Define and track business outcomes with a goal framework

Highly successful companies and individuals share one similarity: They have an extremely clear vision of what they want to achieve and why. They know that although all work delivers outcomes, not all outcomes yield the same value. That’s why goals and a goal framework are important.

Goal setting has always been essential to business success. Businesses today face different conditions and need systems to support their unique challenges in managing goals.

Simply setting goals is not enough—you must work to achieve them, track your progress, and adjust your goals to stay focused on the right outcomes. That’s where a goal framework comes in.

What is a goal framework?

A goal framework is a structured approach to setting and managing goals in order to increase the likelihood of achieving them. It provides a single source of truth for goals across the organization by connecting strategy to the work being done and measuring it against desired outcomes.

An effective goal framework must:

1. Define what you want to accomplish
2. Set a plan for how you’ll accomplish your goals
3. Track or measure the degree to which you accomplish them

A goal framework for Agile teams

Many goal frameworks exist. Objectives and key results (OKRs) is a popular one that benefits Agile development teams in particular, as it involves collaboration, problem-solving, regular check-ins, and feedback. For those embracing business agility, goals aren’t fixed points—they’re updated as conditions change. OKRs drive business outcomes through:

• Transparent and distributed decision-making
• Clarity of purpose and visibility into value
• Ambitious achievements that challenge the status quo

With OKRs, all team members, not just the manager, play a role in goal setting. Everyone is empowered to make decisions that provide value and contribute to the success of the business, rather than just doing tasks that are assigned to them.

OKRs encourage organizations to shift from tasks to goal-oriented work. With this approach, achieving 65% to 75% of a targeted result is a win and should be celebrated. This excitement helps foster a culture of accountability, inclusion, and innovation.

Why you need a shared goal framework

The ServiceNow Goal Framework supports the OKR methodology, among others, to help organizations set and manage goals in a way that maximizes value delivered.

Using a common goal framework across the organization provides visibility at every level and connects work to strategic objectives. The focus for success moves from cost, schedule, and scope to customer and business value.

In addition, having a shared goal framework makes everyone a stakeholder in strategy and gives employees visibility into value and autonomy. Empowered employees are engaged employees. According to Gallup, highly engaged teams have 23% greater profitability than teams with low engagement.

Find out more about how ServiceNow supports goal frameworks in our ebook: Goals: How strategy gets delivered. You can also listen to our podcast.