Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL)
Analysis of Evaluating an Objective
Why was Team 1 congratulated while Team 2 was deemed to have failed? Team 1 is congratulated because of the vagueness of its goal--they only needed to keep "as many balloons as they can" in the air, so, no matter how well they perform, they will have achieved their goal. Team 2, on the other hand, needed to keep "ALL the balloons" in the air, an almost impossible goal. No matter how well they did, they would fail.
The Team Balloon exercise is a good illustrator of the importance of writing SMART objectives.
Below, you will find several questions about this exercise. Think about your own answer to the following questions before clicking on the "Answer" link.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Question 1: Was the goal of keeping "As many balloons as you can in the air" SMART? | Answer |
| Question #2: Was the goal of keeping "All balloons in the air" SMART? | Answer |
| Question #3: What happens when a goal is vague? | Answer |
| Question #4: What can occur if the goal is not attainable? | Answer |
| Question #5: What could the leader have done differently to make this more effective? | Answer |
| Question #6: What do the balloons represent? | Answer |
| Question #7: How is this similar or different to goal setting at work in IS? |
This one is for you to answer |
Next: Suggestions for Writing SMART Objectives
