievable	The goal should be realistic to achieve under given conditions.
R	Relevant	The goal must be aligned with the project or organization's mission and priorities.
T	Time-bound	The goal should have a defined deadline.

✅ Example of a good SMART goal

❌ Poor example: "Improve team communication." – too general.
✅ Good example: "Increase the number of team daily meetings from 2 to 5 weekly within the next 3 weeks." – meets all SMART criteria.

🧩 Where is SMART used in projects?

Defining project goals, sprints, or milestones.
Creating tasks in a schedule or backlog.
Defining business requirements and quality goals.
Setting development goals for project team members.
Assisting in stakeholder communication through goal precision.

🧠 Why use the SMART method?

Increases the likelihood of achieving goals.
Facilitates progress monitoring.
Supports better planning and accountability.
Minimizes misunderstandings and misinterpretations.

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