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Volume 4, Number  9                                                                       September 2009
Greetings!

Welcome to Epicenter Development Group's newsletter, EPICentral. The purpose of this newsletter is to highlight fundamental ideas that have helped organizations develop and maintain great manufacturing and service operations.  We hope that you find our EPICentral newsletter helpful, and we would welcome your comments on its content.

Getting More Done with S.M.A.R.T. Goals

 
The ability to successfully reach a planned goal is a key skill for today's workforce.  Unfortunately, many motivated and intelligent project teams and employees still fall short of meeting important goals on a regular basis.  Why do they fail?  It can be due to many reasons, but one issue that I see time and again is that the design of the goal was not carefully and thoroughly defined. One mnemonic that can be used to design robust goals is S.M.A.R.T. which stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-Bound.
 
Specific - Make the goal as specific as possible to answer the "who," "what," "where," "when," "which," and "why" of what you are going to be doing.  Example: The welding department will improve their direct labor productivity from 65% to 90% by March 1.
 
Measurable - Make the goal concrete.  It should be measurable so that you know if and when you have reached your objective. Example:  Reduce overall monthly scrap percentage from 5% to 3% in three months. 
 
Attainable - Make sure that the goal is truly attainable.  It might be a stretch goal but can it truly be attained with the resources and budget available by the deadline?  Sometimes it's better to commit to a smaller, initial goal before trying to plow ahead.  Example:  Use of a pilot program to see how a new system will work before committing to a larger, system-wide implementation. 
 
Relevant - Make the goal something that is important to you or your company.  Will the goal have a worthwhile impact/return for the effort that you will be expending?  What are the expected benefits (tangible and intangible) for your team?  Example: Reduce the annual employee turnover by 10% versus reduce the time to find a parking spot in the company lot.
 
Time-Bound - Give the goal a specific deadline.  People prioritize their day based upon deadlines, and "ASAP" usually gets put behind a project that is due tomorrow.  Example:  The project goal needs to be achieved no later than December 31.
 
Considerations
  • As noted in Wikipedia, there are actually a variety of words that can be used in the mnemonic (Realistic vs. Relevant for example).  The point is to create a "checklist" of criteria for making robust goals.  Our suggestion would be to make the model your own and use those words  and ideas that might be most relevant to your organization and what you are trying to accomplish.
  • For large projects, you will want to use the SMART mnemonic to create smaller tasks that must be completed.
  • An alternative to S.M.A.R.T. goals is D.U.M.B. which stands for Doable, Understandable, Manageable & Beneficial.  Again - whatever mnemonic works for you.
Next Steps

If you are interested in learning more about how Epicenter can help your organization to become more effective, please do not hesitate to email us at tzubic@epicentergroup.com or call Tracee Zubic at 216.548.7136.
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About Epicenter Development Group
Epicenter Development Group is an independently-owned engineering consulting firm located in the Cleveland, Ohio area.
 
Epicenter Development Group is a unique consulting firm that seamlessly integrates the disciplines of Systems Engineering and Organizational Analysis & Development to create practical design solutions to your toughest challenges.  It is on the cutting edge of problem-solving solutions and the creator of a unique process called GreenRoom Engineering. This process adds greater value and cost savings for clients as compared to traditional engineering methods.
 
William Proctor, Epicenter's founder and president, has provided services around the country to more than 100 companies consisting of a variety of organizations; and Epicenter continues to grow as a resource for firms of all sizes.
 
To learn more about Epicenter Development Group, visit our website: www.epicentergroup.com.