Progress value calculation

  • Release version: Yokohama
  • Updated January 30, 2025
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of Progress value calculation

    This document explains how the progress or percentage complete value of goals is automatically calculated in ServiceNow. The calculation method varies based on the goal's structure—whether it has only targets, a combination of sub-goals and targets, and whether weighted average calculation is enabled.

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    Calculation Methods

    • Goal with only targets (no sub-goals): The progress value is the average of the progress values of all associated targets, calculated as the sum of target progress values divided by the number of targets.
    • Goal with sub-goals and targets: The progress value is the average of progress values of all sub-goals and targets, using their defined impact fields.
    • Weighted average enabled for targets only: When the system property sngf.weightedaverageenabled is set to Yes, progress is calculated as the weighted average of target progress values based on their impact weights.
    • Weighted average enabled for sub-goals and targets: With weighted average enabled, progress incorporates both sub-goals and targets, each multiplied by their respective impact weights, summed and then divided by the total weight sum.

    Practical Example

    For a goal (G1) with two targets (T1 and T2), having impact weights of 2 and 3 respectively, and progress values of 40% and 20%, the progress calculation is:

    • Contribution of T1: (2 / (2 + 3)) 40 = 16%
    • Contribution of T2: (3 / (2 + 3)) 20 = 12%
    • Total progress of G1: 16% + 12% = 28%

    Why This Matters

    Understanding how progress values are calculated helps you accurately track goal completion in ServiceNow's goal framework. It ensures you can configure goals and targets with the appropriate impact weights and structure to reflect true progress, enabling better performance monitoring and decision-making.

    The progress or percentage complete value of goals is auto-calculated using different formulas. The formula depends on whether the goal has only targets, a combination of sub-goals and targets, and if it has weighted average calculation enabled.

    Scenario Formula used to calculate the progress value of the goal
    • The goal has targets.
    • The goal doesn’t have sub-goals.
    • The Impact on goal field is defined for targets.
    		 Progress value of the goal = Sum of progress values of its associated targets / number of targets
    • The goal has sub-goals and targets.
    • The Impact on parent goal and Impact on goal fields are defined for sub-goals and targets respectively.
    		 Progress value of the goal = Sum of progress values of its sub-goals and associated targets / number of sub-goals and targets
    • The goal has two targets (target 1 and target 2).
    • The goal doesn’t have sub-goals.
    • The Impact on goal field is defined for targets and the sn_gf.weighted_average_enabled system property is set to Yes.
    		 Progress value of the goal = [(Progress of target 1 * Weight scale of target 1) + (Progress of target 2 * Weight scale of target 2)] / (Weight scale of target 1 + Weight scale of target 2)
    • The goal has two targets (target 1 and target 2).
    • The goal has two sub-goals (sub-goal 1 and sub-goal 2).
    • The Impact on parent goal and Impact on goal fields are defined for sub-goals and targets respectively and the sn_gf.weighted_average_enabled system property is set to Yes.
    		 Progress value of the goal = [(Progress of sub-goal 1 * Weight scale of sub-goal 1) + (Progress of sub-goal 2 * Weight scale of sub-goal 2) + (Progress of target 1 * Weight scale of target 1) + (Progress of target 2 * Weight scale of target 2)] / (Weight scale of sub-goal 1 + Weight scale of sub-goal 2 + Weight scale of target 1 + Weight scale of target 2)
    Consider a scenario where a goal (G1) has two targets (T1 and T2) and the Impact on goal field for T1 and T2 is set to 2 and 3 respectively. The current Progress values of T1 and T2 are 40% and 20% respectively. In this case, the progress value for G1 is calculated as follows:
    • Contribution of T1 towards G1 progress = 2/(2+3)*40 = 16%
    • Contribution of T2 towards G1 progress = 3/(2+3)*20 = 12%
    • Therefore, Progress of G1 = 16% +12% = 28%