Skip to main content

Creating Goals

There are two ways to add goals: apply a template for an instant starter set, or build a goal from scratch with full control over the metric, period, and scope.

note

Creating goals requires the create permission (Administrator, Office, Sales, HR Admin, Payroll Admin, and the Administrator tiers). Technicians can view goals but not create them.

Quick Start: Apply a Template​

Templates drop in a sensible set of monthly, company-wide goals so you don't start from a blank page.

  1. On the Goals page, open the Apply template dropdown in the toolbar.
  2. Choose a template:
TemplateGoals it creates (monthly, company-wide)
Owner EssentialsRevenue, Payroll % to Revenue, Revenue per Hour, Net Recurring Clients, Avg Scorecard Score
SalesLeads, Quotes Booked, Recurring Sales, Recurring Sales Revenue
OperationsEfficiency %, Completed Jobs, Cancelled Jobs, and related operations metrics
  1. The goals appear immediately as cards. Pulse uses the same target suggestion engine as the goal builder. If a suggested target cannot be calculated from source data, that template goal is skipped instead of being created with 0. Open a card's Edit to review the target method or set your own number. See Using and Managing Goals.
tip

Templates are the fastest way to get a leadership scorecard going. Apply Owner Essentials, then adjust each target to your business.

Build a Goal From Scratch​

Click Create goal in the toolbar to open the goal builder. Work top to bottom.

1. Pick a Metric​

Choose what the goal measures from the Metric dropdown. Only goal-eligible metrics appear. Common choices include:

  • Revenue, Recurring Revenue, Avg Revenue per Job, Revenue per Hour
  • Completed Jobs, Cancelled Jobs, One-Time Jobs, Efficiency %
  • Payroll % to Revenue, Payroll Total
  • Leads, Quotes Booked, Booked Revenue, Recurring Sales
  • Net Recurring Clients, Recurring Customers, Lost Customers
  • Avg Scorecard Score, Scorecards Sent / Received

The metric you pick determines which periods and scoping options are available — the builder only shows choices the metric can actually compute.

2. Choose a Period​

Pick how often the goal resets in the Period dropdown. Pulse offers only the rulebook periods supported by the selected metric: Daily, Weekly, Monthly, or Annual for current goal-eligible metrics. Legacy quarterly goals remain supported where they already exist, but quarterly is not offered casually for new rulebook metrics.

The goal tracks the current calendar period for that granularity (for example, Daily tracks today, Monthly tracks the current month).

3. Scope It (optional)​

By default, a goal covers your whole company. You can narrow it to exactly the part of the business you want to measure. Scoping is a nested tree — you pick a parent before its children become available:

Branch  →  Scope Group  →  Scope
                              (Service frequency is a separate, independent filter)

Branches — Check one or more branches to limit the goal to them. Leave all unchecked to include every branch. The list supports search and Select all / Clear.

Scope groups and scopes — Once you select at least one branch, the Scope groups & scopes tree shows that branch's service structure:

  • Check a scope group to include the whole group.
  • Or expand a group and check specific scopes inside it to narrow further.
  • Use the tree's search, Expand all / Collapse all, and Select all / Clear to manage long lists.
  • Leave everything unchecked to include all services.
note

Scope group and scope names can repeat across branches (for example, "Residential Cleaning" may exist in two branches). The tree always shows each group and scope under its parent branch so you pick the right one.

Service frequency — Filter by how often the service recurs. Use the quick buttons or check specific frequencies:

Button / FrequencyIncludes
RecurringEvery Week, Every Two Weeks, Every Three Weeks, Every Four Weeks, Other Recurring
One-TimeOne-Time, On Demand
AllClears the filter (all frequencies)

Leave frequency unselected to include every service frequency.

tip

Scoping is additive across the three dimensions. A goal scoped to Branches: Charleston, Columbia + Scope group: Residential Cleaning + Frequency: Recurring measures only recurring residential-cleaning revenue in those two branches.

4. Set the Target​

Choose how Pulse should set the target:

  • Manual — enter the target yourself.
  • System suggested — use the prior complete matching period as the suggested target.
  • Growth on last year — use the same period last year and apply your growth percentage.
  • Blended seasonal — use a blend of recent daily, monthly, quarterly, and same-period-last-year comparisons when all required data is available.

Pulse shows the suggested value and basis before you create the goal. If a non-manual method does not have enough source data, the builder explains why and keeps the goal from being saved with an accidental 0 target. You can switch back to Manual at any time and enter your own target number.

5. At-Risk Threshold (optional)​

Pulse flags a goal At Risk when its projection falls within a band of the target. The default band is 10%. To make a specific goal more or less sensitive, enter an override in At-risk threshold override as a decimal (for example, 0.05 for 5%). Leave it blank to use the default. See How Goal Pace Works.

6. Assign an Owner (optional)​

Choose an Owner to make someone accountable for the goal. The dropdown lists active Office-role staff in your company (terminated employees are excluded). Leave it Unassigned if no single person owns it.

7. Create​

Click Create goal. The new goal appears immediately with Calculating… while Pulse reads live operational SQL. The first pace value normally appears within a few seconds; no administrator action is required.

Tips​

  • Start company-wide, then clone the idea into branch-scoped goals once the company target is stable.
  • For ratio metrics like Payroll % to Revenue or Revenue per Hour, a lower result can be better — Pulse knows each metric's direction and judges pace accordingly.
  • Use the Owner field so at-risk alerts have a clear point of contact.

Troubleshooting​

The metric I want isn't in the list​

Only goal-eligible metrics appear, and the picker hides any metric that can't be computed at the period or scope you need. Some metrics also depend on company reporting features being enabled.

I can't check any scope groups​

Scope groups appear only after you select at least one branch (parent-gates-child). Pick a branch first.

A branch has no scope groups​

That branch may not have services configured. You can still scope the goal to the branch by leaving the scope tree empty.