Goal edit rights in Teamflect depend on the goal type and its Restrict goal editing setting. Administrators can now control edit, delete, and duplicate permissions separately for each goal type.
This article explains the two permission models and how Teamflect determines who can modify a goal.
How to tell if you can edit a goal
Pencil icon is active: You have edit access and can modify the goal.
Pencil icon is greyed out: You do not have edit rights for the goal.
How to configure Restrict goal editing
Administrators can enable Restrict goal editing for individual goal types from the Admin Center.
Go to Admin Center.
Select Modules > Goals.
Select Goal Types.
Select Add Goal Type or edit an existing goal type.
Under Goal restriction settings, turn on Restrict goal editing.
Save your changes.
For more information about managing goal types, see How can I manage goal types and customize them?
Default behavior: Restrict goal editing is OFF
When Restrict goal editing is turned off for a goal type, the existing goal permission behavior applies.
Goal edit rights are 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(s) – The manager(s) of the goal owner.
Teamflect Administrators – Administrators with the appropriate administrative access.
In this default state, these roles can edit the goal according to their existing permissions and organizational settings.
Restricted behavior: Restrict goal editing is ON
When Restrict goal editing is enabled for a goal type, edit, delete, and duplicate rights follow a strength-ordered hierarchy:
Teamflect Administrator → Goal Owner → Goal Owner's Manager → Goal Creator
Only the highest-ranked role(s) present for a particular goal retain edit rights.
For example, if a goal has both a Goal Creator and Goal Owner, the Goal Owner has the higher permission level and retains edit rights, while the Goal Creator does not.
📌 Scoped Administrator exception: Scoped Administrators can edit goals within their assigned scope even if they are not the goal's creator, owner, or owner's manager.
This gives Scoped Administrators the ability to manage goals within their assigned scope without requiring them to be directly associated with the goal.
How privacy settings affect goal edit rights
The setting Disable managers' access to the private data of their direct reports can also affect goal editing.
When this setting is enabled, managers cannot access private goals belonging to their direct reports. As a result, the Goal Owner's Manager permission tier does not apply when the manager's access to the goal is restricted by this privacy setting.
For restricted goal types, the owner's manager can only retain edit rights when they have the necessary access to the goal. For more information, see How can I disable managers' access to the private data of their direct reports?
How goal edits are tracked
Goal changes are automatically recorded in Teamflect.
You can review goal-related activity through the goal's Progress Updates and Feed View, including:
Status changes
Progress updates
Comments and other goal activity
This provides visibility into activity and changes made to goals.
Frequently asked questions
Does Restrict goal editing apply to all goals?
No. The setting is configured per goal type. Goal types with the setting turned off continue to use the default editing behavior.
Does Restrict goal editing affect deleting and duplicating goals?
Yes. When the setting is enabled, edit, delete, and duplicate rights follow the same restricted permission hierarchy.
Can a Goal Creator still edit a restricted goal?
Only if the Goal Creator is the highest-ranked applicable role for that goal. If a higher-ranked role, such as the Goal Owner or the Goal Owner's Manager, is present, the higher-ranked role takes precedence.
Can Scoped Administrators edit restricted goals?
Yes. Scoped Administrators can edit goals within their assigned scope even if they are not the goal creator, goal owner, or owner's manager.
Can administrators still edit goals?
Yes. Teamflect Administrators have the highest permission level in the restricted hierarchy.
Why use Restrict goal editing?
Restricting goal editing by goal type can help organizations:
Maintain stronger accountability by limiting who can change important goals.
Protect strategic goals from unintended edits.
Give administrators more targeted control over specific goal types.
Support decentralized administration by allowing Scoped Administrators to manage goals within their assigned scope.
Keep flexible goal types open by leaving the setting off where broader editing access is preferred.
Important note for administrators
The previous tenant-wide Allow goal owners to modify goal details setting is being replaced by the new Restrict goal editing setting.
The new setting provides more granular control because editing permissions can now be configured per goal type, rather than applying one setting across the entire tenant.
If your organization previously used the tenant-wide setting, review your goal types and configure Restrict goal editing according to your desired permission model.
Use cases for Restrict goal editing
The Restrict goal editing setting is useful when organizations want different levels of control over different types of goals.
Protect strategic or company-wide goals: Limit editing access for high-level goals so that only administrators or the goal owner can make changes.
Maintain goal ownership: Ensure that once a goal is assigned, the goal owner has priority over the person who originally created it when making updates.
Prevent unintended changes: Reduce the number of people who can modify, delete, or duplicate important goals.
Apply different rules to different goal types: Keep everyday goals flexible while applying stricter editing permissions to sensitive or business-critical goal types.
Support departmental administration: Allow Scoped Administrators to manage goals within their assigned scope, even when they are not the goal creator, owner, or owner's manager.
Create clearer accountability: Establish a consistent permission hierarchy so it is clear who has priority when multiple people are associated with the same goal.
Manage goals after assignment: Give the appropriate role control over a goal after it has been created, rather than automatically allowing everyone associated with the goal to modify it.