A/P FAR Planning Guide
Writing Effective Professional Goals for Virginia Tech A/P Faculty
Goal Alignment
The SMART Framework
Using AI to Draft Your Goal
Parts of the Goal
Sample Goal
Goal Alignment
Aligning your individual goals with those of Virginia Tech, your college, and your department is essential to fostering a culture of shared purpose and collective success. When employees connect their personal contributions to the broader mission of the university — Ut Prosim (That I May Serve) — it creates a clear line of sight between daily work and the institution's strategic priorities.
University Goals
Virginia Tech will be a global leader by inspiring and empowering people to learn, innovate, and serve beyond boundaries.
Division / College Goals
Connect individual goals to your college or division’s strategic priorities and objectives.
Department / Unit Goals
Align with team function, critical deliverables, and unit-level initiatives.
Individual Goals
Your SMART goal reflects and supports the layers above — owned by you, meaningful to the whole.
The SMART Framework
Setting effective goals begins with a clear and structured approach, and the SMART framework provides exactly that. By ensuring that every goal is Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound, employees and supervisors can move beyond vague intentions and establish clear expectations that drive meaningful progress.
| Attribute | Guiding Questions |
|---|---|
| Specific | What do you want to achieve? Who is involved? Why does it matter? |
| Measurable | How will you track progress? How will you know when it is achieved? |
| Achievable | Is this realistic with available resources? Is it a reasonable stretch? |
| Relevant | Does it connect to your unit, college, and university priorities? |
| Time-Bound | What is the deadline? Are there milestones to keep you on track? |
Using AI to Write Your Goal
Tools like ChatGPT or Microsoft Copilot can help you start. The more specific your input, the more useful the output.
Try this prompt: “Help me write a SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound) professional goal for my [job title] role at [organization]. My primary responsibility in this role is [one sentence describing your job responsibilities], and I am focused on [one sentence describing what you are working toward this year]. This goal should connect to [college/division/unit priority or strategic initiative]. The outcome I want to achieve by [date] is [specific result]. Include success metrics, a timeline, and provide at least five examples of what exceptional performance looks like — exceptional may include an increase in scale, impact, or innovation.”
Follow Virginia Tech's AI Principles when using generative artificial intelligence.
Title
Increase positive feedback scores from students, faculty, and staff served by [unit] to 90% or higher by December 2026.
Measure
By December 2026, strengthen the quality and consistency of [unit]’s service to students, faculty, and staff by establishing a regular feedback process, identifying opportunities for improvement, and acting on findings throughout the year. Delivering responsive, high-quality service supports the people who rely on [unit] to do their work and reflects Virginia Tech’s commitment to Ut Prosim.
Success Metrics:
- Review current feedback mechanisms and identify at least one gap or improvement opportunity in consultation with supervisor by May 1, 2026
- Establish or refine at least one feedback channel to consistently capture service experience data by July 1, 2026
- Analyze feedback quarterly and implement at least one improvement per quarter based on findings
- Document service interactions, feedback received, and changes made on a quarterly basis...
- Share progress and findings with supervisor at each touchpoint conversation throughout the year
Exceptional performance may include introducing a new feedback approach that is adopted across the unit, identifying a systemic service gap that leads to a broader process improvement, and/or achieving 90% positive feedback scores ahead of the December deadline.