Here’s When SMART Goals Aren’t a Good Idea (and What to Use Instead)

SMART goals are a useful way to turn your ideas and tasks into action plans for the near and distant future, but it’s not always the best approach. If you work in a larger team or need to track very ambitious long-term goals, for example, SMART may not be the best method to turn to. Other goal tracking methods, such as FAST and PACT, may be better suited. You’ll need to familiarize yourself with these alternative methods first, but once you do, you’ll see that they are more suited to specific needs and might just be your best option.

When should you use SMART goals?

SMART goals are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound – that’s what the acronym says. When you set them, you make sure your goal meets these five requirements, usually writing it in a sentence like this: “By the end of the month, I will have successfully completed three practice quizzes to prepare for my chemistry test.” » It is specific because it states what you are going to do and why, measurable because you set a number of quizzes and the expected score for each, achievable because it can reasonably be done, relevant because it has to do with an urgent need, and time-limited because it is tied to an upcoming deadline.

Because they are very customizable, SMART goals are used by students, workers, and anyone who needs to break down their to-do list into manageable actions, but they can be limiting for the same reasons they work so well on an individual level. For example, they may be too specific to be widely applicable. So, if you have to do the same type of task at work every month, you will redo the SMART goal each time instead of creating a process to follow. They’re also not ideal for collaboration, because while you can share a SMART goal with others, that doesn’t leave much room to be concise and authoritative about who should do what to achieve the goal.

When FAST goals make sense

The first useful alternative to SMART goals is the FAST goal, which is particularly useful if you are able to lead or delegate, but is generally good for teams as a whole. FAST means the following:

• Ffrequent discussions

• Aambitious scope

• Sspecific measures

• Ttransparent

When you use SMART goals, you analyze the desired end result based on its feasibility and when you will achieve it. With a FAST goal, you look less at the elements that define the final product and more at how you will collaborate to get there. FAST goals allow teams to adapt and evolve as the project progresses because they require frequent discussions and transparency about what the stretch goal is and how its success will be defined. Still, you need to have a plan in place to follow the FAST goal, because it’s a bit vague. What are “frequent” chats, for example? You need to define this with the team and set a goal dictating what the frequency and manner in which you will conduct these meetings means.

Let’s say your team at work needs to produce a report by the end of the quarter. You already know when it needs to be done, so you don’t need to build in timeliness, like you would with a SMART goal. Instead, view the task from a QUICK perspective, setting regular times to meet and discuss it and creating clear communication channels so everyone can stay on the same page. Project success can be measured by manager feedback, customer response, process improvement, or increased sales; you need to define what “success” will look like up front, but remaining communicative and transparent will help you make the end goal ambitious.

Here I would recommend incorporating a single source of truth, or SSOT. It’s basically a folder that everyone has access to and includes all the resources anyone might need. For the hypothetical end-of-quarter report project, your SSOT may include monthly reports, a template for the larger report, contact details for clients whose data will appear on the report, etc. The first SSOT document should be a document describing the FAST goal by setting requirements for frequent discussions, detailing scope, defining specific measures of success, and, by its nature, being transparent.

When to use PACT lenses

PACT goals, like FAST goals, focus more on the process of achieving a desired outcome than on measures of the outcome itself. This is what PACT means:

• P.useful

• Aactionable

• Ccontinuous

• Trackable

Much like a SMART goal, PACT works well if you approach something on your own, but it is more process-oriented. Let’s say your goal is to get in shape. With a SMART goal, you may need to define it as: “By the first day of summer, I will have worked out five hours a week, lost 20 pounds, and increased my muscle mass by 5%. » It’s specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound, but once you’ve written it, you’re on your own to fight your way to the finish line. A PACT goal might look more like: “To get in better shape and improve my health, I will work out five times a week and monitor my weight loss and muscle gain using my smart scale.” » Instead of being time-limited, this approach takes into consideration the process itself, but also incorporates determination, reminding you why you do what you do. You continue to take steps and track steps, but the goal is anchored in purpose and based on continuity, not a defined end result.

It’s important to keep the goal at the forefront because it helps you stay motivated and reminds you of what you’re actually working toward. If you’re writing a report at work, you can get caught up in the absolutism of knowing that this is the task assigned to you and you have to complete it, which can cause you to lose sight of why you’re actually working. If you keep in mind that you’re creating the report so your business can attract more clients or improve its internal operations, you remember that it could lead to more business, accolades, or even a raise for you. Tracking your progress is also essential for staying motivated and moving toward an end goal, even if it’s not as rigidly defined as a SMART goal.

Again, you will need a document outlining all of this. Think of it as a mission statement and paste it into the SSOT. Here it might look like this: “Our team will compile the report by each spending an hour a day on it for the next month, entering our work hours and accomplishments into the attached spreadsheet, and meeting every Friday to discuss progress.