Key Results

Flowtly Editorial Team4 min

Key Results are the measurable checkpoints that define what achieving an objective actually looks like. Every objective can have one or more Key Results, and together their weighted outcomes determine the overall realization score for the objective.

Adding a Key Result

Open an objective's detail view and click Add Key Result. Each Key Result belongs to exactly one objective.

Fields

Title

A clear, specific description of what needs to be achieved — for example, "Reduce average response time to under 2 hours" or "Complete all three certification modules".

Type

Measurable Key Results have a numeric target (e.g. "Reach 500 monthly active users"). Flowtly tracks the value against the target so progress is quantifiable.

Freeform Key Results are described in plain text without a numeric target — useful for deliverables or milestones where success is clear but cannot be expressed as a single number (e.g. "Deliver updated onboarding documentation").

Weight

Weight is a percentage (0–100) that controls how much this Key Result contributes to the objective's overall realization score. When an objective has multiple Key Results, their weights should add up to 100%. Flowtly will show a soft warning if the total weight of all Key Results on an objective does not equal 100%, helping you catch imbalances before assessment time.

If all Key Results carry equal importance, give each the same weight (e.g. 33/33/34 for three Key Results).

Status

The working state of the Key Result during the objective period:

  • To do — not yet started.
  • In progress — actively being worked on.
  • Done — the work is complete and ready for assessment.

Status is updated by the owner or their manager as work progresses. It helps the team track day-to-day momentum separately from the formal outcome assessment.

Outcome (set during assessment)

When a review cycle closes, or when the objective period ends, the outcome for each Key Result is recorded:

  • Met — the target was reached as defined.
  • Exceeded — the result went beyond the target.
  • Partial — some progress was made but the target was not fully reached.
  • Missed — no meaningful progress was made.

Outcomes feed into the weighted realization calculation for the parent objective. Met and Exceeded count as full credit (100%), Partial counts as half credit (50%), and Missed (or an unassessed Key Result) counts as zero. These weighted values are averaged to produce the objective's overall realization percentage.

Example use cases

  • An objective "Improve customer satisfaction" has three Key Results: NPS score ≥ 50 (weight 50%), average support ticket resolution time ≤ 4 h (weight 30%), and monthly survey response rate ≥ 60% (weight 20%). The weights reflect the relative importance of each measure.
  • A freeform Key Result "Deliver training materials for all new hires" is added to a learning-and-development objective where the outcome is clear (delivered or not) but not numeric.
  • A manager updates Key Result statuses to "In progress" mid-quarter to give their own manager visibility into momentum before the formal assessment.

Connection map

Refers toPart of
Documented hereDocumented elsewhere
audit-log records person. second-factor held by person. person works under agreement. work-schedule assigned to person. benefit-assignment held by person. employee-profile describes person. employee-document filed against person. responsibility assigned to person. performance-target set for person. meeting held with person. holiday-request submitted by person. leave-entitlement held by person. project staffed by person. project-rate rates person. booking books person.recordsheld byworks underassigned toheld bydescribesfiled againstassigned toset forheld withsubmitted byheld bystaffed byratesbooksAAudit trail — The record of who did what and when. It is how a user action is investigated after the fact, and what compliance is demonstrated from.Audit trailPPerson — An employee. The central record the rest of the workforce data hangs off — profile, documents, leave, benefits, rates.PersonSSecond factor — The extra proof of identity asked for at sign-in on top of the password — a six-digit code from an authenticator app, changing every 30 seconds.Second factorAAgreement — The document formalizing the terms between the organisation and one employee or contractor. It is the foundation of the employees module: whether someone has an active agreement decides whether they appear in the other modules at all.AgreementWWork schedule — The working days, hours and breaks assigned to an employee, from the week the assignment starts. It is what the Work Time calendar draws.Work scheduleEEmployee benefit — One benefit granted to one person for a date range. A person can hold several at once.Employee benefitEEmployee profile — The detailed record for one person: contact details, job role, department, employment history.Employee profileEEmployee document — A file attached to a person — a contract, a review, anything filed against them.Employee documentRResponsibility — An area of ownership assigned to a person.ResponsibilityPPerformance target — An objective set for a person and measured against.Performance targetMMeeting — A recorded one-to-one or review between people.MeetingHHoliday request — An employee's request for time off, submitted for approval. Approving it is what turns it into leave the rest of the system counts.Holiday requestEEntitlement — How much leave a person has for the leave year. A request draws it down; the balance is what remains.EntitlementPProject — The core organizational unit for a business initiative, client engagement or internal work. Everything tracked — time, cost, invoicing, profitability — hangs off one.ProjectMMember rate — A team member's billing or cost rate on a project. Rates are per member, so the same person can cost differently on two projects.Member rateBBooking — One person committed to one role for a stretch of weeks, at a percentage of their time. A booking is a plan, not a record of work done.Booking