Contents

• Overview 
• What are Goals & Milestones
• Before You Begin 
• Step-By-Step Instructions
  • Access the Intake Form 
  • Add the Goals Section 
  • Set Up the Goals Section 
    • Review Goal Setup Options
    • Configure the Goals Section 
    • Define Your Goals (For Admin-Defined Only)
• What Applicants See 
  • For Admin-Defined Goals 
  • For Applicant-Defined Goals
• FAQs
• Related Articles
   

Overview

This step-by-step guide shows Program Admins how to set up a Goals section on an Intake Form in Next.

⚠️ IMPORTANT: Goals & Milestones must be enabled for your organization. If you do not see the Goals section as an option when building your Intake Form, please contact Customer Success. 
 

What Are Goals & Milestones?

Goals and Milestones provide a way to collect expected outcomes from applicants during the intake process and track progress over time. They give applicants a clear structure for defining what they plan to achieve and the steps they’ll take to get there.

• Goals: The main outcomes an applicant plans to achieve.
• Milestones: The smaller, measurable steps that show progress toward each goal.

📌Note: Goals and Milestones are considered a best practice for all programs, and are required for programs that follow Uniform Guidance (2 CFR 200.301).

Before You Begin

Make sure your Intake Form has sections. The Goals section can only be added to a sectioned intake form. 

• If you need to change your form structure to have sections, see ➡️Change Form Structure. 
   

Quick Tour

Click through this quick tour on how to add Goals & Milestones in an Intake Form. For detailed steps, see the instructions below.

📌Note: There are different ways to set up the Goals & Milestones section. This quick tour shows a "combination" setup that includes both Admin-Defined and Applicant-Defined goals. 
 

Step-By-Step Instructions 

Access the Intake Form

1. Open the Award Cycle you need (Program > Program Settings > All Award Cycles).

2. Under the Intake drop-down in the left-hand menu, click Intake Forms.

3. Click Open on the far right of the Intake Form you want to access. 

Add the Goals Section 

⚠️ IMPORTANT: Only one Goals section is allowed on an Intake Form. 

1. Click + Add Fields in the upper-right corner. 

2. Scroll to Sections at the bottom. (Reminder: Goals & Milestones can only be added to a sectioned Intake Form). 

3. Click +Goals. 

4. The new section appears at the bottom of your Intake Form. 

5. Edit the section title (Example: “Project Goals & Milestones”). 

6. Add a section description (Example: “Describe your project goals and outline the milestones (steps) you’ll complete to achieve them”). 

📌Tip: If you set up your section to allow applicants to submit their own goals, too, include language here asking them to add their own goals. (Example: “Complete the 2 goals provided below (required), and add up to 2 of your own (optional)”).  

Set Up the Goals Section 

Review Goal Setup Options

Before you begin setting up goals, decide how you want to collect goals in your Intake Form. 

There are three options:

A. Admin-Defined Goals Only

• You choose the type of goal and can add a prompt to guide the applicant on what you want them to include (e.g., How will your program improve X, Y, Z). 
• Applicants fill in the required sections and add milestones.
• Applicants cannot add new goals of their own.  

B. Applicant-Defined Goals Only

• Applicants add all goals themselves. 
• You control which goal types the applicants can choose from and the maximum number of goals allowed.

C. Combination (Admin-Defined + Applicant-Defined)

• You set up some goals.
• Applicants can also add their own additional goals.

Configure the Goals Section

No matter which option you choose, you’ll follow the setup steps below.

1. In the Goals Section, click the gear icon in the upper-right corner. 

2. Select Goal Types ➜ In the pop-up, select any Goal Types you want to include in the Intake Form. 

• Narrative Goal 
• Numeric Goal
• Percent Achieved Goal 
• Percent Changed Goal
• Reimbursement Goal

💡 Need help choosing goal types? See ➡️Understanding Goal Types in Goals & Milestones.

3. Set Minimum and Maximum Values ➜ Use the Minimum and Maximum dropdowns to control how many goals applicants can submit.

• Minimum = Number of goals an applicant must complete to submit their application. 

  ⚠️ IMPORTANT: 

- If Minimum = 1 or more, the system automatically creates that many Admin‑Defined goal slots in your Intake Form. The only way to have no Admin-Defined goals in the form is to set Minimum = 0.

