Smart Criteria

SMART is a checklist for writing a goal, objective, plan, or task well — each letter is a quality dimension to check a stated goal against, not a separate goal-setting method on its own. It pairs naturally with Objectives and Key Results (SMART checks the quality of an objective) and Key Performance Indicators (SMART checks the quality of a target metric).

The five letters

• Specific — target one area clearly and precisely. Ask: what's in scope vs. out of scope? What are the inputs, people, processes, outputs? Is the terminology unambiguous? Can it be phrased positively, with action verbs? Alternative reading: Strategic.
• Measurable — quantify progress using metrics. Ask: what metrics, and why those? What are the KPIs, leading indicators, lagging indicators? How do stakeholders access the numbers? Alternative reading: Motivating.
• Actionable — achievable: able to be started, sustained, and completed. Ask: who's working on it (roles/responsibilities)? What resources are needed (budget, approvals)? What are the risks, assumptions, issues, dependencies? Alternative readings: Achievable, Assignable, Agreed, Action-oriented, Ambitious, Aligned.
• Relatable — explain causal/logical connections to other work. Ask: can you summarize the purpose and rationale? How does it connect to participants' roles and goals? How does it interconnect (positively or negatively) with other work? Alternative readings: Relevant, Realistic, Resourced, Reasonable, Results-based.
• Timely — occurs at a favorable, bounded time. Ask: when does it start and finish? Why does the timing matter (a hard deadline vs. a flexible window)? Where's the timeline visible? What precedes or follows it? Alternative readings: Trackable, Time-based/time-boxed, Time-sensitive, Testable, Transparent.

SMARTER: two more letters

• Evaluate — examine work in progress and afterward, and adjust as needed; ask what was learned and what changes are recommended, both during and after the work.
• Rewardable (or Reward) — recognize success and acknowledge achievement when milestones are reached — including asking participants what reward would actually be meaningful to them, rather than assuming.

FAST: a related, distinct criteria set

FAST is not SMART with different letters for the same ideas — it targets a different failure mode (goals that are technically SMART but never actually discussed or acted on):

• Frequently discussed — the goal shapes ongoing key conversations about getting work done, not a document filed away.
• Ambitious — set to satisfy high aspiration, genuinely challenging.
• Specific — same meaning as in SMART.
• Transparent — open and shared with the team and organization, not private to whoever set it.

Using SMART as a review checklist

The most practical use: take an already-drafted goal and check it against each letter as a question, not just a label — "is this Specific?" is less useful than actually asking the specific sub-questions above (scope, inputs, terminology) and revising the goal statement until the answers are clear. A goal that passes all five (or seven, with SMARTER) letters is meaningfully more likely to survive contact with real execution than one that was never checked.

Common pitfalls

• Treating SMART as a labeling exercise — writing "S: yes, M: yes..." next to a goal without actually answering the underlying questions each letter poses produces the appearance of rigor without the substance.
• A goal that's Measurable but not Actionable — a well-quantified target nobody has the resources or authority to actually pursue is not a usable goal, however precisely specified.
• Confusing SMART (a per-goal quality check) with OKRs (a goal-setting and tracking system) — see Objectives and Key Results; SMART can and should be applied to the objectives and key results an OKR system produces, but SMART alone doesn't provide the cadence, transparency, or nesting structure OKRs add.
• Ignoring FAST's distinct concern — a goal can be perfectly SMART on paper and still fail because nobody discusses it regularly or it's kept private; FAST's "Frequently discussed" and "Transparent" address a different, real failure mode SMART doesn't cover.

Learn more

• joelparkerhenderson/smart-criteria — the source for this skill.
• Wikipedia: SMART criteria
• Objectives and Key Results, Key Performance Indicators for the goal-setting and measurement systems SMART is used to quality-check.