Smart Goals: What they are and how to create them for your company

Understanding and knowing how to develop SMART goals is essential for any company looking to create a job and salary track that is fair and efficient for all employees. 

It is a fact that the possibility of growth within a company and clarity in relation to what must be done to move up in position are decisive factors for modern professionals, according to a PageGroup survey. To ensure that you will attract the best talent and reduce turnover, it is essential to apply the goal system. 

Learn all about the SMART goals model and how to apply it in your company.

What are SMART goals?

It is not enough to create goals, you must create indicators that make sense for the employee and for the organization. The SMART goals model was created to increase efficiency and direct the company's talents towards the desired objectives. 

The term SMART is not a mere coincidence, it does have a meaning:

• S: specific;
• M: measurable;
• A: attainable;
• A: relevant;
• T: time based, or temporal.

In other words, the goals that are created for the company's teams must contain all five of the above characteristics, without exception, in order to be considered SMART. 

How to create and implement goals in the company

Now that you understand the concept of SMART goals, let's put this knowledge into practice and propose a goal that actually follows the guidelines of the model. 

Let's suppose we are dealing with a commercial team. The first goal that comes to mind is: increase sales. However, the way it is described, this is not a SMART goal. It only becomes SMART when all five points described in the topic above are solved. 

>>> Read also: How to increase engagement in the company

An ideal example would be to increase e-commerce sales by 10% in six months. This is a specific goal that can be measured. Furthermore, it should be achievable by comparison with the organisation itself. It is relevant to the company, because it represents something that has a high impact on results and, finally, it is temporal, i.e., there is a specific timeframe for the 10% increase to be achieved so that the goal is beaten. 

Ensuring that all employees' goals are based on this model is much more advantageous for both parties, as employees feel more motivated, focus their efforts on highly relevant strategies and reach their goals faster, goals that are in sync with those of the organisation itself. 

Want to learn more about the topic? Check out our article on career plan implementation!