What is the difference between OKRs and S.M.A.R.T. goals?

S.M.A.R.T. helps you make a goal specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound. OKRs pair a direction, called an Objective, with a few measurable Key Results. You can use them together to choose what matters and make progress easier to check.

Can you use OKRs and S.M.A.R.T. goals together?

Yes. Choose a few Objectives for your chapter, then use the S.M.A.R.T. checklist to make each Key Result clear and measurable, with a date to aim for. Plan the first tasks and check the results each week.

Which is better for solo founders or individuals?

For solo work, try a few S.M.A.R.T. outcomes and a weekly review first. Add the Objective and Key Result structure if it helps you see the connection between your direction and your measures. You can keep it simple.

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Find a useful way to talk about your goals

You want to make progress, and now there are acronyms to deal with. OKRs and S.M.A.R.T. can both help you think through a goal. Here is what each gives you, so you can use the parts that make your plan clearer.

A small place to start

Try the ideas on something you care about.

Try these as you go. The ticks stay here until you leave or reload.

0 of 3 ready

Write down what you would like to change.Choose a few signs that would show you are getting there.Find one task you can do this week to help it along.

What the names mean

S.M.A.R.T. is a checklist for making a goal clearer: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound. The acronym goes back to George T. Doran's 1981 Management Review article, though the wording has changed over time. The S.M.A.R.T. guide walks through each letter with examples.

OKRs means Objectives and Key Results. The approach grew out of Andy Grove's work at Intel and was later popularised by John Doerr at Google. You choose a direction, the Objective, and a few measurable results that would tell you it is happening. For a small-business product, that could mean helping customers get started more easily, with a first useful step in under four minutes as one Key Result.

How they compare

How S.M.A.R.T. goals and OKRs support planning
Question	S.M.A.R.T. goals	OKRs
What it is	A checklist to make a goal clearer	A direction with measurable signs of progress
Scope	One outcome or commitment	A shared direction, often for a team
Time horizon	A date that fits the goal	Often a quarter, with regular check-ins
Best at	Making a vague goal concrete	Connecting priorities to results
Weak when	You write the goal but never make time for it	The plan lives in a presentation nobody opens on Monday

When S.M.A.R.T. can help

You are planning your own work and want a clear place to start.
You care about the goal, but the wording is still vague: "get healthier" or "grow the list".
You have chosen an Objective and want to make its Key Results easier to measure and plan around.

When OKRs can help

A few people need to agree on what they are working towards.
You have more ideas than time and need to choose which ones get attention this chapter.
You want a shared way to discuss tradeoffs, so a new request can be weighed against the results you already care about.

Use them together in a 12-week chapter

If you would like to try both, start small:

Give the work a twelve-week chapter. The 12 Week Year guide shows how the weekly rhythm fits together. Choose a result that makes sense for the time you have.
Write one to three Objectives in words you would use in a conversation. What would you like to be different by the end?
Give each Objective a few measurable Key Results. Use the S.M.A.R.T. checklist to check the wording, the measure and the date.
Choose the first tasks, make time for them, then review what happened before planning the next week.

Keep the plan small enough to return to. You can change the tasks as you learn without losing sight of the result. If the structure starts taking more attention than the work, simplify it.

Bring the plan into your week

In The Boring Middle, you can keep your direction in an outcome, add measures for the results you want and link this week's tasks to it. Your weekly score shows how much of the planned work you did. Check the measures alongside it to see whether that work is helping.

Start your chapter Read the S.M.A.R.T. guide

Keep the outcome close to the work

When you plan the week, look at the outcome and ask what would help it along now. A checkpoint can make that next bit easier to picture. Today brings your chapter, next step and weekly progress together; your review gives you time to look at the results. If the tasks are getting done but the measure is staying still, that is something useful to talk through.