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Successful projects are, more often than not, underpinned by realistic and thoughtful goal setting.
However, as any project manager will know, progression is rarely entirely linear, and maintaining momentum and keeping your team focused is less simple.
It’s not uncommon in the world of project delivery for priorities to shift, deadlines to move and different stakeholders to have varied (and evolving) ideas about what success actually looks like.
And this is why SMART goals for project managers continue to be such a popular way of facilitating work (since the 80s!).
They give project managers a clearly defined way to turn broad objectives into something tangible, clear and that the whole team can work towards.
It can be a small internal project or something far larger, and in both cases, clear goal setting can be the key difference between a project that drifts or stalls and one that is completed efficiently and effectively.
While SMART goals are well known in project management settings, they aren’t always well understood.
A way to simply define them is to consider them goals that answer five basic questions before a project kicks off.
Let’s run through them:
These questions may seem straightforward, but it’s surprising how often projects begin with goals that are far too vague.
Take “improve communication” as a project goal.
Sure, it’s a positive intention, but it doesn’t tell anyone what should actually happen.
Now, let’s compare that with agreeing to hold a 30-minute stakeholder meeting every Friday until project completion while recording actions after each session. Suddenly, everyone understands what success looks like. It is specific, measurable, should be achievable – and very clearly relevant and time-bound.
One thing experienced project managers learn quite quickly is that people interpret goals differently.
Ask five team members what “finish the project quickly” means and you’ll probably get five different answers. One person will think about the deadline, another will focus on staying within budget, while someone else may believe quality is the priority.
SMART goals remove much of that uncertainty.
They encourage teams to agree on expectations before work begins rather than trying to solve misunderstandings halfway through a project. They also make conversations with stakeholders much easier because progress can be measured against something everyone agreed on from the start.
Perhaps more importantly, they give project managers something objective to review once the work is complete. Instead of relying on opinion, they can look back at the original goal and ask a simple question: did we achieve what we set out to do?
There’s no such thing as a perfect SMART goal because every project is different. However, the strongest examples all have one thing in common – they explain exactly what success looks like.
Imagine you’re managing the rollout of a new software platform.
Instead of setting a goal to “deliver the project successfully”, you could aim to complete the implementation by 30 September while keeping spending within the agreed budget and ensuring every department completes user training before launch.
A construction project might focus on reducing delays by reviewing risks every fortnight and resolving high-priority issues within five working days.
A marketing project could aim to launch a campaign by an agreed deadline while increasing qualified leads by a set percentage during the first three months.
Even something as simple as communication can become more meaningful.
Rather than saying you want to improve stakeholder engagement, you could commit to sending a weekly progress update every Monday and achieving attendance from key stakeholders at monthly review meetings.
Notice that none of these goals are complicated.
They’re simply clear enough that everyone involved knows what’s expected.
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One mistake we see quite often is confusing activity with progress.
Holding meetings, updating spreadsheets and producing reports might keep a project moving, but they aren’t goals in themselves. A SMART goal should explain the outcome those activities are supposed to achieve.
Another common issue is setting targets that look impressive on paper but have very little chance of being delivered. Ambitious goals have their place, but if the team doesn’t believe they’re achievable, they quickly lose their value.
It’s also worth remembering that projects rarely stand still.
Budgets change. Clients change their minds. New risks appear.
Reviewing your goals during the project isn’t a sign that the original plan was poor. It’s often a sign that the project is being managed properly.
Project managers are often asked questions about objectives, deadlines and priorities during interviews, even if the interviewer never mentions SMART goals directly.
You might be asked about a project that didn’t go to plan, how you managed conflicting priorities or how you measured success.
Rather than describing your responsibilities, focus on the outcome.
For example, instead of saying:
“I managed the implementation of a new CRM system.”
Explain what happened because of your work.
“I planned the rollout in stages, tracked progress against weekly milestones and delivered the project on schedule while keeping within the agreed budget.”
That’s the sort of answer employers remember because it demonstrates both your approach and your results.
The same principle applies to your CV.
Recruiters don’t just want to know that you’ve managed projects. They want evidence that you’ve delivered them successfully.
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SMART goals are objectives that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound. They help individuals and teams define success before work begins.
They give projects clear direction, reduce misunderstandings and make it easier to measure progress throughout the project rather than waiting until the end.
If you’ve used SMART goals to deliver projects or improve results, they’re worth mentioning. Rather than simply listing responsibilities, explain the measurable outcomes you achieved and the impact your work had.
Good project managers rarely leave success to chance. They create clear expectations, monitor progress and adapt when circumstances change.
SMART goals support that approach because they give everyone involved a shared understanding of what the project is trying to achieve. They’re simple, practical and just as useful when writing about your experience as they are when managing a project.
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Whether you’re applying for your first project management role or taking the next step in your career, your CV should show more than a list of duties.
PurpleCV helps job seekers present their achievements in a way that’s clear, measurable and relevant to the roles they want next.
Contact us today to find out how our expert CV writers and career coaches can support your job search.
