How do values, percentages, and dates work in goals?
What a goal's minimum and target fields accept depends on whether your platform validates their format. The error message tells you which rule applies.
Does the target have to be higher than the minimum?
No. The platform does not compare the two values. For a metric where less is better, such as incidents or response time, the target can be lower than the minimum. Say the intended direction in the goal title or description so the user and the manager read it the same way.
Can I use percentages and decimals?
It depends on your platform's settings. When you import goals, the error message shows which rule applies:
"The value must be a valid number.": write a plain number only, with a point as the decimal separator and no percent sign. For example, 80 or 19.5, not 80% or 19,5.
"The value must be a number (decimal comma/point and a % suffix are allowed).": you can use a decimal comma or point and a percent sign, for example 19,99, 19.99% or -5%. Text such as N/A, ranges such as 10-20%, comparisons such as >10%, and currency symbols are rejected.
When your platform validates the format, the goal form applies the same rule as the import. The value is stored exactly as you typed it.
Why is a goal date rejected?
Importing into a cycle: the goal's start and end dates must fall within the cycle's start and end dates.
Goals in a Touchpoint period: the period can define a window for goal dates. Dates outside that window are not accepted.
End before start: the end date must be after the start date.
Date windows are set per cycle and per period, so a date that worked last year may be rejected this year.
What about rounding?
The rounding settings of an evaluation cycle apply to evaluation scores, not to the values you type in a goal.
When should I contact Support?
Contact Support when a value that follows the rule in the error message is still rejected, or when a goal is saved but shows a different value. Include the cycle, the value you entered, and the exact error message.
Related articles
Goals and Individual Development Plans in Evaluation Cycles: create and update goals in a cycle or period.
Why did imported goals or Individual Development Plans (IDPs) not appear or update as expected?: read the import result and fix failed lines.