Photo: Aaron D.Feen
Often when we talk about Eagle Projects, we talk about the goal of completing them. This vision solidifies our drive for success and aligns our actions with our ambitions. Goal setting is useless unless we can set objectives to “baby step” our way towards successful completion. A goal without objectives is simply just a dream.
So what’s the best way to attain our Eagle Project goal? Many times we forego realizing the importance of intelligently setting our objectives, and our goals disappear into the wind (such is the case with many floundering Eagle Projects). The solution to this is the idea of setting SMART objectives, a management theory first termed in the latter part of the 20th century.
Introduction
SMART is an acronym that has a variety of variations, with the most common (and most well-known) as standing for Specific-Measurable-Attainable-Realistic-Timely. It is used in any occasion where something needs to be done, whether its consciously deciding how to send a rocket ship into outer space or unconsciously gathering what you need to do to cut the grass.
SMART Acronym Defined
1. Specific - Your project objectives need to be well defined and detail oriented to in order to fully describe what it is that you’d like to accomplish (outcome focused). They need to establish what is to be done and why it’s important. Objectives also need to outline the different roles and responsibilities of everyone involved, when it will get done, and strategies that will be used to plan how it will be done. Details, details, details. Example: “The objective of completing phase 1 of my bench building project is to collect all of my building materials from Acme Hardware two days before we begin on Day 1 so that I can run through my checklist to ensure that all materials are available in required quantity for development.”
2. Measureable - Your project objectives need to be measureable; setting metrics for completing objectives become important because they serve as your indicator that change actually happened. Although metrics are not always easy to set or collect, once they are aggregated into a log book or spreadsheet, they can give you a slice of the overall “big picture” change. Example: ”My project estimates of requiring roughly 200 Total Volunteer Hours will help me gauge how well I’ve planned the effort required to develop my project’s solution.”
3. Attainable - Your project objectives should be set within the realm of what is actually possible (i.e. within the realm of Newton’s laws of physics). This controls your dreams of building a teleportation device that can help senior citizens make their breakfast in the morning. It is a constraint that qualifies your objectives into more reasonable buckets instead of magical fantasies. Example: ”My project will be attainable in that it can be completed with all current technologies – band saws, electric sanders and power drills.”
4. Realistic - It is important that your project objectives are realistic given your time, resources and ambition levels. Saying that you’d like to send 100 tons of food to remote African villages in 2 weeks despite having to study for 10 AP exams in the next week is not realistic for you (unless you have big connections to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation). Example: ”For my Eagle Project, I plan on building 5 park benches for a local retirement community.”
5. Timely - Your Eagle Project should have time-bound checkpoints to ensure that you are well on your way to completion. It should be driven by a schedule/calendar that outlines all major activities and dates that are important to realizing your project goal. Example: ”My bench building project will be completed in 3 months time, with checkpoints every 2 weeks.”
Closing
In the application of this practice however, it may make more sense to follow M-A-R-S-T (Measurable being the most important, because everyone can see that the goal was completed; Achievable being second most important because there’s no point in starting a goal if you know you can’t finish it (must be theoretically possible); Realistic being third in line because of the requirements for people, time, money or even opportunity; Specific being fourth because that it is easily understandable and detail oriented; Timely being last with deadline setting to prioritize objectives to achieve goal.)
Using these practices, you’ll be able to approach goal and objective setting at a better angle and increase the likelihood of completing your project.
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About the Author: Eric Chrabot is a business strategy consultant to the federal sector and a member of the Project Management Institute in Washington, D.C. In 2004, he received the rank of Eagle Scout from Troop 401 (Tidewater Council) after leading a team to create five park benches for a local retirement organization. Eric holds a lifetime membership status in the National Eagle Scout Association and a Business Economics degree from Virginia Tech.
For more information on how you can manage your project more effectively and efficiently, please see our Eagle Project Solutions Products page.
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