We all know that every company needs common objectives and values to grow effectively, but aligning the big vision with employees' personal goals and aspirations can be troublesome.
As your company grows, it becomes even harder to track goals and priorities across departments and teams. But that's where employee goal setting software comes in.
It helps you automatically break down larger goals into smaller objectives and track individual and team goals. In this article, we'll explore the five best goal management software and more tools that can help you.
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Why you need goal management software
Managing goals through spreadsheets and emails creates confusion, missed deadlines and misaligned priorities across teams. Goal tracking software transforms chaotic goal management into structured progress tracking that actually drives results. Here are five compelling reasons why companies need dedicated goal management systems.
Alignment between company and individual objectives
When organizational goals exist only in strategy documents, employees struggle to connect their daily work to bigger objectives. Goal setting software creates clear cascading connections from company vision to individual tasks. Everyone understands how their contributions impact overall success. This visibility reduces wasted effort on low-priority activities while ensuring critical objectives receive adequate resources and attention.
Real-time visibility into progress
Waiting until quarterly reviews to discover missed targets leaves no room for course correction. Modern goal management platforms provide instant progress updates through visual dashboards and automated alerts. Managers spot struggling initiatives early and can reallocate resources or provide support before deadlines pass. This transparency eliminates surprises and enables proactive problem-solving rather than reactive crisis management.
Improved accountability and ownership
Vague responsibilities lead to dropped balls and finger-pointing when goals fail. Goal management software assigns clear ownership with defined metrics and deadlines for every objective. Public visibility of progress creates natural accountability without micromanagement. Employees take greater ownership when they see their contributions tracked alongside peers, fostering healthy competition and collaboration toward shared targets.
Data-driven performance insights
Manual goal tracking rarely generates meaningful analytics beyond basic completion rates. Software platforms automatically compile progress data into comprehensive performance management report formats showing trends, correlations and predictive insights. Leaders identify which strategies drive results and which need adjustment. These insights inform better resource allocation, promotion decisions and strategic planning based on actual performance patterns.
Streamlined communication and collaboration
Goals managed through disparate documents and emails create information silos between departments. Centralized platforms enable seamless collaboration with commenting, updates and notifications keeping everyone informed. Teams working on interdependent objectives coordinate effectively without endless status meetings. Cross-functional alignment improves dramatically when everyone accesses the same real-time goal data and can communicate within the platform.
5 best employee goal-setting software: A detailed overview
Here are five excellent goal setting software options we've selected for you based on user reviews, ratings and their features.
Lattice
Lattice is a holistic people management software that can be used to improve performance and engagement, but you can also use it as a general HR tool. It has separate modules for goal-setting and OKRs. It stands out for its collaborative approach and modern interface.
Features
- OKRs & goals – You can use this feature to set individual, team, and company goals and track progress.
- Visual dashboards – The dashboards use a color-coding system that allows you to visually monitor progress of each goal.
- Performance management – Lattice allows you to track employee performance in multiple ways, whether it's through performance reviews, employee check in, or direct feedback.
- Real-time updates – As a manager, you can get real-time alerts on your employees' progress and engagement so that you can provide them with timely support to help them reach their goals.
- Development plans – You can quickly create personalized development plans for your employees using the Lattice development plan framework. Click here to see some employee development plan examples that will inspire you.
- DEIB analytics – Lattice stands out for its DEIB analytics, which ensures that your performance programs are fair to everyone and that all employees receive adequate support.
- Integrations – Lattice integrates with tools like Slack, Jira, and Microsoft Teams, which allows you to manage goals without having to switch apps.
User reviews:
Lattice has a 4.5 score on Capterra and a 4.7 rating on G2. Reviews praise the goal-tracking and review functionalities, but some of them complained about user-friendliness and technical issues.
💡 If you want to learn more, click here to discover how to conduct a performance review.
15Five
15Five is a performance review software known for its quick reviews that take less than 15 minutes to complete. However, it has many other features, including two separate features for goal setting – one for strategic objectives and the other for short-term goals and tasks.
Features
- Goals and OKRs – You can use this feature to set long-term strategic goals for your team and company and transform them into cascading goals for your employees.
- Priorities – This feature is suitable for managing short-term goals and setting priorities for the week or month to keep your team focused.
- Performance reviews – The tool comes with user-friendly performance review templates that are easy to fill out and review, making it a solid performance management system for small business.
- Weekly check-ins – 15Five is suitable for running quick check-ins that require less than 15 minutes to complete.
- 1:1 template – You can use the 15Five meeting agenda template to streamline your 1:1 meetings and make sure you've covered all important topics. Check out this staff meeting agenda as an example.
- Career plans – Employees can choose their desired career path and get a custom plan with all the skills and competencies that they have to acquire in order to get that role.
- Integrations – 15Five integrates with many HR platforms like Workday and BambooHR, and collaboration tools like Slack, Jira, and Microsoft Teams.
User reviews:
15Five has a 4.6 rating on G2 and a 4.8 score on Capterra. Users liked its templates and goal-setting features but have complained about occasional bugs.
Trakstar
Trakstar is a talent management platform that can be used throughout the whole employee lifecycle, from hiring to learning and development. What's interesting is that it connects goal-setting with employee development and has a whole LMS system where you can create your own courses.
Features
- SMART goals – Trakstar uses the SMART goal-setting framework, which helps your employees set goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound.
- Email reminders – You can break down your goals into milestones, and you'll get email notifications and reminders whenever key milestones are coming up.
