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Goals

Goals in Topicflow provide clarity about what matters, track progress over time, and create alignment between individual work and team priorities.

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What goals are

A goal in Topicflow is a measurable objective with:

• A clear description of what you’re trying to achieve
• An owner (the person responsible)
• A timeframe (typically quarter or year)
• Progress tracking (percentage complete or key milestones)
• Optional key results for measurable outcomes
• Connections to related goals, action items, or projects

Goals can be individual (owned by one person) or team-level (owned by a manager for their team).

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Why goals matter

Goals provide direction and focus:

• For individuals: Clarity on what success looks like
• For managers: Visibility into what their team is working toward
• For organizations: Alignment across teams

Without goals, performance reviews become subjective. With goals, there’s a shared understanding of what was expected and what was achieved.

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How goals work in Topicflow

Goal creation Goals can be created:

• By individuals for their own work
• By managers for their direct reports
• As shared goals for a team
• Cascaded from higher-level organizational objectives

Goal tracking Throughout the goal period, you can:

• Update progress (percentage or status)
• Add notes about what’s working or what’s blocked
• Create action items to move the goal forward
• Adjust the goal if priorities change

Goal review Goals surface in:

• One-on-one meetings (especially when stale or off-track)
• Performance reviews (to evaluate execution)
• Topicflow AI prompts (to suggest topics or summarize progress)

Goal completion When a goal is achieved:

• Mark it as complete
• Reflect on what worked (or didn’t)
• Set new goals for the next period

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Types of goals

Individual goals Focused on what one person will accomplish:

• “Ship the new analytics dashboard by end of Q1”
• “Complete leadership training and apply learnings”
• “Improve code review turnaround time to under 24 hours”

Team goals Owned by a manager for their team:

• “Reduce customer support response time by 20%”
• “Launch two major product features this quarter”
• “Hire three engineers by end of Q2”

Cascading goals Higher-level goals that connect to team or individual goals:

• Company goal: “Increase revenue by 30%”
• Sales team goal: “Close $5M in new business”
• Individual goal: “Reach 120% of quota”

Cascading goals create alignment across the organization.

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How goals connect to the rest of Topicflow

Goals and meetings Goals are discussed in one-on-ones:

• Review progress
• Identify blockers
• Adjust if priorities shift
• Celebrate when achieved

Stale or off-track goals automatically surface in meeting agendas. Goals and action items Action items can be linked to goals, showing the specific tasks needed to make progress. When action items are completed, the goal moves forward. Goals and reviews Performance reviews often include goal-based assessment questions:

• “Did this person achieve their goals?”
• “How well did they execute?”
• “Were goals adjusted appropriately when priorities changed?”

Goals provide objective criteria for performance evaluation. Goals and AI Topicflow AI can help:

• Draft goals based on role or recent work
• Suggest action items to move a goal forward
• Identify stale or off-track goals
• Summarize goal progress for reviews

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What’s next