Terms Behind The Letters
There is no clear consensus about what the five or seven keywords mean, or even what they are in any given situation. Typically accepted values are:
| Letter | Major Term | Minor Terms |
|---|---|---|
| S | Specific | Significant, Stretching, Simple |
| M | Meaningful, Motivational, Manageable | |
| A | Attainable | Appropriate, Achievable, Agreed, Assignable, Actionable, Adjustable, Ambitious, Aligned, Aspirational, Acceptable, Action-focused |
| R | Relevant | Result-Based, Results-oriented, Resourced, Resonant, Realistic |
| T | Timely | Time-oriented, Time framed, Timed, Time-based, Timeboxed, Time-bound, Time-Specific, Timetabled, Time limited, Trackable, Tangible |
| E | Evaluate | Ethical, Excitable, Enjoyable, Engaging, Ecological |
| R | Reevaluate | Rewarded, Reassess, Revisit, Recordable, Rewarding, Reaching |
| S | Satisfactory | Satisfies Strategic Vision |
Choosing certain combinations of these labels can cause duplication, such as selecting 'Attainable' and 'Realistic', or can cause significant overlapping as in combining 'Appropriate' and 'Relevant' for example. The term 'Agreed' is often used in management situations where buy-in from stakeholders is desirable (e.g. appraisal situations).
Read more about this topic: SMART Criteria
Famous quotes containing the words terms and/or letters:
“Suppose you go to war, you cannot fight always; and when, after much loss on both sides, and no gain on either, you cease fighting, the identical old questions, as to terms of intercourse, are again upon you.”
—Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865)
“Harvey: About this Voltaire.
Helene: What about him?
Harvey: How’d he ever get time to do all he did?
Helene: He lived to be old.
Harvey: Even so, how many letters did he write?
Helene: Oh, I don’t know exactly. Thousands.
Harvey: I can’t remember when I even wrote one.
Helene: You should try.
Harvey: It’s too late. I wouldn’t know where to send it.”
—Tom Waldman (d. 1985)