Once you have planned your project, turn your attention to developing several goals that will enable you to be successful. Goals should be SMART - specific, measurable, agreed upon, realistic and time-based.

A goal might be to hold a weekly project meeting with the key members of your team or to organise and run a continuous test programme throughout the project.

The acronym SMART has a number of slightly different variations, which can be used to provide a more comprehensive definition for goal setting:

S - specific, significant, stretching

M - measurable, meaningful, motivational

A - agreed upon, attainable, achievable, acceptable, action-oriented

R - realistic, relevant, reasonable, rewarding, results-oriented

T - time-based, time-bound, timely, tangible, trackable

This provides a broader definition that will help you to be successful in both your business and personal life.

When you next run a project take a moment to consider whether your goals are SMART goals.

To quote renowned American philanthropist Elbert Hubbard:

"Many people fail in life, not for lack of ability or brains or even courage, but simply because they have never organised their energies around a goal."

SMART Goals

Specific

• Well defined.
• Clear to anyone that has a basic knowledge of the project.

Measurable

• Know if the goal is obtainable and how far away completion is.
• Know when it has been achieved.

Agreed Upon

• Agreement with all the stakeholders what the goals should be.

Realistic

• Within the availability of resources, knowledge and time.

Time-Based

• Enough time to achieve the goal.
• Not too much time, which can affect project performance.

SMART Goals