As a site leader, you help shape your project’s and your team’s success. SMART goal setting guides your crew toward consistent, high-quality results. Turn your Crew into High-Performance teams with SMART goals.
Why Goal Setting Matters
- Provides direction
- Encourages crew to take initiative
- Motivates and engages crews
- Drives productivity
- Connects daily work to project outcomes
Understanding SMART Goals
While setting any goal can be helpful, SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound) can be particularly impactful in turning an average crew into a high-performing, productive team.
Here’s what makes SMART goals work:
Specific + Measurable: Eliminate any room for subjectivity. Determine what needs to be accomplished and how success will be measured. Instead of “Work on the foundation,” specify “Complete the pour of 100 cubic meters of concrete this week.”
Achievable + Relevant: The best goals are ambitious and feasible. When goals feel impossible, they can be demotivating. When goals are too easy, they can discourage striving for more. Set goals with a bit of challenge that motivates your team to be their best.
Time-bound: Make sure your goal has a clear start and end period. Whether measured in labor hours or days, deadlines create urgency and focus. The best goals are time-bound by 1-2 weeks. This keeps crews focused on immediate priorities and motivated by wins.
Instead of: “We need to improve assembly line output this week,” try: “Increase production output on Line B from 800 to 880 units by the end of the day Friday.”
Instead of: “Improve equipment reliability,” try: “Complete preventative maintenance activities on all 5 CNC machines by COB Thursday.”
Weekly Goal Setting On-site:
- Block 15 minutes at the end of each week to plan your week ahead
- Consult with your project manager about key milestones.
- Gather input from your crew.
- Use past performance and current site conditions to set ambitious and achievable goals.
- Write goals down and post them for everyone to see
- Take time every week to celebrate wins and learn from misses
Crewscope Callout
Challenge yourself to carve out 15 minutes this Friday to plan for next week. Turn your plan into a SMART goal and write it down in Crewscope to share with your crew.
Practical Goal Setting in Action
| How this shows up in the field | Use past performance and current site conditions to set a realistic stretch goal for the week ahead. Get your supervisors’ and crew’s input to ensure buy-in. |
How this shows up in Crewscope | Enter weekly goals in Crewscope, share with your crew, and update progress daily to keep everyone on track. |
| Why this is important | Hammer out clear weekly goals to keep your crew on track without a need for constant supervision. Getting crew input on goals turns “your targets” into “our mission.” Clear-cut goals eliminate guesswork, encourage proactive problem-solving, and drive action and productivity. Regular check-ins keep teams energized and pushing to beat the goal. |
Wrap-Up: High-Performance Teams with SMART Goals
Consistently setting SMART goals for the week ahead makes Monday morning easier and ensures your crew will be more motivated and productive all week. Good goals will challenge your team, and great goals will make them challenge themselves.
About the Authors
This article was written by Rosanna Zrnic, Crewscope’s head of Customer Success, in consultation with Michelle Brooks. Michelle is a Chief People Officer, advisor, and trained coach with 20+ years of experience. Known for her no-nonsense approach, Michelle aligns people and culture with business success.
Further Reading
This article is part two of our five-part leadership series. Part one is about giving effective feedback.
Connect with us to learn how we can help you build high-performance field teams.
Read more from the Crewscope Leadership Series.
We’ve partnered with People and Culture expert Michelle Brooks for an exclusive five-part leadership series. Michelle is a Chief People Officer, advisor, and trained coach with 20+ years of experience. She’s navigated mergers, built award-winning cultures, and operationalized people strategies that drive standout results. Known for her no-nonsense approach, Michelle aligns people and culture with business success. We’re thrilled to bring her expertise to you as part of this leadership series.
Each installment in this series will deliver actionable strategies to help site leaders elevate their management skills and build stronger, more effective crews. Rosanna Zrnic, our head of Customer Success, has worked closely with our crews in the field and authored this practical series to address our most common challenges. Over the next five weeks, we’ll dive into these essential leadership strategies:
Smart Goal Setting: Master goal-setting principles and bridge the gap between project plans and weekly targets.
The Power of Feedback: Learn how to provide feedback that motivates and guides your crew to excellence.
When Things Go Wrong: Handle unforeseen circumstances with confidence and turn challenges into opportunities for growth.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Why is goal setting important?
Goals provide clear direction, motivate teams, and boost productivity. They give workers a sense of purpose and encourage them to challenge themselves, driving personal and team performance. - What are SMART goals?
SMART goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound, helping teams perform better. - How should SMART goals be tracked?
Weekly reviews of goals help identify progress, adjust if needed, and stay on track to meet long-term targets. This is one way to set and track SMART goals. - What’s the process for weekly goal setting?
Reserve 15 minutes weekly to plan, consult the project manager, gather crew input, and display goals visibly. - How do we ensure everyone stays on track with their goals?
Goals are reviewed and entered daily, with direct feedback shared with the crew. This keeps everyone informed and motivated, as the goals are updated daily to stay on track.
