Indicator of achievements for performance goals

Question

This is the first time I've been asked to give any "indication of achievement" following the (S.M.A.R.T. methodology) with predefined goals.

Below are the predefined goals:

1. Ensure a Secure Platform that is Stable and High-Performing which gives confidence and assurance to our end users and stakeholders.
2. Maintain and enhance a Fun & High-Performing team Culture that is Motivated and Engaged.
3. Attain a full Modularized Architecture & have Planned and Predictable Module Characteristics (car brochure/specs).
4. Increase our DevOps Maturity & Sustain a weekly Delivery Cycle for all product areas.
5. Pursue and grow new business/product areas like Mobile applications (i.e. EH), Cloud Portals, IB, eShop, Vendor and Knowledge management, SUM and SWDP IWPs,  etc.

Would you be able to help me by explaining how to go about this?

Answer 1

Those are some huge and vague goals. I've been using the S.M.A.R.T. approach for years and I wouldn't know where to start with some of those. I can try to give an example of one though to see if that helps:

4. Increase our DevOps Maturity & Sustain a weekly Delivery Cycle for all product areas.

Proposed S.M.A.R.T. Goal:

By the end of Q3 2017, applications X, Y, and Z will each build to the test environment through our Teamcity CI Server in the morning of each business day. Failed builds will generate an email to everyone who checked in code since the last successful build.

This would be Specific because it states exactly what is being built and when. It is Measurable because I can check the build server to see that the stated actions are happening. I have to assume here that it is an achievable goal (I don't know your environment). It is Results-focused as it has an expected success and failure result. And finally it is Time-bound, with the first statement that it should be working by the end of Q3 2017.

I hope that helps you in the right direction. It may also be important to note that the pre-defined goals are very open-ended, so it is unlikely that a SMART goal will get you all of the way there. They will just move you forward.

Answer 2

Break each goal down further into sub categories or objectives.

So for - "Ensure a Secure Platform that is Stable and High-Performing which gives confidence and assurance to our end users and stakeholders."

You would possibly break down into the objectives:

1. Secure Platform
2. Stable Platform
3. Performing Platform
4. Platform supports end user and stakeholder needs

Next you need to get Specific [(S) in Smart] on each of these objectives. Define what each objective means.

For example what does secure mean?

A. Secure Platform:

1. Authentication [detail requirement]
2. Authorization [detail requirement]
3. Role definitions
4. Encryption [detail requirement]

etc

Defining the specifics will require input from stakeholders and agreement from the owner of this request.

Once your 'S' specifics are defined, you address and define the remaining 'MART' elements to complete your "indication of Achievement" list.

Answer 3

Action Plan Missing; Collaborate Within Your Company's Context

As written, your question is likely to be closed as too opinion-driven because there's no objective way to turn the vague corporate objectives you've listed into SMART goals outside the context of your specific organization. The objectives that you say have been predefined for you (rather than collaboratively agreed-upon with you) are not very specific, inherently measurable, or time boxed, and no one outside of your organization can tell if the goals you eventually derive from those objectives are realistic or not.

This history of SMART criteria defines SMART goals as follows:

Ideally speaking, each corporate, department, and section objective should be:

• Specific – target a specific area for improvement.
• Measurable – quantify or at least suggest an indicator of progress.
• Assignable – specify who will do it.
• Realistic – state what results can realistically be achieved, given available resources.
• Time-related – specify when the result(s) can be achieved.

[...] It is the combination of the objective and its action plan that is really important.

— George T. Doran, Management Review, "There's a S.M.A.R.T. way to write management's goals and objectives"

In particular, note the author's requirement that SMART goals express an action plan. In this case, it looks like you're being asked to develop action plans that meet the five SMART criteria, with one or more plans to be developed for each business objective listed. How you and your management team decide to implement those action plans is a collaborative exercise (or maybe they're incorrectly pushing it off on you; there's no way for us to know) and any agreed-upon plan that meets the five SMART criteria will do.