1. Developing SMAART Goals for AZA Animal Programs
David Powell, Saint Louis Zoo
Stacey Johnson, San Diego Zoo Global
AZA Animal Population Management (APM) Committee
(formerly the Wildlife Conservation and Management Committee WCMC)
Thank you for watching this tutorial on Developing SMAART Goals for AZA Animal Programs.
This tutorial was developed by David Powell at the Saint Louis Zoo and Stacey Johnson of San Diego Zoo Global on behalf of the AZA Animal Population Management (APM) Committee (formerly the Wildlife Conservation Management Committee)

2. Goals of the presentation
Explain the rationale for training TAG Chairs and SSP Coordinators in how to develop SMAART goals for the AZA programs they manage
Communicate the AZA Animal Population Management (APM) Committee’s definition of SMAART goals and how it is applied
Train Program Leaders in how to write stronger goals for their programs that should be more effective in advancing sustainability and measuring accountability
The goals of this presentation are shown here
We want to explain the rationale for why APM Committee is offering training to program leaders to develop smart goals for their programs
We want to communicate APM Committee’s definition of SMAART goals and how it is applied
And we want to train program leaders in how to write stronger goals for their programs that should better enable them to advance sustainability and track accountability and progress

3. S M A R T Specific: Define the goal completely and clearly.
Who is involved? What do we want to accomplish? Where will it be done? Why are we doing it? Which constraints and/or requirements do we have?
Measurable: Set accountable outcomes.
How will we track progress and measure results? How will we know when the goal is accomplished? What does success look like?
Achievable: Set reasonable boundaries on the outcomes.
Is it out of reach, or below standard performance?
Can it be achieved on time with available resources?
Relevant: Fit the goal into the mission and mandate.
Is it worthwhile? Will it meet your needs? Is it consistent with other goals?
Does it fit both immediate and long-term plans?
Timely: Establish time limits.
What is the deadline? Is there a clear beginning, middle and end?
How will time be managed?
You may have already heard of the SMART process for developing goals. A SMART approach is useful in any activity, long-term or short-term, in helping to provide clear direction to leaders and staff in carrying out their activities and in providing transparency to external stakeholders interested in the activities of the group. The basic idea is that any goals developed for a program should have these 5 characteristics in order for the goals to be effective and useful. The AZA Animal Population Management Committee recommends that all AZA programs adopt a SMART goals philosophy in managing their activities as this approach should lead to better outcomes related to animal population viability and sustainability. Vague, poorly constructed program goals do not provide clear direction, waste time and resources, and offer very little ability for measuring progress.
The original SMART goals process outlined these five characteristics that any programmatic or work goal should have. The goal should be specific – that is it clearly defines who is involved, what is to be accomplished, and where the work is to be done. All goals must be measurable: there must be accountable outcomes to the activities laid out in the goal. SMART goals convey how progress will be measured and what success will look like. Goals must be achievable, that is, realistic with regards to time and resources. Well written goals are relevant to a larger mission or mandate and worthwhile to pursue. Relevant goals may be part of short or long term plans. Finally, goals must be timely or time-bound – they have a clear start and finish. There is a deadline by which outcomes are expected to be delivered.

4. S M A R T Specific: Define the goal completely and clearly.
Who is involved? What do we want to accomplish? Where will it be done? Why are we doing it? Which constraints and/or requirements do we have?
Measurable: Set accountable outcomes.
How will we track progress and measure results? How will we know when the goal is accomplished? What does success look like?
Achievable: Set reasonable boundaries on the outcomes.
Is it out of reach, or below standard performance?
Can it be achieved on time with available resources?
Agreed-upon: Gain the acceptance of all parties, first.
What are benefits? What are the risks? What are the liabilities? Where is compromise necessary?
Relevant: Fit the goal into the mission and mandate.
Is it worthwhile? Will it meet your needs? Is it consistent with other goals?
Does it fit both immediate and long-term plans?
Timely: Establish time limits.
What is the deadline? Is there a clear beginning, middle and end?
How will time be managed?
The APM Committee has added another A to SMART to encourage collaboration and cooperative ownership of plans. Too often, decisions appear to be made behind the scenes without consulting the stakeholders. Even if that perception is inaccurate, it’s important to communicate and gain support for such important endeavors as saving populations and species. So AZA animal program goals must be agreed upon within the relevant committee or programs.
Next, we will show you some examples of goals that are currently found in some AZA animal program documents and point out why they are not SMAART and make suggestions about how to strengthen those goals to make them more useful and effective.

5. - Make recommendations to grow population to Target Population Size
Examples of Animal Program Goals from current AZA Regional Collection Plans (2014/2015):
- Make recommendations to grow population to Target Population Size
- Recruit additional institutions
- Import new founders
- Promote public awareness about palm oil
- Support in situ conservation in Southern Africa
(Read)
These are good ideas but they do not intrinsically set the program or team up to succeed.
SMAART goals must contain the expectation, the action, the justification, the outcome and the timing.

6. Original: Recruit additional institutions
Specific
Examples of Animal Program Goals from current AZA Regional Collection Plans (2014/2015):
Original: Make recommendations to grow population to Target Population Size
Improved: Provide new partner and breeding opportunities for birds with the goal of getting at least one new pair to successfully produce a chick
Original: Recruit additional institutions
Improved: Increase the number of participating institutions by at least two facilities by December 2016
Original: Import new founders
Improved: Identify additional sources of founder animals by identifying reputable breeders and other non-AZA sustainability partners by the end of 2016
Measurable
Achievable
Agreed-upon
These are some examples of modest improvements to some of the goals listed in the previous slide. The goals are a little more specific, some have a time-element added, outcomes are more measurable in some cases, and some of the initiatives seem achievable. But these goals could still be improved upon to make them truly SMAART.
We have highlighted changes to the original goals so you can see how each change addresses one or more aspects of the SMAART goals development process.
Relevant
Timely

7. Specific
Measurable
Achievable
Agreed-upon
Relevant
Timely
Truly SMAART Goals
To achieve targets set in the 2015 PVA, use the PMC recommendations in the current Breeding & Transfer Plan to provide new partner and breeding opportunities for 6 pairs of birds with the goal of getting at least one new pair to successfully produce a chick before the end of 2016.
With management group consensus, set participation criteria and identify additional sources of founder animals by recruiting 3 to 6 reputable breeders and other non-AZA sustainability partners by the end of 2016 to meet PVA demographic recommendations.
Here are two examples of truly SMAART goals that incorporate all of the characteristics required. These goals are very specific, convey why the action is needed, who agreed to the action, they set achievable and measurable milestones and provide a deadline for evaluation. The text colors are matched to different aspects of the SMAART goals development process.
It may take several iterations to develop a goal that has all of the characteristics of a SMAART goal. Don’t get too bogged down in wording – for example does this phrase hit the “agreed upon” or the “relevant” aspect of the SMAART goal development process? – but do make sure that your goal conveys all aspects of a good SMAART goal. The time taken to generate good SMAART goals will be saved down the road when the program is trying to evaluate whether or not it is making any meaningful progress. Give your draft goals to someone else and ask them to read them. If they can’t understand what you’re hoping to do, why and by when, then you’ve still got more work to do.
A lack of SMAART goals is a common reason why the APM Committee sends draft regional collection plans or annual reports back to TAGs to address. The APM Committee will not approve a Regional Collection Plan that does not lay out SMAART goals for the next RCP period for all of its programs and other activities.

8. Thanks!
Thanks for listening and good luck writing your SMAART goals. If you have questions, please contact your APM Committee Liaison for assistance.