What it is
A goal is a titled objective with measurable key results, a weight, a period and an optional parent it aligns up to. You author it once — the objective, who owns it, how it’s measured, and the results that prove it — and the current-versus-target on those results rolls up into a single progress figure you can read at any time.
It matters because goals only work if they’re measurable and connected. Key results turn "do better" into numbers you can track; alignment shows how an individual goal ladders up to a team or org one. Set up well, the goal tracks itself and you spend your time acting on progress, not chasing status updates.
When to use it
- You’re setting an objective for yourself or a report
- A goal needs measurable key results to track against
- You want to align a goal up to a team or org objective
- You’re reviewing how a goal is tracking against target
- You need to update progress on a key result
How it works
Step by step.
- 1
Start a new goal
Open performance and create a goal. A single form walks you through the objective and how it’s measured.
- 2
Write the objective
Give the goal a clear title and description, choose its category — individual, team or org — and set its initial status.
- 3
Align it
Pick a parent goal if this one ladders up to a bigger objective, so progress cascades into the alignment tree.
- 4
Add key results
Add measurable key results, each with a metric type and start, target and current values. Progress is derived from these.
- 5
Track progress
As work happens, update each key result’s current value. The goal’s overall progress ring updates automatically.
Worked example
Follow it through.
The scenario
Aisha Rahman, a team lead, sets a quarterly goal to lift on-time shift starts at Riverside Plaza from 88 to 96 per cent.
- 1 Create a goal titled "Lift on-time shift starts at Riverside Plaza".
- 2 Set the category to Team and align it to the site-performance org goal.
- 3 Add a key result: on-time start rate, start 88, target 96.
- 4 Set the period to the current quarter and a due date.
- 5 As the quarter runs, update the current value to 92.
The result
The goal shows progress toward 96, rolls up into the site-performance objective, and Aisha can see at a glance whether the team is on track.
Tips & notes
Good to know.
- Make key results genuinely measurable — a number you can update beats a vague aspiration every time.
- Alignment is what turns scattered goals into a cascade; pick the parent so progress ladders up.
- Update current values as you go; the progress ring is only as current as your last update.
- Weight goals when someone has several, so the most important ones carry the most.
When you’re done
You have a measurable, aligned goal that tracks its own progress and rolls up into the bigger picture.