Progress Plans

Last updated: June 12, 2026

Goals don't always move in straight lines. A sales goal that's intentionally flat in January before spiking in March looks "At Risk" under a linear model — even when you're exactly where you planned to be. Progress Plans solve this by letting you define milestone targets at specific points in time, so Rhythms measures progress against your actual plan, not a straight-line projection.

What is a Progress Plan?

A Progress Plan is a set of milestone targets attached to a goal. Instead of Rhythms calculating expected progress by dividing time elapsed by total duration, it checks where you said you'd be at this specific date and compares that to where you actually are.

Without a Progress Plan (linear mode):

3 months into a 12-month goal → expected progress = 25%

With a Progress Plan:

3 months into a 12-month goal, milestone says 5% → expected progress = 5%

This means goals with seasonal patterns, back-loaded delivery, or known ramp periods show accurate status throughout the cycle — not misleading "At Risk" flags during intentionally slow periods.

When to Use Progress Plans

Progress Plans are most valuable when:

  • Seasonal work — sales goals that ramp at quarter-end, marketing goals tied to campaign launches, or hiring goals that accelerate mid-year

  • Back-loaded delivery — goals where most progress happens in the second half of the cycle

  • Milestone-based projects — initiatives with defined phases (discovery → build → launch) where progress isn't linear across them

  • Known ramp periods — new products, new markets, or new team members where slow early progress is expected and intentional

If progress genuinely is expected to be linear, you don't need a Progress Plan — the default time-based calculation already handles that well.

Setting Up a Progress Plan

  1. Open the goal detail page for a Key Result or Initiative

  2. Click More → Progress Plan

  3. Click Add milestone

  4. For each milestone, set:

    • Date — the point in time this milestone applies

    • Target value — where you expect to be by that date

  5. Add as many milestones as needed to capture your plan's shape

  6. Click Save

Rhythms will now calculate expected progress based on the nearest milestone rather than linear time elapsed. Status (On Track / Behind / At Risk) updates accordingly.

How Status Is Calculated with a Progress Plan

Once a Progress Plan is set, Rhythms finds the nearest milestone date (the most recent milestone that has already passed) and compares actual progress to that milestone's target value.

The same status thresholds apply: - On Track — within 10 percentage points of the milestone target - Behind — 10 to 24 percentage points below the milestone target - At Risk — 25 or more percentage points below the milestone target

Example: Your annual sales goal has these milestones: - March 31: $50K (10%) - June 30: $150K (30%) - September 30: $350K (70%) - December 31: $500K (100%)

On April 15, you're at $60K (12%). Linear mode would expect ~33% and flag the goal At Risk. With a Progress Plan, Rhythms checks against the March 31 milestone ($50K) and sees you're ahead — status shows On Track.

Editing or Removing a Progress Plan

To update milestones as plans change: 1. Open the goal detail page 2. Click More → Progress Plan 3. Edit milestone dates or values, add new milestones, or delete existing ones 4. Click Save

To remove a Progress Plan entirely and return to linear calculation, delete all milestones from the plan.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does a Progress Plan affect progress rollup to parent goals? No. Progress rollup to parent Objectives is based on the actual current progress value — the Progress Plan only affects how status is calculated. Parent goals receive your real progress, not milestone-adjusted progress.

Can I set a Progress Plan on Objectives (not just Key Results)? Progress Plans work on Key Results and Initiatives. Objectives that use automatic rollup inherit their status from contributing children and the weighted progress average — they don't use Progress Plans directly.

What happens if I miss a milestone? Rhythms calculates status against the nearest past milestone. If you're significantly below it, the goal will show Behind or At Risk — just as intended, since you've fallen behind your plan.

Can I use a Progress Plan with auto-updates? Yes. Auto-updates provide the current progress value; the Progress Plan determines how that value is interpreted for status. Both work together.

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