- Performance reviews – Its performance reviews are very flexible and customizable, and they can meet any special requirements you might have.
- Learning management system – Trakstar comes with a built-in LMS that can replace people development software in your company. You can create custom learning paths for your employees that will help them achieve goals.
- Upskilling – It has a vast course library, with courses ranging from IT skills to business topics, that your employees can use to learn new skills. You can also use their quizzes for quick employee skills assessment.
- Visual reporting – You can turn employee data and goal progress into beautiful presentations with actionable insights in only a few clicks.
- Integrations – Trakstar integrates with some HR and communication tools, including BambooHR, Slack, and Google Workspace.
User reviews:
Trakstar has a 4.4 score on Capterra and a 4.2 score on G2. People like its feature set but complain about the interface and occasional glitches.
Engagedly
Engagedly is a modern and interactive digital employee experience software. It uses AI to help you set goals, break them into milestones, and create strategies to achieve them. It stands out for its excellent employee engagement features and user-friendly mobile app that can help you improve team alignment.
Features
- Cascading goals – You can use AI to automatically break down big company objectives into team and individual goals, which can save you a significant amount of time.
- Goal gamification – You can gamify goals and motivate your employees to work toward them by using features like point scoring, team challenges, and leaderboards.
- Performance reports – Unlike most other tools that focus on traditional performance reviews, Engagedly allows you to generate reports that focus specifically on the goals an employee has been working on.
- Performance improvement plans – You can use AI to generate personalized improvement plans based on an employee's individual goals and career aspirations.
- Learning platform – The learning platform comes with plenty of pre-made courses and learning paths, but you can also use it to organize live training sessions.
- Mobile app – Engagedly has a user-friendly and interactive mobile app, which makes it the best solution for frontline workers in industries like healthcare, retail, and similar.
- Integrations – Engagedly integrates with HR tools like HiBob and BambooHR, with learning platforms like Udemy, and some other tools.
User reviews:
Engagedly has a 4.6 score on Capterra and a 4.3 rating on G2. Users like the interactive features, mobile app, and gamification, but they complained that some features are limited.
Profit.co
Profit.co is a goal management tool based on the OKR framework, a method that focuses on objectives and key results. It comes with plenty of templates and goal suggestions and can be a good starting point for companies that want to start managing their goals this way.
Features
- OKR templates – It has excellent OKR templates that can be adjusted for companies of all sizes, from small businesses to large enterprises.
- AI chatbot – Profit.co can be a good option for those who want to start tracking OKRs but have never used an OKR goal management tool before, as its AI assistant guides you every step of the way, from creating your OKRs to analyzing performance.
- KPI library – Profit.co comes with over 400 pre-made key performance indicators you can use to set your key results. If you don't find anything suitable, its AI assistant can help you create your own KPIs.
- Visual dashboards – Its dashboards use a color-coding system to help you stay aligned, track progress, and identify potential problems or productivity bottlenecks early on.
- Task management – Apart from setting big organizational goals, you can also use Profit.co for tracking and prioritizing daily tasks.
- Performance management – It also has standard performance management tools, including 360 feedback and 1:1 check-ins. Click here to explore some 360 feedback examples.
- Integrations – Profit.co integrates with more than 100 apps, including project management tools like Trello and Notion, collaboration tools like Slack and Microsoft Teams, and many other tools.
User reviews:
Profit.co has a 4.8 rating on Capterra and a slightly lower 4.7 score on G2. Users are satisfied with the overall experience and integrations but said that the interface could be modernized.
💡 If you want to learn how to give feedback effectively, check out these constructive feedback examples.
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How to choose goal tracking software
Selecting employee goal setting software requires evaluating your specific needs against available features and pricing. These four criteria help you identify which goal management software will actually get used rather than becoming another abandoned tool.
Integration with existing systems
Your goal tracking platform must connect seamlessly with current tools like HRIS, project management and workforce management software to avoid creating data silos. Without proper integration, teams waste hours transferring information manually between systems, reducing adoption and accuracy.
What to look for: The platform should offer pre-built integrations with at least three of your core business systems or provide robust APIs for custom connections.
Scalability and pricing structure
Goal management software should grow with your organization without becoming prohibitively expensive. Some platforms charge per user with steep price jumps at certain thresholds, while others offer unlimited users with feature-based pricing that better suits growing teams.
What to look for: Confirm the total cost at your projected headcount for three years ahead, including all features you'll likely need as you scale.
User experience and adoption potential
The most sophisticated features fail if employees find the interface confusing or time-consuming. Modern platforms prioritize intuitive design that mirrors consumer apps, reducing training requirements and resistance while increasing daily usage rates across all employee levels.
What to look for: Request a trial where actual end users test the platform for two weeks to gauge real adoption likelihood before committing.
Reporting and analytics capabilities
Basic completion tracking provides limited value for strategic decisions. Advanced platforms generate insights about goal correlations, performance predictors and team dynamics that inform better resource allocation and development planning beyond simple progress percentages.
What to look for: The system should provide customizable dashboards with predictive analytics and the ability to export data for deeper analysis when needed
Conclusion
Some of the goal management software offers plenty of tools to measure employee performance. Others provide more specialized feature sets, like OKRs or cascading goals.
Choosing the right one depends on the size of your company, your current needs, and other tools that you might already be using. Whichever you choose, remember that goal tracking software is an investment that will pay off multiple times!
