So what we need to do now is define our goals. So we're going to create a SMART goal, which has to be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and time bound. So let's look at specific. So we want to drill down. So what are we trying to achieve our goal? Well, we want to improve our culture.

That's not a substantive specific. So what we can ask now is how can we ask a little bit more specifically, we want to remove the firefighting culture and replace it with a continuous improvement culture. But let's even be a little bit more specific. Now. What are we exactly trying to achieve? We want to improve manufacturing output by 10% and reduce waste by 10%.

Now that is very, very specific, very Process orientated. But that's what we expect to achieve with culture change. So measurable, what are we going to measure? While we're going to measure the continuous improvement suggestions, we're going to measure staff morale? How are we going to make sure that we will collate the key data in our spreadsheet and update it once per month? So we've already got a measuring system in place.

And we're very clear about how we're going to measure go. So how achievable is it on a scale of one to 10? With one being very difficult to achieve and 10 being easy to achieve? How achievable do we think this goal will be? This step helps us to examine the data with a dose of realism. We could use our metrics to compare data points, and we could look at how much we need to improve each metric by to achieve goals.

But we want to be realistic. We don't want to have Superman goals here, we want to be able to really just pick something that we can actually do as an organization, not the absolute ideal that we would love to be, but what we actually think is achievable. And we must really be very sure that we understand the difference between what is fantasy and what is actually achievable. Because if we sent a goal that's just complete fantasy, we're never going to achieve it. So want to be sure that we're doing something that is actually achievable. And that means also being very realistic about what we can achieve as an organization at this point in time.

But how relevant is it on a scale of one to 10 with one being not relevant and 10 being extremely relevant? how relevant to our business objectives do we think this goal will be now this is, again going to help us examine the data with that dose of realism. We need to go back to our business objectives and see if this is matching, and is actually linked and relevant to those higher level business objectives that we have. Remember, to protect the project, we need to make sure that it is tied into something much higher. If it's just a little project all by itself. new manager could come in and say why are we doing that?

And we'd say, Oh, yeah, we're trying to improve stuff. Was that linked to what we just want to improve stuff, okay, we can get rid of that customers money. But if we say Oh, actually, this is linked to the high level business objective. Then unless that high level business objective changes, then this project is still relevant and valid. Now, we also want to make sure that the project is time bound, though We have to decide when this project is going to be completed what is our expected completion date. In this instance, we want to achieve our goal by July 2017.

If we don't have a very specific completion date, we can't set our stages. If we use a Gantt chart, for instance, we need to be very clear about when we're going to achieve this particular project if we want to make a SMART goal. So here's our SMART goal by the first of July 2017. We will have increased productivity by 10% and reduce staff waste by 10% as measured by a culture change metric spreadsheet, we believe this has an achievability rating of seven out of 10 this is linked to our high level business objective we want to change from being a firefighting culture to a continuous improvement culture. Now you can see the SMART goal now is very specific is very clear. And That's really going to underpin the project and help us sustain and be focused on what we're trying to achieve, both individually and as an organization.

So what we recommend here is that you go and have a look at the smart girl template in the resources section of this course. And go and fill it out and start creating your own SMART goals. learn this skill, it's very important. Let's go and have a look at that and see what that looks like. So you can understand how you would actually do this. But here's a template that Stephen has provided with the course.

It's a very simple template, but it's sufficient to help you create a SMART goal. So as you can see, as we move across the top specifically, what do I want to change? How will I measure? How achievable is it Why is important by When will I have done it, and you will see that there's four rows, and that's just as there in case you are running a more complex project that has different requirements. So you can use this for more than one SMART goal, or you can use it just to create a single SMART goal as we have done here. Now, when it comes to maybe linking SMART goals together, then you might use this in a progressively time based fashion.

So you might have your first SMART goal at the top, which feeds into your second SMART goal which feeds into your third. So you you might have, let's have a SMART goal. For one, we're going to have our improvement collection data system put in place. Let's have a SMART goal for when we're going to train our staff to use it and have a SMART goal. We can use it in lots of different ways. But the key thing here is it helps us to create simple, clear goals.

So don't get too buried in this. Use it just to help you clarify and create a specific goal, that any type of project that you're going to use in your organization. or indeed, any type of project you engage in in the life in general, smart goals are really, really powerful.