Delete goal permanently removes a goal, its progress and its update history. Its sub-goals are kept as standalone goals, and if the goal had a weight, the remaining goals of the same group are rescaled so their weights still add up to 100%. A goal used by an active incentive plan can't be deleted until it is removed from the plan.

Before you start

• Cascading goals (parent goals, sub-goals and the Based on sub-goals type of metric) are available on the Enterprise plan.
• You can delete a goal if you created it, or if your Goals > Manage key results scope covers every person the goal is assigned to. If the goal is assigned to you and you didn't create it, you need Manage key results with the scope For the whole company.
• Check the goal's Incentive plans tab (or the Incentive plans column in the goals list). If an active incentive plan uses the goal, remove it from the plan first.
• Deleting is permanent. If you only want to stop a sub-goal from counting toward its parent, use Unlink from parent instead.

Step by step

1. Go to Performance > Goals.
2. Open the row menu (...) of the goal and click Delete goal. Or open the goal and click Delete goal in the header menu.
3. Read the confirmation: "<goal name>" will be permanently deleted. This action can't be undone.
4. Click Delete. Factorial shows "Goal deleted".

You can also delete a goal from its row menu in a parent goal's Sub-goals tab and in an employee's goals side panel.

Rules and behavior

• If an active incentive plan uses the goal, then clicking Delete goal shows "This goal can't be deleted — Remove this goal from the incentive plan to delete it." and nothing is deleted.
• If the incentive plans that use the goal are all archived, then the goal can be deleted. It disappears from the archived plan's list of goals, and the plan's payout history keeps the goal's name.
• If the goal has sub-goals, then the sub-goals are not deleted; they become standalone goals with no parent.
• If the goal is a sub-goal of a goal measured Based on sub-goals, then the parent's progress is recalculated without it.
• If the goal has a weight, then the remaining goals of the same weight group are rescaled proportionally to add up to 100%. Example: weights 50%, 30% and 20%; deleting the 20% goal leaves 62.5% and 37.5%. If it was the only weighted goal, then the weight group is removed.
• If the goal's weight is set to 0%, then you can delete it like any other goal. To take a goal out of an employee's weighting first, set its weight to 0% in Edit weights.
• If you can't edit the goal, then Delete goal is not shown.
• Deleting a goal removes its progress, its period targets and its Previous updates history.

Troubleshooting

• Symptom: "I get 'This goal can't be deleted'." → Cause: An active incentive plan uses the goal. → Fix: Ask someone with Manage incentive plans to remove the goal from the plan (or archive the plan), then delete the goal.
• Symptom: "I don't see Delete goal." → Cause: You didn't create the goal and your Manage key results scope doesn't cover all of its members. → Fix: Ask the goal's creator or an admin with company-wide scope.
• Symptom: "After deleting a parent goal, its sub-goals now appear at the top level of the list." → Cause: Sub-goals are kept as standalone goals. → Fix: Link them to another parent with Add parent goal, or delete them.
• Symptom: "The weights of an employee's other goals changed." → Cause: The deleted goal's weight was shared among the remaining goals of the group. → Fix: Review them in Edit weights if you want a different distribution.

FAQ

1. Can I undo a deletion?
No. Deleted goals can't be restored.

2. Will deleting a goal delete its sub-goals?
No. The sub-goals stay and become standalone goals.

3. Can I delete a goal that was in an old incentive plan?
Yes, if the plan is archived. Only active incentive plans block deletion.

4. Can I archive a goal instead?
No. Goals can't be archived. A goal whose period has ended keeps its final status (Achieved or Missed) and you can filter the list by period to hide it.