<P> SMART is a mnemonic acronym, giving criteria to guide in the setting of objectives, for example in project management, employee - performance management and personal development . The letters S and M usually mean specific and measurable . Possibly the most common version has the remaining letters referring to achievable, relevant and time - bound . However, the term's inventor had a slightly different version and the letters have meant different things to different authors, as described below . Additional letters have been added by some authors . </P> <P> The first - known use of the term occurs in the November 1981 issue of Management Review by George T. Doran . The principal advantage of SMART objectives is that they are easier to understand and to know when they have been done . SMART criteria are commonly associated with Peter Drucker's management by objectives concept . </P>

In terms of setting goals the acronym smart stands for
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