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[Objectives] Creating and Managing Objectives

Learn how to create, edit, and track objectives in Small Improvements. Stay aligned, visible, and on track within time-boxed cycles.

Updated over a week ago

This article walks you through creating and managing Objectives in Small Improvements. Whether you’re setting personal targets or managing team-wide goals, this guide explains how to define, share, update, and track objectives effectively.


What Is an Objective Cycle?

  • Small Improvements uses Objective Cycles, which are time-bound windows (e.g. quarterly, annual) defined by your HR Admin in which objectives can be created and tracked. If you can’t create objectives, it likely means there's no open cycle.

  • If your cycle is closed, you cannot edit or create new objectives. Depending on your cycle settings, you may still be able to update and comment on existing objectives.

Creating Objectives

  1. Go to Objectives via the sidebar on the left side of your screen.

  2. Click the yellow +Create Objective button in the top right corner.

  3. Fill in the following details:

    • Owner: Managers can create objectives on behalf of their direct reports and will be prompted to select an owner for the new objective. Individual contributors can only create objectives for themselves.

    • Cycle: If there are multiple open cycles, you'll be asked to select which cycle the new objective belongs to.

    • Title: Give your objective a short name that clearly captures what you want to achieve.

    • Description: Provide context, why this matters, and how you plan to achieve it.

    • Due Date: Select a target completion date.

    • The following fields may or may not be enabled depending on your cycle settings:

      • Type: Choose whether this is a company-wide, group, or individual objective.

      • Parent Objective: Select an existing objective that the new objective most closely aligns with. This helps show how your goal supports higher-level priorities.

      • Key Results: Add 2–5 specific and measurable outcomes. Which specific steps will you take in pursuit of your goal?

      • Category: Tag the objective to align with company themes.

      • Status: Set the current state (e.g. "Not Started", "In Progress").

  4. Depending on your cycle settings, you may have the power to adjust the visibility level.

Note: Objectives can also be created from anywhere in the platform by clicking the "+" icon above your name in the lower left corner.

Tip: Feeling uninspired? Use Feedback-Into-Action to see AI-generated suggestions for objectives based on your most recent 360 Feedback (must be enabled by an HR Admin).

Editing vs. Updating Objectives

You may have separate deadlines for "creating and editing" objectives vs. "updating" objectives. The "create and edit" deadline lets you flesh out your objectives. Then in the "update" phase, you can track progress without altering the core objective.

Action

Until "create/edit" deadline

Until "update" deadline

Change title, description, due date, category, visibility, move/delete objectives

Add or edit key results

Change status or completion percentage, check off key results, add comments

Please see here for full details.

Visibility & Collaboration

  • Objective visibility depends on the cycle settings chosen by your HR Admins, but you may be able to change it when creating/editing an objective.

    • Public: visible to everyone

    • Protected: visible only to you, your management chain, and HR

    • Private: visible only to you

    • You can also add specific viewers/collaborators individually.

  • Comments allow contextual feedback and ongoing dialogue next to the goal. Consider using the comments section to provide progress updates, let your manager know when you are blocked, identify opportunities for cross-team collaboration, or flag where efforts are being duplicated.

Tip: Tag a colleague in a comment by typing @[name].

Progress Tracking & Notifications

  • Track progress by updating the status label and completion percentage, checking off key results, and leaving comments.

  • Automated reminders (when enabled) are sent 30 days before the due date, 10 days before, 3 days before, and 7 days after.

  • Managers are notified when an objective belonging to their direct report is created or modified.


Best Practices for Effective Objectives

Use SMART criteria:

  • Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound goals reduce ambiguity and drive impact.

Tip: Read our blog post for more guidance on the SMART goal-setting framework.

Keep objectives strategic, not task-like:

  • Focus on outcomes with 3–5 meaningful key results per objective.

Encourage transparency and feedback:

  • Share publicly when appropriate to inspire others.

  • Use comments and tagging for feedback loops.

Iterate and learn:

  • At cycle end, review what worked, pause what didn’t, and refine structure for next cycle.

Tip: At the start of each cycle, pause to strategize. Review past objectives, discuss outcomes with your manager, and choose what to continue or improve.

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