What are SMART goals? Examples and templates

Every team that’s accomplished something phenomenal first had to set goals to get there. Teams that set goals can do great things like cure diseases, build more efficient and sustainable appliances, or make our oceans safer for whales and dolphins. When we set goals, we can visualize where we want to go and put our best foot forward to get there.

But hitting an ambitious goal isn’t just about reaching for the stars. You also need a path to get there. That’s where SMART goal setting comes in. With SMART, you can make sure every goal—from project goals all the way to larger company objectives—has everything you need to achieve it. Here’s how.

What are SMART goals?

So, what are SMART goals? Basically, SMART goals are a way of setting objectives that are clear, measurable, and achievable. The acronym SMART represents five important qualities your goals should have:

• Specific 

• Measurable 

• Achievable 

• Relevant 

• Time-bound

When you think about the meaning of SMART goals, see them as a tool to transform lofty resolutions into actionable steps. The SMART goals acronym can guide you in creating a plan for success in both personal and professional settings.

How to write SMART goals

Writing SMART goals is all about breaking down your objectives into smaller, more manageable components that are easy to track and achieve. Here's a simple step-by-step guide to make your goal-setting process a breeze.

Step 1: Define a specific outcome

Start by identifying a single, well-defined outcome rather than a broad ambition. A specific goal focuses on a single objective tied to a particular project, initiative, or result, which helps everyone involved understand what success looks like.

Broad goals like “raise more money” or “increase sales” leave room for interpretation and complicate planning. Narrowing the goal statement to raising $20,000 for a specific program by the end of the year provides direction and makes it easier to determine which activities support the goal and which do not. Specificity also helps prevent unrelated tasks from disrupting your action plan.

Step 2: Decide how to measure success

The “M” in SMART stands for The “M” in SMART stands for measurable, which helps you assess the success or failure of your project. Your goals should include an objective way to measure progress. Whether that’s a deadline, a number, a percent change, or some other measurable element.

One way to make a goal measurable is by using benchmarks. Benchmarks show you what’s “normal” for specific, recurring scenarios in your company, so you know what to expect. Using standardized benchmarks, you can set more relevant, easier-to-measure goals. For example, let’s say you have a benchmark showing that you have three new marketing campaigns each year to help you hit key performance indicators (KPIs). You can then use that benchmark to set measurable goals to track progress for both the launches and their related KPIs.

Step 3: Make your goal achievable

You don’t want your goals to be too easy, but you also need to set goals you can reasonably reach. Achievable means your goals shouldn't be entirely out of reach. Ask yourself: Do you have the skills and available resources to reach this goal? If not, it’s not achievable.

For example, let’s say you want to learn to speak Spanish to be competitive in your field. If you’ve never spoken a word of Spanish before, you can’t expect to be fluent by next month. That simply isn’t an achievable goal. However, you could set a goal in your mobile app to learn a foreign language for 20 minutes every day. By establishing a consistent practice, you can set a more achievable goal.

Step 4. Confirm that your goal is realistic

The “A” and “R” of SMART are closely related. In addition to setting attainable goals, you also want to set realistic ones. For example, a goal may be achievable, but achieving it would require every team member to work overtime for six consecutive weeks. Even though it might be attainable, it’s not a realistic goal. Make sure yours is both by creating a resource management plan.

Using our attainable goal example of learning to speak Spanish, dedicating 20 minutes each day to practice is both realistic and achievable. Conversely, a goal to practice speaking Spanish for two hours every day is probably not realistic for most working adults, even though it’s technically achievable.

Step 5. Set a time-bound deadline

Your SMART goal should have an end date. Without a time limit, your project could drag on, have unclear success metrics, and suffer from scope creep. Deadlines provide a sense of urgency so that short-term tasks don’t unnecessarily drag into long-term goals. If you haven’t already, make sure you outline a project timeline.

Deadlines are essential for achieving goals because they motivate you to act. If you want to stay more focused at work, you might set a goal to check your email only for 30 minutes each day. However, without a deadline, it’s easy to ignore it. Imagine if you set a goal to check your email just for 30 minutes a day for a week. Suddenly, it feels more achievable.

SMART goals pros and cons

SMART goals take more effort to write than loose or informal goals, but that extra thinking usually pays off. Goals work best when people revisit them, talk about them, and use them to guide decisions—not when they sit untouched in a document. Here’s what teams typically notice when they use SMART goals in practice.

Pros of SMART goals

• Shared understanding across the team. When everyone knows what the goal is and what success looks like, people pull in the same direction. Team members who know how their individual work contributes to broader company goals are 2X as motivated as their counterparts.

• Less confusion at the finish line. SMART goals prevent the awkward moment at the end of a project when no one can agree if it was successful. Clearly defined goals eliminate vague language and provide teams with something concrete to evaluate.

• A defined roadmap from start to finish. SMART goals help you consider what you want to accomplish, how much time you'll need, and if the goal fits within real constraints. That initial thinking results in a clearer action plan and fewer surprises down the line.

