The Goals module helps organizations set, track, and align individual, team, and organizational objectives.
Admins can configure how goals are created, measured, shared, updated, approved, and organized across the organization.
Accessing Goals Settings
To access the Goals settings:
Go to Admin Center.
Select Modules.
Select Goals.
From here, you can enable the Goals module and configure the available goal settings.
Enable the Goals Module
Use the Enable Module toggle at the top of the page to turn the Goals module on or off for your organization.
When the module is enabled, users can access the Goals functionality based on your organization's settings and permissions.
Goal Configuration
The top section of the Goals settings page provides access to the main goal configuration areas.
Setting | Purpose | Use case |
Define the types of goals users can create. | Use this to structure goals around your organization's different goal categories or levels. | |
Configure the statuses used to track goals. | Use this to standardize how users communicate the current state of their goals. | |
Define the predefined periods available when creating goals. | Use this to align goals with your organization's planning cycles, such as quarterly or yearly periods. | |
Customize the terminology used for goals across the organization. | Use this when your organization uses different terminology for goals or objectives. | |
Configure reminders to encourage users to keep their goals updated. | Use this to establish a regular goal update habit and reduce outdated goal information. | |
Import goals in bulk using an Excel file. | Use this when migrating existing goals or creating a large number of goals at once. | |
Send notifications to users encouraging them to create goals. | Use this to remind users to set their goals, especially at the beginning of a new goal period. | |
Add company-specific resources and make them available to users. | Use this to provide users with company guidelines, supporting materials, or other resources for goal setting. |
Goal Settings
The following settings control how goals are created, measured, organized, and accessed.
Goal Creation and Ownership
Setting | When enabled | When disabled | Use case |
Users can manually select custom start and end dates when creating a goal. | Users can only select from the predefined goal periods. | Enable this when goals may need to follow timelines outside your standard goal periods. | |
More than one user can be assigned as the owner of a goal. | A goal can have only one owner. | Enable this for collaborative goals where multiple people share responsibility. | |
Users must provide a description when creating a goal. | Adding a goal description is optional. | Enable this when goals need additional context, expectations, or success criteria. |
Goal Progress and Weights
Setting | When enabled | When disabled | Use case |
Weights can be assigned to goals and included in overall goal progress calculation. | All goals have an equal impact on the overall goal progress calculation.
| Enable this when some goals should contribute more to overall progress than others. | |
Allow goal owners to modify goal weights | Goal owners can modify the weights assigned to their goals. | Goal owners cannot modify their goal weights. | Enable this when employees should have control over the relative importance of their goals. |
Goal Organization
Setting | When enabled | When disabled | Use case |
Users can add labels to goals. | Goal labels cannot be added to goals. | Enable this when you want to categorize or filter goals by projects, priorities, departments, or other criteria. | |
Goals can be organized into custom groups. | Custom goal groups are unavailable. | Enable this when users need to organize related goals into their own groups. | |
The All Goals tab is available to users with access. | The All Goals tab is not displayed. | Enable this when users need a broader view of goals across the organization. |
Goal Visibility and Access
Setting | Purpose | Use case |
Defines the available ways users can measure goal progress. | Configure this to match the ways your organization measures success, such as percentages, numbers, currency, or completion. | |
Defines the privacy options available when creating goals. | Use this to give users appropriate control over who can view their goals. | |
Who can see "All Goals" tab | Defines which users can access the All Goals view. | Use this to give organization-wide goal visibility only to users who need it. |
Who can create custom groups | Defines which users can create custom goal groups. | Use this when you want to control who can introduce new goal groupings. |
Other Goal Settings
Setting | When enabled | When disabled | Use case |
Users can generate AI-powered descriptions based on the goal title and context. | AI-generated goal descriptions are unavailable. | Enable this to help users create clearer and more complete goal descriptions. | |
Activate "MS Teams Group Goals" tab | The MS Teams Group Goals tab is available. | The tab is unavailable. | Enable this when your organization uses Microsoft Teams groups or channels to manage shared goals. |
Users can export goals from the Goals module. | Goal export is unavailable. | Enable this when users need to analyze or share goal data outside Teamflect. | |
Who can export goals | Defines which users are allowed to export goals. | — | Use this to limit goal exports to admins or other users who need access to goal data. |
Goal Approval
Goal approval allows organizations to review goals before they are finalized.
Setting | When enabled | When disabled | Use case |
New goals can require approval based on the settings of their goal type. | Goals do not require approval through the Goals approval process. | Enable this when managers or designated approvers should review goals before they are finalized. |
After enabling goal approval, use Goal types to select which goal types require approval.
Goal Templates
Goal templates allow admins to provide predefined goals that users can use when creating new goals.
Setting | When enabled | When disabled | Use case |
Users can create goals using predefined templates. | Goal templates are unavailable. | Enable this when your organization regularly creates similar or standardized goals. |
Setting | Purpose | Use case |
Goal creation from templates | Defines which users can create actual goals using available templates. | Use this to control who can use standardized goal templates. |
Only Teamflect administrators can create goal templates.
Integrations
The Goals module supports integrations that can automatically update goal progress using data from external sources.
Integration | Purpose | Use case |
Connect Excel data for automatic goal progress updates. | Use this when goal metrics are maintained in Excel and need to be reflected in Teamflect. | |
Connect Planner data for automatic goal progress updates. | Use this when goal progress can be measured through tasks or work managed in Planner. | |
Connect Power BI data for automatic goal progress updates. | Use this when goal progress is based on business metrics already tracked in Power BI. | |
Create and manage workflows that work with Goals through Power Automate. | Use this to automate goal-related processes and connect Goals with other Microsoft 365 workflows. | |
Connect external systems and use API-based data connections for automatic goal progress updates. | Use this when goal progress depends on data stored in an external application or system. |
Use Go to Power Automate to access Power Automate, or Open API Keys to manage the API keys used for API integrations.
Recommended Configuration
Your Goals configuration should reflect how your organization manages goal setting and performance.
If you want to... | Consider configuring... |
Standardize goal setting | Goal types, Goal periods, Goal statuses, and Goal templates |
Give users more flexibility | Custom date selection and multiple goal owners |
Improve goal organization | Goal labels and custom groups |
Improve goal visibility | All Goals tab and appropriate access permissions |
Improve goal quality | Mandatory descriptions, AI-generated descriptions, and goal approval |
Support different measurement methods | Appropriate Goal progress types |
Automate progress updates | Excel, Planner, Power BI, Power Automate, or API integrations |
Protect goal data | Goal privacy settings and export permissions |
Final Thoughts
The Goals settings allow admins to tailor the goal-setting experience to their organization's processes.
Review goal creation, visibility, progress tracking, approval, templates, and integrations to make sure the Goals module supports your organization's needs