Specific, measurable, recognized, realistic and time-bound: this is how the objectives should be formulated so that they prove effective for the purposes of our planning and organisational work.
To achieve this, you can rely on the SMART method, an acronym for specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, time-bounded which indicates the criteria for formulating an
objective, which must therefore be specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound.
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Specific
Your goal must be clear and specific, otherwise it will be impossible to concentrate your efforts or feel truly motivated to achieve it.
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Measurable
It’s important to have measurable goals, so you can track your progress and stay motivated. Evaluating your progress helps you stay focused, meet deadlines, and feel the excitement of getting closer to achieving your goal.
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Reachable
To be successful, the goal must be realistic and achievable. In other words, it must be more ambitious than your capabilities, but still possible.
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Relevant
This step is about ensuring that your goal is important to you and that it aligns with other goals. We all need support and assistance to achieve our goals, but it is important to maintain control over them. So, make sure that your plans move everyone forward, but that you are still responsible for achieving your goal.
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Deadline
Every goal needs a due date, so you have a deadline to focus on and something to work towards. This part of the SMART goal criteria helps prevent daily tasks from taking priority over long-term goals.
SMART objectives improve company performance because, as we have seen, they allow you to define specific and measurable objectives, which can be monitored and evaluated over time. In this way, it is possible to identify the most effective marketing strategies and continuously improve them and maintain focus, avoiding wasting resources and time on irrelevant actions.
They are also useful for involving all members of a team in defining objectives and achieving them, creating a more motivated and collaborative work environment. Furthermore, SMART objectives allow you to measure the ROI of marketing campaigns, evaluating the return on investments in a precise and concrete way. Finally, the definition of SMART objectives allows you to constantly monitor the results obtained and make any course corrections, improving the company’s ability to adapt to changes.