Here are 34 smart goal setting examples to help you get started with your Smart Goal setting.
For a quick recap, the term SMART goal setting refers to creating goals that are highly specific and clear. In this way, you make it easy to for everyone to understand them and reduce the lost time incurred needed for interpretation.
SMART means that you create goals that are specific in their detail; measurable, so you can objectively see when you’ve achieved them; achievable so they inspire and not demotivate us; relevant to the person or team undertaking the goal; timely, so everyone knows when success should be achieved.
For more information on SMART Goal Setting, we’ve written an article to help you.
In the meantime, you are welcome to run through the following smart goal examples, as inspiration to create SMART goals for you and your teams.
These examples have been split into the following categories:
- Strategy – Based around the big picture;
- Performance – Goals based around improving delivery;
- Operational – Based on improving internal processes;
- Training – based on improving teams or professional development;
- Sales – Improving sales performance;
- Personal – how to improve self.
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Strategic / Business Unit Goals Examples
- Expand our product offering into the new commercial market, by the end of this fiscal year;
- We want to grow our revenue to $1,000,000 in the next 12 months;
- By the end of this year, our company will increase the annual guest arrivals by 20 percent from 1,500 to 1,800 guests;
- Achieve an average customer satisfaction score of 90% for the XYZ product, by the end of the year;
- Drive $95,000 cost out of operational expenses, by the end of quarter 2.
Performance SMART Goal Examples
- Manage and support the team’s performance to achieve 80% of program targets by the end of the fiscal year;
- Coach and support all direct reports to achieve 90% personal development completion by the end of the financial year;
- Manage the department budget to stay within appropriations and accomplish 85% of service results by the end of the fiscal year;
- Achieve a business excellence score of 3.5 by the end of the fiscal year, through implementing the business excellence system and rolling out a training program for all employees;
- Implement process improvement techniques to help achieve an ongoing 8% uptime of equipment and quality of 99% by September 2017;
- Double our website’s traffic within the next 12 months, by providing top quality content and solutions to our customers, aiming to create an additional 100 high quality articles and videos;
- Reduce response times to our customers, from 48 hours to 24 hours, by the end of the second quarter.
Operational SMART Goal Examples
- Reduce my Florist business’ operational expenses by 25 percent within the next three months, by reducing the amount of discarded and obsolete stock and improving my stock control process;
- The stamping department will raise stamping production by 20% by the end of this year, through operational efficiency improvements;
- By the end of quarter 3, we will accurately process and dispatch 95% of high quality products from our own warehouse facility;
- Implement a training programme to help reduce customer returns from the assembly department, by 10% by June 2021;
- Develop a quality improvement process for the data analysis system, which reduces the failure rates from 4% to 1% by 20th December 2019;
- Transition to a new automated ERP system, with minimal effect on customer service, by developing a training program that ensures that all required staff are competent in their required ERP tasks, no later than 3 months after implementation;
- Improve employee satisfaction scores from 60% to 85% by the end of December;
- Our company will recruit 6 new IT professionals in July this year. We will advertise for the new positions in the print and online media on 6th September and conduct all interviews by 20th December.
Training SMART Goal Examples
- All employees within the accounts department will be fully trained in using our new accounting software by January 2022;
- By June 30, 2021, I will complete coursework and attain a level 7 award in Leadership, to enhance my skills as an effective leader;
- Complete your certificate in Management by December 2016, including attending all exams and completing all coursework in time;
- Become a certified digital marketing practitioner within 12 months;
- To learn the core skills required to grow my business within 6 months, including social media marketing, strategic marketing, developing sales funnel, and closing sales, by the end of the financial year.
Sales / Marketing Goal Examples
- Increase sales by 15% by the end of the next quarter;
- By January 31, we will create a new social media messaging system, using a clearly defined process and best-practice guidelines, so customers understand our company’s messaging and use our content to help them make better purchasing decisions, resulting in an increased sales conversion from 25% to 45%;
- Grow our consumer sales by 10% to reflect a turnover of $150,000,000 within X market, by the 4th quarter 2018;
- Create a new innovative service in response to our recent customer feedback results, by the end of quarter 2, 2018;
- By 20th October, increase the average sales value per customer by 20%, by creating innovative offers and bundles to our customers, Increasing the chance to maximise our sales conversions.
Personal Goals
- I will delegate work and tasks more effectively to free up 2 hours a day to work on my own self development, by the end of February;
- Learn and develop a productivity system that allows me to reduce my daily work from 16 hours to 12 hours per day, by reducing wasted time spent on non value adding activities;
- Present at a minimum of two breakfast seminars per quarter to improve confidence and presenting skills;
- Find a mentor to help me develop the required skills for promotion, by July 2021.
Conclusion
Smart goal setting is a simple way of creating clear and unambiguous goals. With clarity, you can spend more time helping and coaching your employees, rather than chasing and trying to tell your team what to do and how.
Try to follow the one minute manager rule: For each goal, write it on one piece of paper, in no more than 250 words (which takes a minute to read) and make it SMART, so it’s clear to understand.
In addition to this, ensure you create SMART goals with your team and never dictate to them. Goal setting is a two-way process. When you’ve agreed the goals, encourage your employees to review them every day and reflect on how they are doing with your guidance.