New Microsoft Viva module delivers business goal-setting and management

Microsoft Corp. has incorporated technology from its acquisition of goal-planning and execution management software startup Ally Technologies Inc. late last year into a new product called Microsoft Viva Goals.

A module released today under the Microsoft Viva employee experience platform, Viva Goals is designed for business goal setting and management. The company said it brings purpose and alignment to Viva customers, alongside culture and communications, well-being and engagement, growth and development, and knowledge and expertise.

The new module aligns teams on strategic priorities and unites them around mission and purpose, according to Microsoft. Viva Goals is claimed to help provide clarity on employees’ work and how that work impacts important priorities, allowing teams to focus on doing work, making decisions and driving results for a business.

Viva Goals also delivers business goals into the flow of everyday work, a feature claimed to make it easier to stay up to date with connected data and automated reminders. In addition, it shares objectives and key results and their progress across an organization with customized dashboards and quick links.

Viva Goals integrates with Microsoft Teams, Azure DevOps and other Microsoft customers’ work management tools. Additional integrations in the pipeline include support for Microsoft Power BI and other Microsoft 365 apps and services.

“Having clear goals and measures of success at the highest levels of the organization helps everyone understand what’s important and align their work to the most valued priorities,” Vetri Vellore, corporate vice president of Microsoft Viva Goals, said in a blog post today. “It sets the context for the work of the team and creates a shared vision and a common language, which is especially important in a hybrid work environment.”

Microsoft launched Viva in February 2021. It’s a platform that enterprises can use to provide their employees access to company news, educational resources and other work-related content.

Viva operates similarly to a traditional corporate intranet. The key difference is that the platform includes artificial intelligence features to help employees extract more value from company-created content and analytics features aimed at managers.

Microsoft Viva Goals will be generally available to Microsoft Viva customers in the third quarter.

Image: Microsoft