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:
“Man is the only animal that can remain on friendly terms with the victims he intends to eat until he eats them.”
—Samuel Butler (1835–1902)
“Most personal correspondence of today consists of letters the first half of which are given over to an indexed statement of why the writer hasn’t written before, followed by one paragraph of small talk, with the remainder devoted to reasons why it is imperative that the letter be brought to a close.”
—Robert Benchley (1889–1945)