Who can use this feature?

Goal administrators, Account administrators

Available on:

All Culture Amp subscriptions with Performance that include Goals.

Overview

Need to import multiple goals at once? Account administrators and Goals administrators can use our goal import template to submit goals in bulk. Just fill out the file and send it to our Product Support Team—we’ll handle the upload for you.

Note: Only Individual delivery, Individual development, and Group goals can be imported. Collaboration goals are not supported.

Before You Begin

To get familiar with how goals appear in Culture Amp, we recommend creating one goal manually in Culture Amp first. This gives you a visual reference for how each field in the template maps to the platform.

Step-by-step: How to Fill Out the Template

1. Download the Template

Start by downloading or copying the goal import template. Your file will include two sheets:

Instructions and Template Example: Contains sample data and field instructions.
Delete this sheet before submitting your file.
Enter Your Goals Here: – This is where you’ll add your actual goals.
- Column headers are already included—do not change them. Keep the same naming and casing.
- Delete rows 2 (instructions) and 3 (dummy goal example) before uploading.

2. Fill Out the Columns

Field	Required?	What to include
owner_emails	✅ Always	One or more existing employee emails, separated by semicolons. The first email will be set as the goal creator. Example: `user1@company.com; user2@company.com`
title	✅ Always	A clear, descriptive title for the goal.
description	Optional	Add more context to the goal (if needed).
visibility	✅ Always	Choose one: `private`, `specific-people`, `everyone`, or group.
specific_people	Required if visibility = `specific-people`	Email(s) of employees who should see this goal. Separate multiple emails with semicolons.
due_date	✅ Always	Goal due date in `YYYY-MM-DD` format.
created_date	✅ Always	When the goal was created, in `YYYY-MM-DD`. Can be in the past.
status	✅ Always	Choose one: `draft`, `on_track`, `completed`. Completed goal does not mean progress would be 100%
type	✅ Always	Choose one: `individual-delivery`, `individual-development` or group-delivery
goal_progress	Required for `on_track` or `completed` goals without key results	Progress as a percentage (0–100). Leave blank or enter 0 if goal is `draft` or has key results.
archived	Optional	Choose `TRUE` or `FALSE`. If blank, it defaults to `FALSE`.
group_id	required for group goals only	Contact support. These are only accessible on our end.

Adding Alignment

You can now align new goals via the import by filling in the following columns.

Field	Required?	What to include
primary_goals	✅ If aligning to a higher-level goal	Goal ID
supporting_goals	✅ If aligning to a lower-level goal	Goal ID

Tip: To find goal IDs in bulk, use the Goals Report Export.

You can also locate a goal ID by opening the goal directly in your Culture Amp account—the ID appears at the end of the URL.
For example, in the link below, the bolded section is the goal ID:

https://cultureamp.cultureamp.com/app/goals/goal/fbe92d26-f840-42dd-92cd-f1a1bac8d2dc

Note: Only new goals being created as part of the import can have these fields populated for alignment. It is not possible to align existing goals with each other through this import.

Adding Key Results (KRs)

You can include key results by filling in the following columns. To add more, just duplicate the key result columns using 2, 3, etc. Example: key_result_2_title, key_result_2_type, and so on. There’s no limit, but most customers use fewer than 15.

Field	Required?	What to include
key_result_1_title	✅ When adding KRs	Title of the key result
key_result_1_type	✅ When adding KRs	Choose `number` or `percentage`
key_result_1_start	✅ When adding KRs	Starting value of the key result (e.g., `0`)
key_result_1_current	✅ For `on_track` or `completed` goals	Current value of the key result (e.g., `10`)
key_result_1_target	✅ When adding KRs	Target value of the key result (e.g., `100`)
key_result_1_owner_emails	Optional	KR owner emails, separated by semicolons if there are multiple
key_result_1_status	✅ For `on_track` or `completed` goals	Choose `on_track` or `completed`

3. Submit Your File

Once you’ve filled out your goals:

Delete the example sheet from the file.
Double-check that all required fields are filled out.
Contact our Product Support Team by replying to an open conversation with "Ask a Person" and attach your CSV file.

We’ll review your file and pass it along to our Technical Success Team for upload. Processing can take between 2-3 days.

Limitations

Goal types: Only individual goals and Group goals are supported. Collaboration goals cannot be imported.
Goal alignment: Alignment can only occur with new goals. Previously added goals cannot be aligned with each other through this import.
Bulk actions: The goal import process only creates new goals. Editing or deleting existing goals is not supported via import—you'll need to make those changes manually in the platform after the import is complete.
Hyperlinks: Imported goals do not support links, any URLs included in the file will be imported as plain text.
Goal limit: You can import up to 10,000 goals.

Tips For a Smooth Import

✔️ Make sure every email address belongs to an existing employee in your Culture Amp account.
✔️ Use YYYY-MM-DD format for all dates (e.g., 2025-06-30).
✔️ Don’t forget to include the specific_people column if your goal visibility is set to specific-people.
✔️ If your goal is on_track or completed but doesn’t include key results, make sure you add a goal_progress percentage.

FAQs

Can I import group goals?

Yes. You can now import group goals for different groups you have created on your organisational structure, as well as company-level goals. These are defined as OrgUnit goals and require a group_id. Collaboration goals are not supported for bulk import at this time.

Can I align goals during the import?

Yes. Goal alignment is now possible by populating the primary_goals or supporting_goals fields. You can align new goals to existing goals, but you cannot align existing goals together through this import.

What happens if I include a goal with missing required fields?

Our team will return the file and ask you to update the missing or incorrect fields before we can process the upload.

Do all emails need to belong to existing employees in Culture Amp?

Yes. All email addresses must match employees already in your Culture Amp account. If any emails don’t match, the import will fail.

What date format should I use in the file?

Use the YYYY-MM-DD format for all date fields (e.g., 2025-06-30).

Can I include hyperlinks in my goal titles or descriptions?

No. Hyperlinks will be imported as plain text and won’t be clickable in the platform.

Can I edit or delete existing goals using the import file?

No. The import process only creates new goals. You can’t edit or delete existing goals through import. Use the platform for those changes.

Related pages:

💬 Need help? Just reply with "Ask a Person" in a support conversation to speak with a Product Support Specialist.

Creating and Aligning Individual Goals

Admin Guide to Setting Up Goals in Your Organization

Goals: Employee Getting Started Guide

Updating Progress and Completing Goals

Goals Report Export

Populating the Goals Import Template