---
title: "Managing Goal time periods for my organisation"
description: "Administrators create and maintain the Goal time periods their organisation plans on, from the Goals module's own settings page, and control which ones members can choose."
category: goals-analytics
section: goals-and-okrs
tags: [admin]
type: Tutorial
lastUpdated: 2026-08-26
locale: en
canonical: https://support.talkspirit.com/en/goals-analytics/manage-goal-time-periods
---

# Managing Goal time periods for my organisation


## Managing Goal time periods for my organisation
A **time period** is the span of time a goal is tracked against, such as a quarter or a year. Administrators define the list of time periods for the whole organisation, so every circle plans on the same rhythm. Members choose one when they create a goal, and it appears in the **Time period** column of the Goals list. You need administrator rights to change the list.

## Where do I manage Goal time periods?

1. Open the **Goals** app.
2. At the bottom of the Goals side panel, click **Goal settings**.
3. Select **Time periods**.

![The Goals module with the Goal settings page open on the Time periods tab. The Goal settings button at the bottom of the Goals side panel is outlined. The Goal time periods card lists five periods with their name, start date, end date, duration and status.](/images/goals-analytics/manage-goal-time-periods/01-goal-time-periods-settings.png)

The table lists every time period in your organisation with its **Name**, **Start Date**, **End Date**, **Duration** and **Status**. Click a column heading to sort by it. The second tab, **Statistics**, shows goal insights for the whole organisation.

Each organisation has its own list. A newly created organisation starts with one time period covering the current quarter, and an organisation that was already tracking goals keeps the periods it had.

## What defines a time period?

- **Name**: what members see when they pick a period, for example "Q3 2026".
- **Frequency** and **Period**: together they set the length. Frequency 3 with **Month** gives three months. A frequency in months goes up to 12, a frequency in years up to 5.
- **Start Date**: the first day of the period.
- **End Date**: calculated for you, as the day before the next period would start.
- **Status**: **Active** periods can be chosen for goals, **Inactive** ones cannot.

## How do I add a time period?

1. Click **Add time period**.
2. Enter a **Name**.
3. Set the **Frequency** and the **Period**.
4. Choose a **Start Date**.
5. Click **Add**.

![The Add time period dialog, with the fields Name set to H2 2026, Frequency set to 6, Period set to Month, and an empty Start Date field. Cancel and Add buttons sit at the bottom.](/images/goals-analytics/manage-goal-time-periods/02-add-time-period-dialog.png)

**Note:** choose a start date that exists in every month the period crosses. A one month period starting on 31 January is refused, because February has no 31st.

## How do I edit a time period?

1. Click the actions button at the end of the row.
2. Select **Edit**.
3. Change the **Title**, the **Frequency** or the **Start date**.
4. Tick **Apply to active goals** if you want the active goals in this period flagged as updated.
5. Click **Save**.

![The Goal time periods table with the actions menu open on the Quarterly row, showing two entries, Edit and Delete.](/images/goals-analytics/manage-goal-time-periods/03-time-period-row-actions-menu.png)

![The Edit time period dialog for the Quarterly period. Title reads Quarterly, Frequency 3, Period Month greyed out, Start date Jan 1 2026. Active time period is ticked and Apply to active goals is unticked.](/images/goals-analytics/manage-goal-time-periods/04-edit-time-period-dialog.png)

**Period** is fixed once a time period exists, which is why it is greyed out here. To plan in years rather than months, add a new time period.

Untick **Active time period** to take a period out of circulation. It stops being offered when members set a goal's time period, and every goal already using it keeps it. This is how you retire a planning rhythm without disturbing work in flight.

## How do I delete a time period?

1. Click the actions button at the end of the row.
2. Select **Delete**.
3. Click **Delete** in the **Confirm deletion** dialog.

![The Confirm deletion dialog asking Are you sure you want to delete this item? This action cannot be undone, with Cancel and Delete buttons.](/images/goals-analytics/manage-goal-time-periods/05-delete-time-period-confirmation.png)

A time period can only be deleted while no goal references it. If a goal is attached, the deletion is refused and the row stays in the list.

**Note:** if the row is still there after you confirm, a goal is still using that period. Untick **Active time period** instead, which retires it without touching the goals attached to it.

## What's Next?

- [Adding, editing, or deleting a Goal](/goals-analytics/how-to-add-edit-or-delete-a-goal)
- [Creating company Goals](/goals-analytics/create-company-goals)
- [Goal views](/goals-analytics/the-different-goals-views)