Using Notejoy for SMART Goals

Smart Goals Guide

We're leveraging the SMART goals framework for goal setting.

Key Deadlines

• X/XX - please draft your Smart Goals in this notebook
• X/XX - deadline for review with manager
• X/XX - finalized Smart Goals ready for the entire team
• X/XX - first check-in on Smart Goals progress for entire team

Action Required

Review the deadlines and information about Smart Goals in this document, and then head over to draft your own Smart Goals at the Smart Goals Template note pinned to the top of this notebook.

What are Smart Goals?

The acronym SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-Based. In order to be a SMART goal, the goal needs to meet all five of these criteria.

Specific

Specific goals are well defined and clear on what needs to be accomplished. What exactly do you want to achieve? The more specific the description, the less room there is for interpretation between a good and bad result.

Measurable

Measurable goals have clearly identified how you'll evaluate whether or not you are successful or not. Often, this also means breaking your goal down into quantifiable evidence of whether it's accomplished or not. Eating healthier is not a goal, however eating vegetables twice a day and dessert only once a month, is.

Attainable

Attainable goals are realistic about what is possible given the availability of resources, knowledge, and time. Ideally, it should stretch your abilities but remain in the realm of possibility to get done.

Relevant

Relevant goals are important to you and will make a material impact on achieving your larger objectives. Does it make a difference to your overall objectives if this goal is met? While many goals are worthwhile expenditures of time, it may not always be the right timing or match to current needs.

Time-Based

Time-based goals lock goals into a specific timeframe and specify when they will be completed by. This also ties into the M for measurable goal because in order for a goal to truly be measurable, it needs to be time-based.

What are some examples of good and bad SMART goals?

• Good: Onboard 10 customers into product beta by end of Q1.
• Bad: Onboard customers into product beta.

In this example, the bad goal fails several Smart Goal criteria by not being specific, measurable, or time-based. If you were to onboard 2 customers in the next five years, it would technically fulfill the goal because it isn't specific about when it needs to happen (end of Q1), and what success looks like in a measurable way (10 customers).

• Good: Deliver 2 or more team presentations and ask peers for feedback
• Bad: Work on improving presentation skills

In this example, it's not specific or measurable what "work on improving presentation skills" means. By breaking it down into a smaller goal of delivering 2 presentations to teams, it makes it a much more concrete and measurable goal.

Smart Goals Template

How to use this note

• Right click on this note and click 'Duplicate' to make your own copy.
• Customize the new note's title with your name. For example, 'Sam's Q1 Goals'
• Fill in your goals below with 3-5 goals, and delete these instructions after you're done using them.

Setting Goals

Hello team! We are using the SMART goal setting framework to set goals as a team. This means that our goals should be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-Based. For more information on what this means refer to the Smart Goals Guide.

Goal #1
Goal #2
Goal #3