- Once an Admin-Defined goal is added to the form, it's automatically required for applicants because it has built-in required fields they must complete. 
 

• Maximum = Total number of goals an applicant is allowed to submit (up to 10). 
   

4. Optional Toggle: "Allow applicants to add and define goals" ➜ This toggle determines whether applicants can create their own goals in the application. 

• Toggle ON: Applicants will see an "Add Goal" button and can add and define their own goals (up to the maximum you set above). 
   
• Toggle OFF: Applicants can only complete the goals you defined. 

💡 Pro-Tips for Success

5. Confirm Choices: Click Confirm Selection. 

6. A “Goals” field appears in your Intake Form. 

Next Steps:

A. If you're collecting ONLY Applicant-Defined Goals: 

• (Optional): Edit the title and help text in the Goals field, if desired. 
• Click Save in the upper-right corner of the Goals field. Continue to this section: What Applicants See.

B. If you're creating Admin-Defined Goals: 

• Proceed to the next section: Define Your Goals.

Define Your Goals (For Admin-Defined Only)

For each Admin-Defined goal, complete the following fields:

1. Goal Type: Choose the goal type you want to set up from the drop-down (only types you selected earlier will appear). 

2. Goal Title: The system labels goals as Goal 1, Goal 2, etc. in the applicant view, so we recommend using this section for instructions instead. (Example: "Describe how the CTE program will improve student career readiness and preparation for high-demand occupations")

3. Desired Deliverable Date: Type or use the drop-down to select a desired target completion date.

4. Other “Desired” fields (varies by goal type): 

• Desired Narrative Description (for Narrative Goals)
• Desired Number to be Achieved (for Numeric Goals)
• Desired Percentage (for Percent Achieved / Percent Changed Goals)
• Desired Number to be Achieved / Rate per Achievement / Budget Amount (for Reimbursement Goals)

5. Click Save in the gray box on the far-right of the goal title and help text

📌Note: Admins will not be able to edit the “Proposed” fields or Milestones, as those are completed by applicants. Learn more about this in the next section. 

6. Repeat these steps for each goal you want to create. 
 

What Applicants See 

The applicant experience depends on how you set up the Goals section in your Intake Form. 

Applicants will see goals in one of three ways:

A. Admin-Defined Goals Only: Applicants see only the goals you set up.

B. Applicant-Defined Goals Only: Applicants see only the option to add goals (if you enabled the toggle).

C. Combination: Applicants see the goals you set up and can add new ones (if you enabled the toggle).
 

For Admin-Defined Goals

• If you created goals, applicants will see those goals pre-populated. 

• They cannot edit your "Desired" fields.

• They must complete the following:

  • Proposed Deliverable Date: When they plan to finish.

  • Proposed Numeric/Narrative Fields: Their specific targets.

  • Milestones (at least 1 required): Description, Start Date, and End Date.

    • Weightage: All milestones for a single goal must total exactly 100% to submit.

For Applicant-Defined Goals 

• If you allow applicants to add their own goals, they’ll see a button to Add another goal+ at the bottom of the section.
  
  
  

📌Note:  Applicants can only add goals up to the maximum you set. If the maximum is reached, the button becomes unclickable.

• When adding their own goals, applicants will:
   
  • Be able to select only the Goal Types you checked when setting up the section.
  • Edit the Goal Label and Help Text (optional).
  • Complete all “Proposed” fields (required)
  • Add Milestones (at least 1 required). 
    
    
    
     
    💡Want to include an awardee's goals and milestones in their Award Agreement? See ➡️Including Goals & Milestones in an Award Agreement

FAQs

Are goals and milestones included in application exports?  

• Yes. The entire Goals section appears in application export downloads.

Can staff review goals and milestones during application review?  

• Yes. Reviewers and Program Admins can see the entire Goals section during application review. If revisions are needed, Program Admins can use the request revisions feature. For more help, see ➡️ Manage Applications During Intake.

Are goals and milestones part of post-award and reporting? 

• They will be coming soon!
   

Related Articles

• ➡️Understanding Goal Types in a Goals & Milestones Section
• ➡️How to Complete a Goals & Milestones Section in Your Intake Form (Applicants)
• ➡️Move a Section (If you need to move the Goals section)
• ➡️Delete a Section (If you need to delete the Goals section) 
  
  
  
  
   

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