Pay each person in an incentive plan on their own goals by adding the Individual goals block. Instead of one shared result for everyone, each person's block pays on the individual goals assigned to them in Goals, weighted with their own goal weights. In this article, you'll learn how to add the block, how it's calculated and how to fix the alerts it can show.

Individual goals are also called personal objectives, individual KPIs or MBOs (management by objectives).

Overview

Use the Individual goals block when people on the same plan should be rewarded for different results. For example, each salesperson is paid on their own new clients and units sold, rather than on one team total.

A plan can pay on two kinds of goals, and you can combine them:

The Individual goals block is one row of the plan, next to the plan goals. It has its own weight and payout rules, like any plan goal. For each person, it's filled with the individual goals that person has for the period.

Before you start

• You need the Manage incentive plans permission.
• Each person's goals must exist in Goals and meet the requirements in Which goals count below.
• Give each person's goals weights that add up to 100% in Goals. If they don't, part of the block can't be earned.

Which goals count

A goal counts in a person's block when all of these are true:

Team goals, company goals and goals assigned to several people don't count in the block. Add them as plan goals instead.

How to use

Add the Individual goals block (admin)

1. Go to Compensation > Incentive plans and open the plan.
2. In a draft plan, open the Goals step. In an active plan, open the Goals tab.
3. Click Add goals.
4. Select the Individual goals row ("Include the individual goals of each participant in this plan") and confirm.
5. Give the block a Weight so that it and the plan goals add up to 100%. For example, 60% for Individual goals and 40% for a shared company goal.
6. Optionally, add payout rules to the block. They apply to each person's total block achievement.
7. Click Save.

The plan shows "Individual goals for all participants in this plan will be considered in the calculation of their compensation."

See the block on an active plan (admin)

In the Goals tab, the block shows as Individual goals:

• Assigned to shows how many people are in the plan, for example "12 people".
• Period progress reads "Based on each person", because each person has their own result.
• Click the block to open the goals list on the Employees view, where you see each person's goals.

To see one person's goals and amounts, open See payout breakdown in the People tab.

Remove the block (admin)

1. Open the plan's Goals tab.
2. Open the actions of the Individual goals row and click Remove goal from plan.
3. Confirm. The block is removed from the periods that haven't been sent to payroll yet.

How the Individual goals block is calculated

For each person and period, the block's achievement is the weighted sum of that person's individual goals. The block then counts in the payout like any other plan goal.

1. Achievement per individual goal. Each goal's progress for the plan period, as for any plan goal. A goal with no target period matching the plan period counts as 0%.
2. Block achievement. Each goal's achievement × its weight in Goals, added up. It isn't capped, so over-achievement counts.
3. Block payout. The block's payout rules turn the block achievement into a payout percentage. Without payout rules, the payout equals the achievement.
4. Overall payout. The block's payout percentage × the block's weight in the plan, added to the plan goals as usual. The amount is the person's Amount up to value × the overall payout percentage.

In the payout breakdown, the block's amount is split across the person's goals by each goal's weighted achievement.

Worked example

Ana has Amount up to €4,000 every 3 months. Her quarterly plan has Company revenue (weight 40%) and Individual goals (weight 60%), with no payout rules. In Q1:

• Company revenue reaches 100%: 40% × 100% = 40%.
• Individual goals: 60% × 94% = 56.4%.
• Overall payout: 96.4%, so Ana's Q1 payout is €4,000 × 96.4% = €3,856.

In the breakdown, Company revenue pays €1,600 and the block pays €2,256, split as €1,440 (New clients signed), €576 (Extra units sold) and €240 (Pipeline reviewed).

Ben is on the same plan with different goals. His block achievement is calculated from his own goals, so his overall payout differs from Ana's even with the same company revenue result.

Fix individual goals alerts

People with missing goals or weights are flagged so you can fix them before paying. These are warnings: they never block Send to payroll cycle.

Find the people affected (admin)

1. Open the active plan and select the period in the date navigator.
2. Open the People tab. A banner names the people affected, for example "Ana García has no individual goals in this period".
3. Click View individual goals to open their goals, or filter the Alerts column by With conflicts.

Fix them from the payout breakdown (admin)

1. In the People tab, open See payout breakdown for the person.
2. Under Individual goals, check each goal's weight and amount. The footer shows, for example, "Weights total 80% out of 100%" when weights are incomplete.
3. Click Set weights, Fix weights or Edit weights to change the person's goal weights for the period.
4. Click New goal to create an individual goal for the person.
5. The breakdown updates with the new numbers.

