Practice: SMART Goal Setting and Action Planning

In this activity, we will develop and practice the skill of setting specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals and breaking these goals down into actionable tasks.

Instructions

Step 1: Review the Organizational Profile (10 minutes)

• Review the organizational profile and stakeholder mapping you developed in the previous lessons. This will provide context for the type of goals that are appropriate for your hypothetical organization.

Step 2: Develop SMART Goals (30 minutes)

• Identify and write down 2-3 strategic goals for your organization, ensuring that each goal adheres to the SMART criteria:
• Specific: Clearly define what you want to accomplish.
• Measurable: Determine how you will measure the success of each goal.
• Achievable: Ensure the goal is attainable with the resources and time available.
• Relevant: Make sure the goal aligns with the broader objectives of your organization.
• Time-bound: Set a realistic deadline for achieving the goal.

Step 3: Break Down Goals into Actionable Tasks (30 minutes)

• For each SMART goal, list the steps or tasks required to achieve it. These tasks should be clear and specific enough that someone can understand what needs to be done without further explanation.
• Assign a tentative timeline and any necessary resources for each task.

Step 4: Compile Your SMART Goals and Action Plan (10 minutes)

• Organize your SMART goals and the associated action plans into a coherent document. Ensure that the relationship between goals and tasks is straightforward.
• This document should be at most two pages.

Step 5: Reflection (10 minutes)

• Reflect on the process of setting SMART goals and creating an action plan. Consider:
• The challenges you faced in aligning the tasks with the goals.
• How the goals and tasks are relevant to the organization's mission and stakeholder interests.
• How this process can aid in effective strategic planning.

See an example

Submission 

• Prepare your SMART goals and action plan as a Word document or a PDF.
• Submit your document using the option below.