Writing Meaningful SMART Objectives
Abstract
This resource provides guidance on how to develop meaningful SMART Objectives. This resource is supported by the National Library of Medicine of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number U24LM013751. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.
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NNLM | National Evaluation Center PARTICIPANT ACTIVITY SURVEY Writing SMART Meaningful Objectives NEC's SMART Objectives Guidance G Go oa aL LS S Goals are broad general statements that explain what the organization wants to accomplish. They summarize in simple language what the organization wants to achieve. Goals must be: Simple, To the point, Free of Technical Terms and Easily Understood EXAMPLE: EXAMPLE: Raise awareness about eating disorders. G Go oa aL LS S HOW WHEN WHO WHAT OBJECTIVES OBJECTIVES Objectives must be Concise, Clear about their purpose, Self-Explanatory, Free of Technical Terms and Easily Understood. Objectives must be SMART, that is….. Specific: WHO will be impacted by the program or activity? Examples: school-age children, librarians, museum visitors. Measurable: HOW MUCH the participants will be impacted by the activity? Examples: Decrease misinformation by 5%, Increase attendance to health information classes by 10%, Identify 5 symptoms of eating disorders. Attainable: HOW will the team realistically accomplish the objective? Examples: Teaching a class about mindfulness, organizing a book club about lived experiences of people with eating disorders; developing a workshop about useful community resources to deal with eating disorders; Relevant: Does the objective align with or match the overarching goal? How does the objective relate to your organization’s mission and values? Is it part of a coherent strategy? Time-Bound: WHEN is the action taking place? Examples: Next month, during Y1 of the grant.
Question to Respond Your Answer Overarching Goal In general, what do you want to accomplish with the activity/class/event? SMART Objectives WHO will be impacted by the program or activity? HOW MUCH the participants will be impacted by the activity? HOW will the team accomplish the objective? Is the objective aligned with the overarching goal? WHEN is the action taking place? SMART OBJECTIVE Write here your final SMART objective considering the 5 SMART characteristics NNLM | National Evaluation Center PARTICIPANT ACTIVITY SURVEY SMART Objectives Template NEC's SMART Objectives Guidance G Go oa aL LS S S S M M A A R R T T Specific Measureable Attainable Relevant Time-Bound