SMART objectives, quick reference

Every PD initiative needs an objective that says clearly what it wants to change. The doctrine instructs that the initiative objective "should be written as a SMART objective and focus on outcomes (e.g., changing attitudes) rather than outputs (e.g., number of people trained)." Strategic goals can stay lofty; the initiative objective is where the work gets specific enough to monitor.

The five criteria

• Specific. One concept per objective. Bundling two purposes makes it impossible to disentangle what worked.
• Measurable. You must be able to collect useful data against it.
• Achievable. "Targets should be achievable, but ambitious. Finding the balance is something of an art."
• Relevant. The objective should name the concrete change in conditions you want, not the action you plan to take.
• Timebound. There is a due date, so everyone knows what is required and who is accountable.

The four components every objective carries

1. The outcome: what should people know, feel, or do?
2. The direction: should it increase, hold, or decrease?
3. The magnitude: how much change?
4. The timeline: by when?

Before and after

The doctrine teaches the test with a rewrite. The weak version reads: "Leverage key institutions to improve the image of the United States and to forward U.S. priorities in the area." It bundles two objectives, defines no measurement, and names an action rather than a result, with no end date. The repaired version reads: "By the end of 2021, 80 percent of embassy program participants will report that they are either somewhat or very supportive of U.S. policy concerning tariffs in their country." It has one topic, a survey to measure it, an ambitious but reachable target, a defined result, and a date.

The doctrine's examples that pass

• "Within three months of launching the initiative, the number of surveyed high-school participants who know about study-abroad opportunities in the United States will increase from 20 percent to 30 percent."
• "By the end of the third quarter, the number of focus-group participants who see Zubrovka as their country's preferred strategic partner will be reduced by one-third."
• "By December, 50 percent of the entrepreneurs who participate in one or more of our initiative activities will have a written business plan that can be shared with microlenders and other investors."

Where the objective sits

The chain runs from lofty to concrete: mission-level goals narrow to Integrated Country Strategy sub-objectives, the initiative objective makes one slice SMART, the logic model translates it into inputs, activities, outputs, and outcomes, and indicators, themselves SMART-tested, measure the progress. Objective writing and outcome writing share one discipline: who will do what, by when.