Cascading goals let you build a hierarchy instead of tracking each goal in isolation: a high-level goal becomes a Parent goal, and the goals that contribute to it are its Sub-goals (in OKR terms, the objective and its key results). A parent goal whose Type of metric is Based on sub-goals calculates its progress automatically from its sub-goals. You can create sub-goals from a parent, add existing goals as sub-goals, link a goal to a parent, and unlink it again.

Before you start

• To add a sub-goal, you need Goals > Create key results and permission to edit the parent goal (Goals > Manage key results, see Get started with goals).
• To link or unlink a goal from a parent, you need permission to edit that goal.
• Decide whether the parent should be measured Based on sub-goals (progress rolls up automatically) or keep its own measurement (sub-goals are linked for alignment only).
• If the parent is measured Based on sub-goals, every sub-goal must have the same Goal period and Target frequency as the parent.

Step by step

Create a new sub-goal

1. Go to Performance > Goals.
2. Open the row menu (...) of the parent goal and click Add sub-goal. Or open the parent goal and click Add sub-goal.
3. Complete the New goal wizard. If the parent is measured Based on sub-goals, the Goal period and Target frequency are copied from the parent and locked.
4. Click Submit. The new goal appears in the parent's Sub-goals tab and under the parent row in the goals list.

Add existing goals as sub-goals

1. Open the parent goal.
2. Open the menu next to Add sub-goal and click Add existing goals.
3. Search and select one or more goals. Only goals without a parent are shown; if the parent is measured Based on sub-goals, only goals with the same period and frequency are shown.
4. Confirm. Factorial shows "Sub-goals added".

You can also pick sub-goals while creating a goal: choose Based on sub-goals as the Type of metric and select them in Sub-goals.
 

Link a goal to a parent goal

1. Open the goal you want to link.
2. Click Add parent goal.
3. In Parent goal, search and select the goal that should sit above it.
4. Click Add. Factorial shows "Goal linked to its parent", and the parent appears in the goal's breadcrumb.

Unlink a goal from its parent

1. Open the goal, or open its row menu (...) in the goals list.
2. Click Unlink from parent.
3. Click Unlink to confirm. Factorial shows "Goal unlinked from its parent".

The goal becomes a standalone goal and no longer contributes to the parent's progress. You can link it to a parent again at any time.

See the hierarchy

• In Performance > Goals, click the arrow on a goal row to expand its sub-goals. Sub-goals can be expanded again, down to the last level.
• On a goal's detail page, the breadcrumb at the top shows all its ancestors, and the Sub-goals tab lists its direct sub-goals.

How a parent measured Based on sub-goals calculates progress

• If all sub-goals use the same Type of metric (Currency, Numeric or Percentage), the same unit, and move in the same direction (all increasing or all decreasing), then their values are added up. Example: Region A targets 100,000 EUR and has 50,000 EUR; Region B targets 50,000 EUR and has 50,000 EUR. The parent shows a target of 150,000 EUR, an attainment of 100,000 EUR and a progress of 66.67%.
• If the sub-goals are Percentage goals, then the parent's progress is the average progress of the sub-goals. Example: 60% and 80% progress give 70%.
• In any other case (mixed types, mixed units, mixed directions or Achieved / not achieved sub-goals), then the parent's progress is the average progress of the sub-goals. Example: a Numeric sub-goal at 50% and an achieved Achieved / not achieved sub-goal (100%) give 75%.
• If all sub-goals are split into the same periods, then the parent shows the same periods with the combined values.
• The parent's status follows the same rules as any goal: Achieved at 100% or more, Missed after the end date below 100%, On track when progress is above 0%, and Not started otherwise.

Rules and behavior

• A goal can have only one parent goal.
• Goals can be nested up to 5 levels deep. Beyond that, saving fails with "Goals can only be nested up to 5 levels deep", and Add sub-goal is not offered on goals at the last level.
• A goal can't be added as a sub-goal of one of its own sub-goals ("A goal cannot be added as a child of one of its own sub-goals").
• If the parent is measured Based on sub-goals, then each sub-goal must have the same period ("A sub-goal must have the same period as its parent goal") and frequency ("A sub-goal must have the same frequency as its parent goal").
• If the parent keeps its own measurement (any type other than Based on sub-goals), then its sub-goals can have any period and frequency, and they don't change the parent's progress.
• If a goal is part of a hierarchy measured Based on sub-goals, then its period and frequency are locked: "The period and frequency are locked while the goal takes part in sub-goal tracking".
• If a goal measured Based on sub-goals has sub-goals, then nobody can update its progress manually, and its Type of metric can't be changed.
• If you delete a parent goal, then its sub-goals are not deleted; they become standalone goals.
• If a sub-goal measured Based on sub-goals has no sub-goals of its own, then it is ignored in its parent's calculation.
• If you create individual goals with Create an individual goal for each person, then you can't add sub-goals in the wizard ("Sub-goals can't be added here"). Add them later from each goal's detail page.

Troubleshooting

• Symptom: "The goal I want to add doesn't appear in Add existing goals." → Cause: It already has a parent, or its period or frequency doesn't match a parent measured Based on sub-goals. → Fix: Unlink it from its current parent, or edit its period and frequency to match.
• Symptom: "I don't see Add sub-goal on a goal." → Cause: You can't edit that goal, you don't have Create key results, or the goal is already at the fifth level. → Fix: Ask the goal's creator or an admin, or attach the sub-goal higher in the tree.
• Symptom: "The parent goal's progress didn't change after I updated a sub-goal." → Cause: The parent is not measured Based on sub-goals. → Fix: Edit the parent and set Type of metric to Based on sub-goals, or update the parent's progress manually.
• Symptom: "I can't change the period of a sub-goal." → Cause: It belongs to a parent measured Based on sub-goals. → Fix: Unlink it from the parent first.

FAQ

1. Can a goal contribute to more than one objective?
No. Each goal has one parent. The parent can itself have a parent, which is how objectives cascade across the company.

2. Where are the key results of my old goals?
After the move to the new goals experience, each old goal became a parent goal measured Based on sub-goals, and each of its key results became a sub-goal. See Get started with goals.

3. Can a team goal have individual sub-goals for each team member?
Yes. Create the individual goals and link them to the team goal with Add parent goal, or use Add existing goals on the team goal.

4. Do sub-goals need the same deadline as the parent?
Only when the parent is measured Based on sub-goals. Then they must share the same period and frequency. A parent with its own measurement can have sub-goals with other dates.

5. What happens to a sub-goal if I delete its parent?
It stays and becomes a standalone goal.