Goal editing permissions determine who can make changes to a goal, such as updating its title, description, dates, measurement type, or other details. Depending on the goal type and your organization's settings, you may be able to edit a goal yourself, or you may need to ask another user to make the change.
How to Tell If You Can Edit a Goal
The easiest way to check whether you have permission to edit a goal is to look for the pencil icon on the goal.
Pencil icon is active: You have permission to edit the goal.
Pencil icon is greyed out: You do not have permission to edit the goal.
If you cannot edit a goal, this does not necessarily mean you have limited access to Teamflect. Your edit access depends on your role in relation to that specific goal and the permissions applied to its goal type.
Who Can Edit a Goal?
🚨 Goal editing restrictions are configured by your Teamflect Administrator. If you are an admin, you can check our guide here: 🔗Admin Guide: Who has edit rights on goals?
When goal editing is not restricted, edit access can be available to:
Goal Creator: The person who originally created or assigned the goal.
Goal Owner: The person responsible for achieving the goal.
Goal Owner's Manager: The manager or managers of the goal owner.
Teamflect Administrators: Administrators with the appropriate access.
This means that more than one person may be able to edit the same goal when editing restrictions are turned off.
When Goal Editing Is Restricted
Your organization may use Restrict goal editing for certain goal types. This creates a more specific permission hierarchy for goals of that type.
When editing is restricted, permissions follow this order:
Teamflect Administrator → Goal Owner → Goal Owner's Manager → Goal Creator
Only the highest applicable role retains edit access.
For example, if you created a goal for another employee, but that employee is the Goal Owner, the Goal Owner has higher edit priority when editing is restricted. In this case, you may no longer be able to edit the goal.
What This Means in Different Scenarios
Your role | Editing restricted? | Can you edit? |
Teamflect Administrator | Yes | Yes |
Goal Owner | Yes | Yes, if no higher applicable role is present |
Goal Owner's Manager | Yes | Yes, if no higher applicable role is present |
Goal Creator | Yes | Only if they are the highest applicable role |
Goal Creator | No | Yes |
Goal Owner | No | Yes |
Goal Owner's Manager | No | Yes |
Scoped Administrators are an exception. They can edit goals within their assigned scope even when they are not the creator, owner, or owner's manager.
What Happens If Editing Is Not Restricted?
When Restrict goal editing is turned off for a goal type, the standard editing permissions apply.
This means the Goal Creator, Goal Owner, Goal Owner's Manager, and users with the appropriate administrative access may be able to edit the goal.
For example, if your manager created a goal for you, both you as the Goal Owner and your manager as the Goal Creator may be able to make changes.
What Happens If Editing Is Restricted?
When Restrict goal editing is turned on, the permission hierarchy determines who can edit the goal.
For example:
You create a goal for yourself. You are both the Goal Creator and Goal Owner, so you can edit it.
Your manager creates a goal for you. You are the Goal Owner, so you have higher edit priority than the Goal Creator.
Your manager creates a goal for you and an administrator needs to make a change. The administrator has the highest permission level and can edit the goal.
You created a goal for someone else. If they are the Goal Owner, they have higher edit priority than you when editing is restricted.
This hierarchy also applies to deleting and duplicating goals when editing restrictions are enabled.
What If My Manager Cannot Edit My Goal?
Managers may not always be able to edit their direct reports' goals.
If your organization has a privacy setting that prevents managers from accessing the private data of their direct reports, the manager may not have access to edit a private goal. In this situation, the manager's position in the goal permission hierarchy does not give them access to the goal.
If your manager cannot edit a goal you expect them to have access to, contact your Teamflect Administrator.
What Happens to Goal Changes?
Changes made to goals are automatically recorded in Teamflect.
You can review goal activity through Progress Updates and Feed View, including status changes, progress updates, comments, and other goal activity.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why can't I edit a goal?
You may not have edit permission for that particular goal. Check whether the pencil icon is greyed out. If it is, another user with the appropriate permissions will need to make the change.
I created the goal. Why can't I edit it?
If editing is restricted for that goal type, another role may have higher edit priority. For example, the Goal Owner has higher priority than the Goal Creator.
Can the Goal Owner always edit their goal?
Not necessarily. The Goal Owner has a high permission level when editing is restricted, but access can still depend on the specific goal and applicable permissions.
Can my manager edit my goal?
Managers can edit goals when they have the necessary access and their role has edit permission for that goal. However, privacy settings can prevent managers from accessing private goals belonging to their direct reports.
Why can I edit one goal but not another?
Goal permissions can differ by goal type. Your organization may apply editing restrictions to some goal types but not others.
Use Cases
1. Updating Your Own Goals
As a Goal Owner, you may be able to update your goal details as your work progresses. For example, you may need to update a deadline, measurement type, or goal description.
2. Manager-Created Goals
A manager may create a goal for a direct report. Depending on the goal's editing permissions, either the manager, the Goal Owner, or both may be able to make future changes.
3. Important Company Goals
For strategic or business-critical goals, editing may be restricted so that only the appropriate users can make changes. This helps keep important goals consistent while allowing more flexibility for other types of goals.