Goal
Define your objectives with various properties and link them to other Timebook objects.
Goals in Timebook
Objectives, targets, aspirations—whatever you call them, we use "Goals" as a collective term for all desired outcomes your organization or team aims to achieve. You can use Goals in Timebook to set clear and measurable objectives for your work. Each Goal can vary in scope, covering anything from small milestones to grand achievements. Additionally, you can use key results as metrics to help monitor progress and stay on track.
This article explains the Timebook's concept of a Goal. You will also find here information on sections, tabs, properties, and other features of Goal cards. But we have a separate article that explains how to manage your Goals and how they can be used in the context of a Team or a Workplace in Timebook. For more information, see Goals (in Teams) and Goals (in Workplace)
You can further define your Goal by choosing a specific type for it.
Timebook offers the generic "Goal" type out-of-the-box, but you can gain more flexibility by defining your own Goal types in Timebook's [Item library] module. For more information, see Item library
Goal cards
In Timebook, each Goal has its own card that displays all the options and properties you can use to manage the Goal. You can also use cards to move your Goals around. For example, you can drag and drop a Goal card across different statuses in the Board layout to mark progress.
After you open a Goal card, you can use the top bar to manage and navigate:
[Navigation arrows] They will help you move between recently opened objects. Use the arrows to quickly return to the previous object and then jump back to your Goal. This is especially useful when viewing a Goal and its linked objects.
[Item ID] This field shows the unique number of your Goal in Timebook. Press the ID field to copy it for future reference.
[Collapse/Expand] With this button, you can show or hide the right-side drawer. The drawer contains all the properties of your Goal, such as assignee, start date, due date, and more. Expand the drawer to modify properties or collapse it to focus on the description or attachments.
[Copy link] Use this button to copy a link to your Goal for quick sharing with others.
[Watch] This feature is useful if you are not the creator or assignee but still want to track changes. When you start watching a Goal, we will notify you about all important changes. You can also assign others to watch a Goal.
[...] Use this additional menu for more options. You can [Duplicate] your Goal to create an identical copy in the same location, [Link parent] to select a parent object for your Goal, or [Delete] the Goal if it's no longer needed.
You can safely close a Goal card by clicking out of it. We will save all the changes you made to the Goal.
Goal cards: sections
When you look at the left side of a Goal card, you'll notice several sections. Each serves a different purpose and allows you to describe your work, categorize it, and support it with additional resources.
This is an overview of the Goal card sections and their purpose:
[Name] You can edit this field at any time to change your Goal's title. Next to this field, there is the switch you can use to change the type of your Goal. Press on the icon next to the name and select a different type.
[Tags] This section is where you can categorize your Goal using tags. Tags will help you find and identify objects in Timebook, as you can filter or group content by tags in many places across the app. In this section, you can either [Add tags] with the dedicated button or remove them by hovering over them and pressing [X]. For more information, see Tag concept
[Key Results] In Timebook, you can support your Goals with Key Results. They provide you with metrics to keep track of Goal progress. Each Key Result can then be linked to other Timebook objects for even more granular control over the entire process. See the last section of this article for more information on Key Results.
[Description] This is where you provide more information about your Goal. You can enter text here or press "/" to see more advanced options. Use them to format your description, link other Timebook elements to it, or even insert embedded content from external sources. These text-formatting options are nearly identical to the ones you can use in Timebook Documents. For more information, see Blocks
[Attachments] If you need to support your Goal with files, this section is the place to do it. Press the [+] button there to upload a file from your device or Google Drive, or select a file you previously uploaded in Timebook. After you upload a file, it will show in this section as a new tile. Use the [...] button on an attachment to rename, download, or remove it from the Goal.
[Sub-items] In Timebook, you can create a hierarchy of Goals by adding sub-items. They represent objectives at a lower level that must be achieved before the original Goal can be considered completed. Press the [+] button in this section to create sub-items - they will show as tiles which you can unlink from the main Goal at any time.
[Linked items] While sub-items show the parent-child relationship, linked items focus on the dependency between different Goals. Press the [+] button in this section and use the dropdown menu to select the type of dependency, such as "Is blocked by", "Supports", or "Generated from". Then, use the search bar to find an existing Timebook object to link. You can link your Goal to a different object type; for example, you can create a link between a Goal and a Work Item.
The sections presented above are not exclusive to Goal cards.
Cards of other object types in Timebook, such as Work Items, have nearly identical designs.
Goal cards: tabs
When you look at the right side of a Goal card, you'll notice several tabs. Each allows you to define your Goal even further, schedule the actual work, or provide an update.
This is an overview of the Goal card tabs and their purpose:
[Properties] You can use properties to define the details of a Goal. You can start simply by choosing the priority or changing the due date, but the number and flexibility of our properties should satisfy even the most complex cases. We have a separate article dedicated to Properties
[Schedule] This tab shows the time slots dedicated to actual work. You can schedule more by pressing the [+] button and then pressing anywhere on the calendar grid. This will create a tile representing the time slot scheduled for working on this Goal. This tab is your go-to when you want to check how much time was spent on a specific Goal.
[Updates] This tab shows all changes and comments made to a Goal. This includes automatically generated entries that show important events, such as the changing of the assignee. But you can also post your comments in this tab to keep others updated. To add an update, use the [+] button at the top of this tab.
We put all the tabs in a drawer, so you can hide them by clicking the [Collapse/Expand] button at the top of your Goal card.
Key Results
You can set up Key Results for your Goals in Timebook. Key Results will help you track progress and present all other Timebook objects linked to them. Each Goal card has a dedicated section for creating and displaying Key Results.
This example illustrates how you could use Key Results in Timebook:
Create a Goal: Increase customer satisfaction
Support your Goal with a Key Result: Reduce ticket resolution time to under 24 hours
Link the Key Result to the following Initiatives: Upgrade customer support tools & Enhance customer support training
To add a Key Result to your Goal:
On a Goal card, press the [+] button in the [Key Results] section.
Give your Key Result a meaningful name.
You can now use the [Link] button to connect your Key Result with existing Timebook objects, like Initiatives, OSTs, or Projects.
At any time, you can change your key result's [Risk assessment] property to inform others about progress and potential delays. You can mark a key result as [No risk], [At risk], or [High risk].
Linking Key Results to other Timebook objects is potentially the biggest feature of the Goal concept, as it helps you connect objectives directly to the work being done.
This feature also allows you to track the entire process with the level of detail you require. See the following articles to learn more about the objects you can link to Goals through Key Results:
Related articles
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