• Easier progress tracking. Because SMART goals include measurable criteria, teams can track progress while the work is still in progress. Even when a goal isn't fully achieved, the data makes it easier to identify what worked and what didn’t.

• More intentional use of time and resources. Clear goals help managers determine where to allocate effort, budget, and attention. Teams can then prioritize work that aligns with the goal rather than spreading resources too thin.

• Stronger ownership and growth. Achievable goals provide people with a sense of momentum. They also open up opportunities for learning, as reaching a goal often involves developing new skills or improving existing processes.

Cons of SMART goals

• They can oversimplify complex work. Some goals involve many moving parts and don’t fit neatly into a single statement. In those cases, teams often need to break the work into smaller goals before applying the framework.

• They can be too short-term. Time-bound goals work well for execution, but they can crowd out longer-term thinking if teams rely on them exclusively. If this applies to your situation, try creating a vision statement instead. 

• They may limit creativity. The structure of SMART goals favors defined outcomes, which can make open-ended experimentation more challenging. Teams that depend too much on the SMART framework might overlook unexpected ideas.

• They can narrow attention too much. Teams sometimes focus so narrowly on one goal that they lose sight of broader priorities. Connecting goals to larger organizational objectives helps prevent this issue.

• They require effort to maintain. Tracking progress takes time, and smaller teams may feel the overhead more acutely. Without discipline, measurement can start to feel like extra work instead of support.

5 SMART goals examples

Ready to get started? Before you write your own, take a look at these five examples of SMART goals to see how each one aligns with the SMART criteria.

1.  Business goal

• Example: Produce at least three different types of large-scale marketing assets (e.g., ebook, webinar, videos, sales one- or two-pagers) per month for Q1.

• Why it’s SMART: This business goal is specific (large-scale marketing assets), measurable (three different types), achievable and realistic (this depends on how many project team members there are, but we can assume there are enough to cover the three assets per month), and time-bound (per month for Q1).

2. Team goal

• Example: The product team will partner on five cross-functional projects focused on usability testing, customer surveys, customer marketing, or research and development during the first half of FY22.

• Why it’s SMART: This goal is specific (projects focused on usability testing, customer surveys, customer marketing, or research and development), measurable (five cross-functional projects), achievable (five projects in six months), realistic (the project spans the entire product team), and time-bound (during the first half of FY22).

3. Professional goal

• Example: During 2021, I will develop my management skills through mentorship, with at least two mentees from either our company Employee Resource Groups or my alumni network.

• Why it’s SMART: This goal is specific (management skills through mentorship), measurable (at least two mentees), achievable and realistic (this person has given themselves two different avenues through which to find mentees), and time-bound (during 2021).

4. Personal goal

• Example: I will train to run the March San Diego half-marathon in less than two hours.

• Why it’s SMART: This goal is specific (San Diego half marathon), measurable (in less than two hours), achievable (two hours is an ambitious but doable pace for most runners with proper training), realistic (this person has established they will train in preparation for the half marathon), and time-bound (March).

5. Nonprofit goal

• Example: We will provide 100 hours of free tutoring in math and history to middle school students during the month of February.

• Why it’s SMART: This goal is specific (tutoring for middle school students in math and history), measurable (100 hours), achievable and realistic (depending on the number of volunteers the nonprofit has), and time-bound (during the month of February).

How do you follow through after setting SMART goals?

Do you track your goals in emails, meetings, or spreadsheets? If so, you’re not alone. According to the Asana Goals Report, 53% of businesses track their goals via email, 36% in spreadsheets, and 31% in in-person meetings.

The challenge with tracking your goals is connecting them to your team’s daily work. You’ve taken all this time to create a SMART goal—keeping it front of mind can help you achieve it. At Asana, we believe goals should be closely connected to the work they’re, well, connected to. Here’s how you can do that:

1. Share your SMART goals with stakeholders and the team

Share your SMART goals at the start of the project so everyone understands what success looks like and why the work matters. When teams can see the goal alongside the tasks they complete each day, they make better decisions about priorities and tradeoffs. A work management tool like Asana gives teams one place to view goals, track progress, and understand how individual contributions support the outcome.

2. Check progress on a regular cadence

Review progress and milestones throughout the project instead of waiting until the end. Track progress throughout the project instead of waiting until the end. SMART goals are most effective when teams refer to them during the work, which helps make adjustments before minor issues become missed targets. Regular check-ins, like project status updates, help teams gauge momentum, identify risks, and stay focused on what needs attention next.

3. Evaluate results and apply what you learn

Use your SMART goals to assess results after completing the work. Well-defined criteria make it easier to determine if the team achieved the goal and why. When a team falls short, structured evaluation helps identify gaps in planning, execution, or assumptions, so those lessons can inform the next goal rather than get lost.

Ready to put your SMART goals to work?

SMART goals deliver results when teams connect them to actual work and monitor progress as it happens. When goals exist alongside projects and tasks, teams can assign owners, identify issues early, and make adjustments smoothly. With Asana, project management teams link SMART goals to daily work, share progress with stakeholders, and turn planning into consistent execution—so goals drive decisions rather than gather dust.

FAQs about setting SMART goals