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2017Author
Ogbeiwi, OsahonKeyword
Goal-settingHealth organisations
Objectives
SMART
Framework
Template
Outcome
Indicator
Target-level and Timeframe (OITT)
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© 2017 Mark Allen Healthcare. Reproduced in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy.Peer-Reviewed
YesOpen Access status
openAccess
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All successful programmes share goal-setting as a standard practice, and many write their goal statements to satisfy the S.M.A.R.T. criteria. To be SMART, objective statements should be constructed to specify four components: Outcome, Indicator, Target-level and Timeframe (O.I.T.T.). This study reviewed the goal framework of published objective statements to determine the extent to which they are SMART. The statements of 17 published examples of SMART objectives found in literature of mainly four major health organisations: CDC, WHO, NHS and Save the Children, were structurally analysed to measure the completeness of their goal framework according to the OITT components. Only four examples are outcome objectives. 13 (76%) are process or task oriented. The structure of two thirds of the statements shows the similar objective-writing templates used within CDC. All objective statements have an incomplete set of OITT components. The commonest framework has 3 components of indicator, target and timeframe (75% completeness) in 12 statements. Almost all statements specify a timeframe; three-quarter of them mention a target and three-fifth an indicator, but less than 1 in 5 state an outcome. Thus, none of the objective statement is really SMART, and goal-setters are significantly less likely to specify an outcome, than indicator, target or timeframe in their objectives. A high prevalence of non-SMART objectives with low potential for goal attainment in healthcare projects is proposed.Version
Accepted manuscriptCitation
Ogbeiwi O (2017) Why written objectives need to be really SMART. British Journal of Healthcare Management. 23 (7): 324-336.Link to Version of Record
https://doi.org/10.12968/bjhc.2017.23.7.324Type
Articleae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
https://doi.org/10.12968/bjhc.2017.23.7.324