Unit 8: Discussion 2 Peer Response

Directions:

Response Comments - After posting your initial response to the question, begin making comments to your peers. A minimum of two comments made on two different days must be posted in the discussion for a passing grade. 

Gus Brown (Student 1)

The SMART goal that have been working for the last two years and will take about another two years is my project management goal. I plan on being a project manager when I get out of the army. A SMART goal is Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely. Therefore, a SMART goal incorporates all of these criteria to help focus your efforts and increase the chances of achieving your goal. Going of the first piece of criteria Specific, it plays off the 5W’s:

Who: Myself

What: Become a Project Manager

When: August 2024

Where: Park University, JBLM, Washington State

Why: To get a sustainable civilian job when I leave the army

Measurable goals are key to creating a set plan for yourself to have a set path to follow the entire time keeping you on course. See, I know I have to finish my MBA with a concentration in project management first (having 3 classes left), then take my Lean Six Sigma to have quick certificate under my belt, then lastly getting my Project Management Professional (PMP) certificate all before August 2024. “A SMART goal must be achievable and attainable. This will help you figure out ways you can realize that goal and work towards it” (CFI, 2022, pp.1). The achievability of the goal should be stretched to make you feel challenged, but defined well enough that you can actually achieve it. I ask myself three questions; do I have the resources and capabilities to achieve the goal? Have others done it successfully before? After looking at these I know I do, my grandfather was a PMP and the army is providing me all the resources I need to complete my goal. Next it must be realistic in that the goal can be realistically achieved given the available resources and time. 2 years is a realistic time to reach it, as well I’m almost done my MBA. The project management classes I have taken within my program has given me knowledge for my PMP, so I’m not going into it blind. Lastly, it is a time-bound goal with a start and finish date. My start date was August 2020 and the end date is August 2024. Along the way I am able to hit the check points of each MBA class, then finishing up my certifications to lead me to my goal of becoming a PMP.

References

CFI. (2022, May 8). Smart goals. Corporate Finance Institute. Retrieved July 26, 2022, from https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/knowledge/other/smart-goal/ (Links to an external site.)

Dyer, Godfrey, Jensen , & Bryce. (2019). Strategic Management . John Wiley & Sons.

Humberto Viramontes (Student 2)

Share one of your SMART goals related to professional growth with a brief summary of your plan/steps to reach the goal. Review the courses you have taken during your MBA plan and comment on how your plan to reach the goal was enhanced by the knowledge you have gained. 

I’m in my early 50s and I’ve yet to find that one thing I want to do.  I have had many versions of that throughout the decades.  At this point, I want to either retire in a job I enjoy or retire soon so I can do those things I enjoy while I’m still young and able.  Here’s the SMART goal for the one I want to do and retire soon:

Specific - with this MBA, I’m rounding out my resume.  I have 34 years of experience in the manufacturing, construction, retail, restaurant, military, and railroad industries.  And of those, over 20 years of being a supervisor, manager, and/or leader, but I lacked a degree to top it off.

Measurable - my goal to retire doing something I enjoy can not be quantified and will only be known when I’m in it.  The best way to know this is having my age and experience to know when that is, hopefully soon.

Attainable - Yes, I’m striving to join the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA)  as an inspector and hope to manage my hometown’s local station.  I do not know if that last part is attainable but remains a goal.

Relevant - joining the FRA will alleviate me of the trainman lifestyle which is very hard on one’s body and on the family.  The FRA goal is relevant in that it will pay almost as well as my current job but it will be a stable schedule which is very important now.  

Time-related or time bound - this MBA completes the last thing needed to achieve the goal of joining the FRA.  The FRA goal is time bound that as a position opens up, my resume will be there and complete and better (hopefully) than any other applicant.

The courses in this MBA program opened my eyes to many issues/topics I was not aware of primarily in accounting, my concentration was on Project Management (PM).  Those PM courses I consider easier since I was used to the material from all of my previous experience.  But, the accounting and finance classes were the hardest I have ever taken as I don’t have a background in those topics.  And, I do not have a mind for math, ratios, and figuring out financial problems were very foreign to me.  But, I feel I now have a strong understanding of all those issues and can read material about them and be able to make an educated decision.

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