I like being SMART with Goals

I heard a lot about SMART Objective writing early in my career, but never fully appreciated it until I became a Project Manager. If an objective isn't SMART, in my opinion, it's not ready to be part of a successful project.

George T. Doran originally coined the term SMART Objective in 1981. He was a consultant and worked in Spokane, Washington who coined the mnemonic in the publication "Management Review".

In short, objectives should be 5 things:

• Specific: What are we trying to achieve?
• Measurable: How will we know we've achieved it?
• Achievable: Is it possible given known constraints?
• Relevant: Does this goal fit with the organizational master plan?
• Time-Bound: Is there a defined time period for accomplishing it?

If we don't know these things in our project, then what really are doing?

What is your experience with objective writing and the SMART method?