Goals and OKRs
Objectives with measurable key results for each period, set for the entity, departments, teams and people and aligned to each other. Owners check in with progress and confidence, managers approve, and the goals flow into the appraisal.
PLANSScale only
The problem it solves
- Goals are set in January in a slide deck and nobody looks at them again until the appraisal.
- People cannot see how their work links to what the company is trying to do.
- At appraisal time a manager rates goals from memory, with no record of progress through the year.
- Goals are changed quietly after they were agreed.
How it works
- The goals administrator makes a goal period, such as Q3 2026-27, and presses Open the Period. Everyone is told to set their goals.
- Entity and department goals are set first. Each person writes an objective, aligns it to a team or department goal, and adds key results with a start and a target.
- The goal is sent. When the period needs approval, it goes to the manager's approvals inbox; the manager approves it or sends it back with a note.
- Through the period, owners Check In: the value reached now, on track, at risk or off track, and a note. Progress is worked out from start to target.
- Owners who have not checked in for 14 days get a reminder. At the end, Close the Period closes every active goal with its progress.
- With appraisals, Take In My Goals (OKRs) copies the goals and their progress into the appraisal as its goals.
Everything it does
Periods
- A name, start and end dates, and Draft, Open or Closed
- Individual and Team Goals Need Approval: on by default, per period
- Check-in Every (days): 14 by default
- Open the Period tells everyone; Close the Period closes active goals and cancels drafts
Levels and alignment
- Four levels: Entity, Department, Team and Individual
- Entity goals are set by the goals administrators, and department goals by the department head or the administrators. Team goals are set by a manager, and individual goals by the employee or their manager
- Aligned To links a goal to one above it; Goal Alignment shows the tree
- Weight: how much a goal counts in the goal it is aligned to (1 by default)
- Visibility: Everyone in the entity (the default) or Owner, approver and HR
Key results
- Four kinds: Number, Percentage, Amount, or Done / not done
- Each has a start value, a target (100 by default) and a weight
- A key result's progress is how far the value has moved from start to target
- A goal's progress is the weighted average of its key results
Check-ins
- The key result, the value now, the confidence (On track, At risk, Off track) and a note
- Every check-in is kept with its date, so you see the path, not just the end
- Goals at risk show on the Goals dashboard
States and changes
- Draft, Waiting Approval, Active, Closed, Cancelled
- Without approval, a goal starts when sent
- Once sent, only the approver changes it
- A draft can be cancelled; a sent goal is closed, not cancelled
Reports and other places
- Goals dashboard: active goals, those at risk, those waiting approval and progress by department, as far as each person may see
- Goals show on Employee 360 for the employee, their managers and HR
- In the appraisal: goals of periods that overlap the cycle become its goals or KRAs, with each key result's progress. With no goals before, weights are shared equally
Who uses it
EmployeeSets their own goals, aligns them, checks in and closes them.
ManagerSets team goals and goals for their people, approves or sends back goals, and follows progress.
Department headSets the department's goals.
Goals AdministratorMakes the periods, sets entity goals and sees every goal. The HR Manager has this role.
Where you use it
- Web: HRMS > Performance and Pay Review > Goals and OKRs (My Goals, Goal Alignment, the Goals dashboard); Configuration > Goal Periods
- The SmartMy HRMS app: Menu > My goals (new goal, check in) and Team goals for managers. Goal approvals come in My approvals (built and in testing, not in the app stores yet)
- Employee 360: the goals of the employee
What you control
Settings
- Individual and Team Goals Need Approval: on, per period
- Check-in Every (days): 14, per period
- Visibility of a goal: everyone in the entity, or owner, approver and HR
- Weights of goals and key results: 1 to start with
Approvals
- Goal: one chain per entity; the employee's manager or a goals administrator to start with, with levels you add. Nobody approves their own goal.
Notifications
- Goal Period Open: to everyone, when a period opens; in the app, by email and as a phone notice
- Goal Approved and Goal Sent Back: to the goal's owner, with the note; in the app, by email and as a phone notice
- Goal Check-in Due: to owners of active goals with no check-in for the period's days; in the app, by email and as a phone notice
- These go out at once; each person can switch off a channel, such as email, but in-app notices always arrive. Phone notices are ready for the app, which is not in the stores yet
Questions
Are OKRs the same as the goals in the appraisal?
No. A goal here lives through a period with check-ins; an appraisal goal is rated once. Take In My Goals (OKRs) copies the goals and their progress into the appraisal when you want them there.Can we skip approval of goals?
Yes. Switch off Individual and Team Goals Need Approval on the period. A goal then starts as soon as it is sent.Can a goal be kept private?
Yes. Set its visibility to Owner, approver and HR. Otherwise an active goal is visible to everyone in the entity, so people can align to it.Can a key result be a yes or no?
Yes. Use Done / not done. Other key results are a number, a percentage or an amount, each with a start and a target.Can people update goals on the phone?
Yes. The SmartMy HRMS app has My goals, check-ins and Team goals for managers. It is built and in testing, not in the app stores yet.Related features
PERFORMANCE, CONDUCT, LEARNINGAppraisals and 360 degree reviewsRun each appraisal as a cycle: weighted goals, reviews by the employee, manager, peers and direct reports, HR calibration and a final rating. That final rating is the one your increment cycle and bonus plans read.ENGAGEMENT, GOALS AND HR TOOLSOne-to-ones, feedback and improvement plansRegular one-to-ones with a shared agenda, private notes and action items that carry over. Praise and suggestions with the reader chosen. Improvement plans with goals, reviews, approval and a recorded outcome.ENGAGEMENT, GOALS AND HR TOOLSSkills and competenciesA skill library with levels, and profiles that say what each designation or department needs. Skills are confirmed by the manager, and a gap view shows every person against their role.ENGAGEMENT, GOALS AND HR TOOLSPulse and engagement surveysShort surveys of three to ten questions that open by themselves every week, month or quarter. Answers are stored with no name, results show only for groups of five or more, and eNPS is worked out for you.VIEWS AND REPORTSEmployee 360 and organisation chartOne screen shows everything about an employee: profile, attendance, leave, pay, loans, assets, documents and what is pending. Each viewer sees only the parts their role allows. The organisation chart covers the whole group, with search, CSV export and open positions.ACROSS SMARTMY HRMSApproval chains and one approvals inboxEvery HR request, from a day's leave to the full and final, goes through its approval chain and waits in one Approvals inbox. Levels, approvers, reminders, escalation and stand-ins are settings you control, per Entity and kind of request.
See your own month run in it.
Tell us how many people you have, how you take attendance and how your salary is structured. We will show you SmartMy HRMS set up that way.