HR Skills: SMART Goals for Performance Evaluation

Using SMART goals is widely considered a best practice for setting targets and measuring employee progress. SMART goals are goals that include the valuable details that help make them attainable. They provide employees with a sense of direction, keep them motivated, and let them know how and when their progress will be evaluated. In this course, we describe the five characteristics of SMART goals: specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound. You will learn to recognize whether or not a goal is SMART and to outline the process for developing effective SMART goals. Finally, you'll learn how SMART goals can be evaluated and how they can be used to create an action plan that helps employees set and meet their unique targets. Learning Outcomes Define the five characteristics of SMART goals Explain the relationship between SMART goals and performance evaluation Outline the basic process for developing SMART goals Describe how to meet each of the five SMART criteria when setting goals List best practices for meeting with employees to evaluate performance and discuss SMART goals Outline the key parts of a SMART goal action plan