Before You Begin
You need Super Admin or Admin access to configure goal alignment and add department goals.
Goal alignment only works if Smart Goals was enabled in Step 2: Cycle Components.
The Goal Alignment toggle in Step 3: Goals Settings must be turned ON for the cascading structure to apply.
A Department Goals step must exist in the workflow (Step 5) for department managers to have a time window to add their goals.
How Goal Alignment Works
Goal alignment connects organization-level goals to individual talent goals. When enabled, department managers (or an admin) set goals for their departments during the Department Goals step. Talents then link their individual goals to these department goals during the Talent Goals step, creating a cascading structure from organizational objectives down to individual performance.
The behavior is controlled in three places:
Step 3: Goals Settings — set whether alignment is required and at what organizational level (Department or Division).
Step 5: Work Flow — set the timeline for when department goals can be added and who is responsible for adding them.
Department Goals screen — where goals are entered for each department during the active cycle.
Step 3: Configuring Goal Alignment
In Step 3: Cycle Configurations, expand the Goals section and locate the Goal Alignment settings.
Goal Alignment
Toggle Goal Alignment ON to enable the feature. Once enabled, choose the alignment level:
Department Goals — Talents' individual goals align to department-level goals. Department managers set goals for their own departments.
Division Goals — Talents' individual goals align to division-level goals. Use this when your structure groups multiple departments under a division and you want alignment at the broader level.
After selecting the level, a configuration box appears showing which departments or divisions are included. Click Manage divisions to add or remove which divisions are part of the alignment structure.
Require Alignment
Toggle Require Alignment ON to force talents to link their goals to a parent department or division goal before they can save. When this is OFF, alignment is optional and talents can create goals without linking to a parent.
Step 5: Configuring the Department Goals Step
In Step 5: Work Flow, the Department Goals step appears automatically in the workflow timeline when Smart Goals is enabled. Click the step in the timeline to configure it.
Step Timeline — Set the start and end date during which department goals can be added and submitted. Department managers can only add goals while this step is open.
Who Should Add Goals — Choose one of two options:
Department manager — Each department manager adds goals for their own department.
Admin — An admin adds goals for all departments at once.
If you choose admin-adds-all, consider adding an Acknowledge step after the Department Goals step so department managers can review and confirm the goals before they cascade to talents.
Adding Department Goals
How goals are added depends on the Who Should Add Goals setting in the workflow.
If Department Managers Add Goals
Department managers receive a notification when the Department Goals step opens. To add department goals:
Go to Boost in the left navigation and select Performance Cycles.
Open the active cycle.
Navigate to the Departments Goals tab.
Select your department to open the Department Goals screen.
On the Department Goals screen, the department name and the manager's name appear at the top. All goals added for this department are listed below.
Click Add New Goal to open the New Goal form:
Goal Title — A clear name for the goal. For example: "Enhance Customer Satisfaction".
Description — Optional. Additional context about what the goal means or how it will be achieved.
KPI — Select or enter the key performance indicator for this goal.
Measurement — Set the target value. Current value is auto-filled if connected data is available. Set the measurement unit (percentage or numeric).
Click Create Goal to save. Repeat for each department goal.
When all goals are ready, click Publish Goals to finalize and make them available for talent alignment.
If an Admin Adds Goals for All Departments
Admins navigate to the active cycle and open the Departments Goals tab. From there, select each department to open its goals screen and add goals on behalf of that department. The process for creating individual goals is the same as above.
How Talent Goals Cascade
Once department goals are published, talents can see the available parent goals when creating or editing their own individual goals during the Talent Goals step.
If Require Alignment is ON, the talent must select a parent goal before saving their goal.
If Require Alignment is OFF, the talent can choose to link their goal to a department goal or skip alignment.
Each talent goal linked to a department goal appears cascaded under that parent goal in the alignment view.
Monitoring Department Goals in Active Cycles
During an active cycle, go to the Departments Goals tab in the cycle management view to see which departments have published their goals and the current status of each department's goal-setting progress.
From the Participants tab, you can also view individual talent sheets to check whether each talent has linked their goals to a department goal.
FAQ
What if a department manager misses the Department Goals step timeline?
What if a department manager misses the Department Goals step timeline?
Once the step timeline closes, department managers can no longer add or edit department goals. An admin can edit the cycle to extend the timeline, or switch to the admin-adds-all option to add goals directly.
What is the difference between Department Goals and Division Goals alignment?
What is the difference between Department Goals and Division Goals alignment?
Department Goals align talent goals to the goals of their immediate department. Division Goals align talent goals to a broader division or business unit. Use Division Goals when your organizational structure groups multiple departments under a single division and you want alignment at that level.
Do all talents have to link their goals to a department goal?
Do all talents have to link their goals to a department goal?
Only if Require Alignment is ON in Step 3. If it is OFF, linking to a parent goal is optional.
Where can I see which talents have linked their goals?
Where can I see which talents have linked their goals?
Open individual talent sheets from the Participants tab in the cycle management view to check each talent's goal alignment status.