How to track goals automatically on Asana

intermediate 8 min read Updated 2026-03-18

Quick Answer

Asana's Goals feature allows you to automatically track progress by connecting goals to specific projects, portfolios, or custom fields. Set up automatic updates by linking your goal to measurable project metrics like task completion rates or custom field values.

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Prerequisites

Active Asana Premium or Business account
Admin or project owner permissions
Existing projects with tasks to track
Basic understanding of Asana's project structure

Step-by-Step Instructions

Navigate to Goals section

Click on Goals in your Asana sidebar. If you don't see it, click the + button at the bottom of your sidebar and select Goals to add it to your navigation.

Goals are available in Premium, Business, and Enterprise plans only.

Create a new goal

Click the + New goal button in the top right corner. Fill in your goal name, description, and set the time period. Choose your goal owner and select which team this goal belongs to.

Set up automatic progress tracking

In the goal setup, scroll to How will you measure progress? section. Select Automatic instead of Manual. Choose your metric type: Percent, Number, or Currency.

Automatic tracking saves time and ensures consistent updates without manual intervention.

Connect your goal to projects

Click + Connect work and select the projects, portfolios, or tasks you want to track. For project-based tracking, choose Project progress to track completion percentage, or Task count to count completed tasks.

You can connect multiple projects to a single goal for comprehensive tracking.

Configure custom field tracking

If using custom fields, click Custom field and select the field you want to track. Choose whether to track the sum, average, or count of values across connected projects.

Custom fields are powerful for tracking budget, hours, or other numerical metrics automatically.

Set your target value

Enter your target value in the Target field. This is what you're aiming to achieve. Asana will automatically calculate progress as a percentage of this target based on your connected work.

Make sure your target is realistic and measurable based on your connected projects.

Configure status updates

In the Status updates section, set how often you want progress reports. Choose from Weekly, Bi-weekly, or Monthly. Asana will automatically generate progress updates based on your connected work.

Regular status updates help keep stakeholders informed without manual reporting.

Save and monitor your goal

Click Create goal to save your setup. Your goal will now automatically update its progress based on the connected projects and metrics. View progress on the Goals dashboard or receive notifications when milestones are reached.

Check your Goals dashboard regularly to see how all your automated goals are progressing.

Common Issues & Troubleshooting

Goal progress isn't updating automatically

Verify that your connected projects have recent task activity and that you have the correct permissions. Check that custom fields are properly filled out if using custom field tracking.

Can't see the Goals feature

Goals are only available on Premium, Business, and Enterprise plans. Upgrade your account or ask your admin to enable Goals for your workspace.

Progress percentage seems incorrect

Review your target value and ensure it matches your actual goal. Check that all relevant projects are connected and that completed tasks are properly marked as done.

Status updates aren't generating

Ensure you have proper permissions on connected projects and that the goal owner has notification settings enabled. Check that your status update frequency is properly configured.

Prices mentioned in this guide are pulled from current plan data and may change. Always verify on the official Asana website before purchasing.

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