SMART Objective Builder for Health Programs

Fill in the blanks to write a specific, measurable, time-bound objective for a health program, campaign or grant proposal, with a check against each SMART test. Load a program example, from public health to business, to see how it changes.

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Example

Direction Who the population Do what the behaviour or outcome Where setting or area Baseline (%) Target (%) By when Through the intervention (optional) Measured by data source (optional)

Your objective

TemplateBy [date], [increase / decrease] the proportion of [who] [where] who [do what] from [baseline]% to [target]%, through [intervention], measured by [source].

What to do next

Show the working, step by step

Where I used this

At Walton Hall, Eastern Michigan University, I set and tracked community-engagement goals at scale: 541 engagements, a 39.1% rate.

Read the case: Community engagement & connection at scale (Walton Hall) →

Step beforeIs it worth doing? Prevention ROI Next stepPlan the measurement: Survey sample size Same pillarWrite the message plainly: Readability checker

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What makes an objective SMART

Specific. One population, one behaviour or outcome. "Improve health" is a goal, not an objective.
Measurable. A baseline and a target, in the same unit, from a named data source.
Achievable. Ambitious but credible given the budget, time and evidence from similar programs.
Relevant. Tied to the intervention, so a change can reasonably be credited to the work.
Time-bound. A date by which it will be measured.

Behaviour and outcome objectives like these sit under a broader goal, and above process objectives such as "train 120 health workers by March".

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Questions

What is a SMART objective in public health?

An objective that is Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound. It states who will change what, by how much, by when, and how it will be measured.

What is the difference between a goal and an objective?

A goal is the broad, long-term change you want. Objectives are the measurable steps that show progress towards it.

What if I do not have a baseline?

Plan a baseline measurement first, or use the most recent data available for a similar population, and say so in the objective.

SMART objective builder