Rules and behaviour

• A plan can have only one Individual goals block. Once a plan has one, the row disappears from Add goals.
• Individual goals aren't offered as plan goals under Add goals. They only count through the block.
• If a plan goal is also the individual goal of someone in the plan, then the plan can't have the block, because that goal would be paid twice. Saving shows "Some plan goals are also participants' individual goals, so they would be paid twice. Remove them from the plan goals and try again". You can remove the plan goal and add the block in the same save.
• If a person gets a new individual goal in Goals, then it counts in their block from then on, for every period that hasn't been sent to payroll.
• The block uses the goal weights set in Goals for that person and period. Weights inside the block aren't set in the plan.
• If a person's goal weights add up to less than 100%, then the missing share can't be earned. The breakdown shows, for example, "The missing 20% isn't linked to any goal, so it can't be earned."
• If none of a person's goals has a weight, then the goals count equally. The breakdown reads, for example, "Their 3 individual goals count equally until weights are set."
• If a person has no individual goals for the period, then their block pays 0%. The breakdown reads "[Name] has no individual goals in this period, so this block can't be earned."
• The summary card of the breakdown shows what was earned, what was missed on achievement and what Can't be earned because of missing goals or weights.
• If a person has a compensation issue (Missing compensation or Duplicate compensation) and an individual goals issue, then the Alerts column shows the compensation issue first. The individual goals issue shows once it's fixed.
• If you send a period with individual goals alerts, then the send dialog reads, for example, "Some people have no individual goals in this period." and the payouts are sent as calculated.
• While a period isn't sent, the block follows the goals' current progress and weights. Once a period is sent to payroll, each goal of the block is saved with its name, weight and achievement. Later changes to the goals, including deleting them, don't change the sent payout.
• A goal that counts in a block lists that plan in its Incentive plans tab, next to the plans that use it as a plan goal.
• Goals added to an active plan, including the block, only apply to periods that haven't been sent to payroll yet.

Limitations

• A plan can't have two Individual goals blocks, or one block per team.
• You can't choose which of a person's individual goals count. Every individual goal that matches the plan counts.
• Sub-goals and goals shared by several people don't count in the block.
• You can't set different payout rules per person, or per goal inside the block. The block's payout rules apply to the block total, the same for everyone.
• Weights above 100% in total aren't reduced. Make sure each person's weights add up to exactly 100%.
• The double-payment check runs when plan goals are saved. If a goal later becomes someone's individual goal in Goals, or someone joins the plan who already owns a plan goal, the plan doesn't warn you until the plan goals are saved again.

Troubleshooting

• Symptom: "The Individual goals row isn't in Add goals." → Cause: The plan already has the block. → Fix: Edit the weight and payout rules of the existing block.
• Symptom: "I get 'Some plan goals are also participants' individual goals, so they would be paid twice'." → Cause: A plan goal is assigned only to someone who is in the plan. → Fix: Remove that goal from the plan goals and save again. It will count through the block.
• Symptom: "Someone's goal isn't in their block." → Cause: The goal is a sub-goal, is shared with other people, has a different frequency from the plan, or is outside the plan's year. → Fix: Check the goal in Goals. Make it a top-level goal of that person with the plan's frequency.
• Symptom: "Part of the payout shows Can't be earned." → Cause: The person has no individual goals for the period, or their goal weights add up to less than 100%. → Fix: Open See payout breakdown and use New goal or Set weights for the periods not yet sent.
• Symptom: "I can't edit weights or create goals from the payout breakdown." → Cause: You don't have permission to manage that person's goals. → Fix: Ask an admin, or edit the goals in Goals.

FAQ

1. Can one plan pay a shared company goal and each person's own goals?

Yes. Add the company goal as a plan goal and add the Individual goals block, then split the weight between them, for example 40% and 60%.

2. Where do I set the weights of each person's goals?

In Goals, as the person's goal weights for the period, or from See payout breakdown in the plan. The block's own weight is set in the plan.

3. Can I add a person's goal as a plan goal instead?

No. Individual goals only count through the block, so a goal can't be paid twice.

4. What happens if someone has no goals yet when I send the period?

Their block pays 0% and the rest of their payout is sent. The send dialog warns you first.

5. Do managers see their team's individual goals in the plan?

Only admins with Manage incentive plans see the plan pages. Managers see their team's goals in Goals.

6. If I change someone's goal after the period is sent, does their payout change?

No. Sent payouts keep each goal's name, weight and achievement at the moment of sending.