Do you check the meter?
I encourage S.M.A.R.T. statements as a strong format to craft objectives and outcomes, but there is a slight difference in structure between the two.
Both emphasize expected results as potential measures that are specific and quantitative. These are important components of both objectives and outcomes.
For OBJECTIVES focus on what you generally plan to accomplish; more about the direction and described magnitude which your outcome indicators will illustrate. I refer to this as S.M.A.R.T. Intent. In most cases, the specific numeric change expected may be missing in a S.M.A.R.T. Intent Objective.
But OUTCOMES should have the specific numeric change expectation you seek to achieve; indicators which are targets about the indicator of significant improvement in your primary customer. How much specifically is your project expected to move the dial. Did the meter change for the better?
No doubt you will have read many different versions of terms and definitions. S.M.A.R.T. is one of those areas where opinion and experience lead to a variety of explanations. But then of course, when crafting quantifiable outcomes, I like mine.
How is my outcome S.M.A.R.T. or S.M.A.A.R.T.? It’s very specific in that 60% of my smoker participants will achieve non-smoking status for at least three months, and then a third for an entire year. It’s attainable based on the research base, but not overly aggressive since we are talking about motivated participants who joined a program with physician oversight to quit smoking.
I encourage S.M.A.R.T. statements as a strong format to craft objectives and outcomes, but there is a slight difference in structure between the two.
Both emphasize expected results as potential measures that are specific and quantitative. These are important components of both objectives and outcomes. For OBJECTIVES focus on what you generally plan to accomplish; more about the direction and described magnitude which your outcome indicators will illustrate. I refer to this as S.M.A.R.T. Intent. In most cases, the specific numeric change expected may be missing in a S.M.A.R.T. Intent Objective.
But OUTCOMES should have the specific numeric change expectation you seek to achieve; indicators which are targets about the indicator of significant improvement in your primary customer. How much specifically is your project expected to move the dial. Did the meter change for the better?
No doubt you will have read many different versions of terms and definitions. S.M.A.R.T. is one of those areas where opinion and experience lead to a variety of explanations. But then of course, when crafting quantifiable outcomes, I like mine.
Specific, Measurable, Aggressive yet Attainable, Realistic, Time-Bound
For example, here is a S.M.A.R.T. statement for an objective, or what I sometimes refer to as S.M.A.R.T.-Intent as the expected indicator change is mentioned but not always quantified.
Objective: To implement research-supported intervention programs leading to a significant percentage of participating patients who are current smokers achieving and maintaining a non-smoking status by the conclusion of the program and for a period thereafter.
How is this OBJECTIVE S.M.A.R.T?
Well, first it's a little long, but I'm trying to prove some points. But as specific as it may appear, it is actually a general statement when compared to the Outcome below. I consider this one having S.M.A.R.T. Intent. But this statement is specific enough since it says that a significant percentage of patients will become non-smokers.
The OBJECTIVE above will be measurable since the percentage change (move the dial) will ultimately be used in your outcome. It’s time-bound as the results will need to be completed by the program conclusion and for some period thereafter. And I’m proposing a research-supported intervention to underpin the program’s ability to attain relatively aggressive targets (That's the A.A. in S.M.A.A.R.T.) of what I seek to implement.
Next, let’s take an example of what might be a related S.M.A.R.T. OUTCOME statement:
Outcome: By the conclusion of a two-year period of grant funding, 60% of the smoking-status patients who complete the proposed neighborhood health clinic smoking cessation program, will achieve non-smoking status for a minimum period of three months. One year following the conclusion of grant funding, 35% of program participants completing the project plan will achieve non-smoking status for a minimum of 12 months.
Within your outcomes, there should be no generalization in your statements, as you have in the objective. And I know this is also a long outcome. In a real proposal, I would split this outcome and its objective into two each.
Outcomes should have a direct relationship with the target indicators you seek to move forward, as a proposed numeric achievement. In most cases, your outcome will illustrate an improvement through a comparison of some measures you collected prior to your intervention (the baseline) and then again after your dosage is applied.
How is my outcome S.M.A.R.T. or S.M.A.A.R.T.? It’s very specific in that 60% of my smoker participants will achieve non-smoking status for at least three months, and then a third for an entire year. It’s attainable based on the research base, but not overly aggressive since we are talking about motivated participants who joined a program with physician oversight to quit smoking.
There are two time-bound measures, one by the conclusion of the grant and the second a year later. The second indicator is an expectation after the grant concludes, but provides for a level of magnitude which illustrates a strong commitment by the applicant to the outcomes. In both cases, it’s measurable as a quantifiable change in target population behavior.
As I've said in the past (and so did Stephen Covey originally) “Begin with the end in mind.” And the "end" should be an outcome that is the important result of conducting an intervention. You lead with a research-based, evidence-supported dose and duration intended to be persuasive of your project's ability to help someone... solve a problem... or address a need. Of course, you also need to begin at the beginning, and that is the objective. Both need S.M.A.R.T. structure, but have a slightly different emphasis, more or less!
