SMART

SMART is a mnemonic used in project management at the project objective setting stage. It is a way of evaluating the objectives or goals for an individual project. The term is also in common usage in performance management, whereby goals and targets set for employees must fulfill the criteria.

The first use of the term is unknown, but Peter Drucker, in his 1954 seminal work, “The Practice of Management” outlined a system that was very similar to SMART objectives while discussing objective-based management.

In recent years the terms ‘SMART’ (see below) and, less commonly, ‘DUMB’ (doable, understandable, manageable & beneficial) have been used beyond the original contexts of management by objectives (MBO) and project management.

Terms behind the letters

There is no clear consensus about precisely what the five keywords mean, or even what they are in any given situation. Typically accepted values are:

Letter	Major Term	Minor Terms
S	Specific	Significant, Stretching, Simple
M	Measurable	Meaningful, Motivational, Manageable
A	Attainable	Appropriate, Achievable, Agreed, Assignable, Actionable, Action-oriented, Ambitious.
R	Relevant	Realistic, Results/Results-focused/Results-oriented, Resourced, Rewarding
T	Time-bound	Time framed, Timed, Time-based, Timeboxed, Timely, Timebound, Time-Specific, Timetabled, Trackable, Tangible

Choosing certain combinations of these labels can cause duplication; such as selecting Attainable and Realistic; or can cause significant overlapping as in combining Measurable and Results; Appropriate and Relevant etc. Agreed is often used in management situations where buy-in from stakeholders is desirable.