Why written objectives need to be really SMART

Abstract

All successful programmes share goal-setting as a standard practice, and many write their goal statements to satisfy the S.M.A.R.T. criteria. To be SMART, objective statements should be constructed to specify four components: Outcome, Indicator, Target-level and Timeframe (O.I.T.T.). This study reviewed the goal framework of published objective statements to determine the extent to which they are SMART. The statements of 17 published examples of SMART objectives found in literature of mainly four major health organisations: CDC, WHO, NHS and Save the Children, were structurally analysed to measure the completeness of their goal framework according to the OITT components. Only four examples are outcome objectives. 13 (76%) are process or task oriented. The structure of two thirds of the statements shows the similar objective-writing templates used within CDC. All objective statements have an incomplete set of OITT components. The commonest framework has 3 components of indicator, target and timeframe (75% completeness) in 12 statements. Almost all statements specify a timeframe; three-quarter of them mention a target and three-fifth an indicator, but less than 1 in 5 state an outcome. Thus, none of the objective statement is really SMART, and goal-setters are significantly less likely to specify an outcome, than indicator, target or timeframe in their objectives. A high prevalence of non-SMART objectives with low potential for goal attainment in healthcare projects is proposed.

General concepts of goals and goal-setting in healthcare: A narrative review

“…So far, no literature has been found with written examples of SMART objectives that fully possess all framework components required to write statements with the five attributes of SMART goals. This is compatible with findings made from a recent review by Ogbeiwi (2017).…”

“…However, there seems to be controversy over which attributes of the SMART acronym appropriately define a good goal in today's work contexts. The summary of the basic components in Doran's criteria according to literature is: SMART goal statements or objectives must have four basic components, to be specific, measurable, attainable or realistic, relevant and time bound (Ogbeiwi 2016(Ogbeiwi , 2017.…”

“…Another two goal-setting frameworks reported in healthcare improvement planning are total quality management (TQM) and continuous quality improvement (CQI) initiatives (Ginsburg, 2001;Medlin & Green, 2009;Parker, 2003). These frameworks provide practical guides or steps for the process of setting goals (Ogbeiwi, 2017). None, however, is a goal-setting framework that guides how the structure of a goal statement should be formulated or constructed, such that it possesses the theoretical core goal attributes required to motivate task performance and achieve desired outcomes (Ogbeiwi, 2017).…”

Development of a Remote Psychological First Aid Protocol for Healthcare Workers Following the COVID-19 Pandemic in a University Teaching Hospital, Malaysia

“…This approach has been applied in clinical work as a collaborative effort with pediatrics and aphasia rehabilitation patients [17] and patients with psychiatric disability [18], and has shown to promote the attainment of clinical goals [19]. In order to develop an evidence-informed PFA protocol, we adapted a goal setting formulated by Ogbeiwi [20] in a health context, evaluating goal accomplishment at three levels: stage 3 or output (immediate goal), stage 4 or outcome (intermediate goal), and stage 5 or impact expressed as aim (long-term goal) ( Figure 1).…”

Spoiled for Choice? Personalized Recommendation for Healthcare Decisions: A Multi-Armed Bandit Approach with a Dynamic Discrete-Choice Scheme

“…The SMART metric (i.e., specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound) has been widely used as a gold standard in areas such as education and healthcare for assessing the quality of goals (Doran 1981;Ogbeiwi 2018). This metric can help individuals to clearly identify the direction for logical action planning and implementation (Ogbeiwi 2017;Ogbeiwi 2018). Thus, SMARTrelated goal characteristics can influence how individuals perceive the effectiveness of a goal and affect their choice-making behaviors in deciding which goal to pursue.…”