When you create an auto-calculated goal within Perform & Engage 365 its progress or current value will be calculated from all progress made on any aligned or direct sub-goals. These goals may be at the same ‘scope level’ or lower. For example, a team goal may be automatically updated from personally aligned sub-goal progress set for each person within the team.
To create a goal that automatically calculates you should select the ‘Calculator’ button within the goal creation or edit screen.
When you select auto-calculate all sub-goals must use the same unit (i.e. $ or £). The exception is where an auto-calculated goal is a % unit, in which case the sub-goals may use any unit of measure.
When doing this you should ensure the baseline and target for the top-level goal are 0 and 100% respectively.
Updates
Auto-calculated goals cannot be updated with progress directly and will receive their progress from any sub-goals attached to them. It is possible to ‘stack’ auto-calculate goals such that multi-levels of auto-calculate goals can be created to push updates up the hierarchy. However, we recommend you try and keep things as simple as possible for transparency.
Basically when a sub-goal is updated the parent goal will be automatically updated.
Sub-goal weights
If you select % as the parent goal unit then you may also assign weights to each of the sub-goals. You can only do this from the parent goal’s screen. To set weights click on the ‘Weighting’ button next to auto-calculate.
Within the weights screen, you can specify specific weights for each sub-goal.
By default, all weights are equal and set to 1. If you wish to adjust, then simply change the default values. Any sub-goals added after you have set up weights will be allocated a weighting of 1.
Understanding weights
The default weighting of a sub-goal in an auto-calculate relationship is 1. This means that all goals are of equal importance and value. Adjusting this value will increase/decrease the value of a goal.
See the example below:
Auto-calculate Goal: Implement new HR system (0-100%)
Sub-goals:
- Research available systems (0-100%) (weight: 10)
- Demo and trial available systems (0-100%) (weight: 40)
- Implement chosen system (0-100%) (weight: 40)
- Rollout system (0-100%) (weight: 10)
This means that the progress of the project will be defined by the progress of all four sub-goals, but goal 2/3 are more important/have more effort assigned. You can calculate the importance of these goals in % terms below:
- Total weights: 10+40+40+10 = 100
- Sub-goal 1: (10/100) * 100 = 10%
- Sub-goal 2: (40/100) * 100 = 40%
- Sub-goal 3: (40/100) * 100 = 40%
- Sub-goal 4: (10/100) * 100 = 10%
As you update the weights within Perform & Engage 365, the pie chart displays the split between each sub-goal.