Why is Viva Goals retiring?
The main reason listed by Microsoft behind the retirement of Viva Goals is low adoption and usage rate. While the software giant mentioned that some organizations had recognized its potential, they weren't able to reach the scale and impact they envisioned, which made it difficult for them to justify any further investments.
Since December 5, 2024, Viva Goals has already been in a "feature freeze" phase meaning no new features were developed and all their existing design change requests were closed. Microsoft doesn't plan to replace Viva Goals with any new solution from their end. They have already urged existing users to look for alternatives and export their data before services completely cease on December 31, 2025.
How to migrate data from Viva Goals
Microsoft's Viva Goals retirement documentation lists 3 methods of exporting your data from Viva Goals. It can be done via API, Excel, and Powerpoint. Once your export is ready, you can bring in the same data to the new OKR platform you decide to choose. Exporting through Excel is the most recommended method as almost every OKR tool in the market supports importing through Excel. It is imperative that you prepare the export before December 31, 2025, because services and data will no longer be accessible post that.
Also see: How to Migrate from Viva Goals to Zoho Sprints
Viva Goals alternatives With Advanced Capabilities for 2026
| Tool | Stand-out features | Ideal for | Pricing Plans* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zoho Sprints | Agile workflows with pre-configured OKR suite, OKR linking to tasks and epics, detailed OKR progress tracking and dashboards | Any Agile or product development team looking to manage tasks and OKRs in one platform | Top (OKR functionality only in Top plan) -$5/user/month |
| Teamfelct | Microsoft 365 integration, automated check-ins, goal approvals, live OKR feed | Teams already using Microsoft 365 | Base -$7/user/month Top -$11/user/month |
| WorkBoard | Strategy-to-execution workflows, AI-assisted OKRs, dashboards & scorecards | Mid-to-large enterprises needing alignment & analytics | Custom pricing per request |
| Perdoo | OKRs and KPIs, strategy mapping, check-ins, Slack/Teams integration | SMBs looking for simple OKRs with performance management | Base -$7.2/user/month Top -$8.8/user/month |
1. Zoho Sprints: Agile execution combines forces with OKR capabilities
While almost all OKR tools in the market treat goals and actual work as a separate entity, Zoho Sprints brings in a uniquely effective approach by integrating them with entities in projects to create meaningful synergy. Even within the domain of Agile Project Management tools, Zoho Sprints brings to the table a complete pre-configured native OKR suite without the necessity of purchasing or linking to external add-ons. Despite primarily being an Agile Project Management tool, it finds its place as one of the top competitors to Microsoft Viva Goals because of it's highly capable built in OKR suite.
What's really special about Zoho Sprints is how it bridges the gap between strategic mapping and real-time execution. Teams can link OKRs to various project entities such as sprints, releases, epics and Kanban boards. The OKR suite also lets your easily track the progress of OKRs with comprehensive reports and visual charts. The fact that it enables users to view insightful Agile metrics alongside detailed OKR dashboards takes the "bird's eye view" concept to a whole new level.
Zoho Sprints' power lies in simplicity and adaptability. It focuses on strong foundational capabilities in terms of both Agile and OKR, and amalgamates them to create something that with almost universal utility. It navigates through over-complicated features found on most OKR tools with straightforward goal tracking and directly tying them with everyday execution. It comes with the lowest annual subscription rates on this list and making it one of the most cost-effective OKR software alternatives to Viva Goals.
2. Teamflect: Seamless OKRs for Microsoft-centric teams
When it comes to a Microsoft-oriented software environment, Teamflect is an OKR and performance management tool that really stands out. Its clear advantage lies in the fact that it deeply embeds OKR workflows with popular Microsoft suite tools like Teams and Outlook. With Teamflect, users can set goals, run check-ins and track progress without ever leaving their day-to-day workspace, if they choose.
Teamflect's OKR tracking is easy to use and comprehensive at the same time. It offers automated check-ins, flexible progress models and a neat live OKR feed that give teams a thorough picture of how individual goals are contributing to broader objectives. Features like goal linking to performance reviews and custom goal labels bring in a hint of variety over the usual OKR basics. Another highlight is their user-friendly visual interface making it a breeze for not so technical teams to engage with OKRs.
Where Teamflect falls behind is its deep dependence on the Microsoft ecosystem. If you are not already using Teams or Outlook, Teamflect is pretty much just another generic OKR tool. Advanced analytics are best accessed via the Power BI integration, which may require additional setup or subscriptions for teams seeking deeper insights or exporting capabilities.
3. WorkBoard: Strategy-to-execution OKRs for enterprise alignment
WorkBoard is a strong choice to consider as an OKR software for enterprise companies and large-scale utility. WorkBoard excels at standardizing OKR creation, measurement and accountability at scale in organizations that spread out across multi-level teams, departments and leadership units. It does so through core components like alignment mapping, dependency plotting and AI assistance.
For enterprises with complex organizational structures, WorkBoard has a clear advantage in offering clarity and governance that simpler OKR tools often lack. WorkBoard is an OKR software with strong reporting features. The platform excels with data-rich dashboards, scorecards and supports integrations with popular business systems like Jira, Salesforce, Slack and more. A very cool party trick that WorkBoard has is that it lets you run QBRs and MBRs within the tool itself based on the data already in the system.
The downsides of WorkBoard are its deep setup requirements and learning curve which makes it not-so ideal for smaller teams or organizations that are new to OKR. Implementation necessitates onboarding support, configuration and more strenuous levels of training. WorkBoard functions on custom pricing models based on requirements, but event then the associated costs tend to be far higher than other OKR tools in the market. These factors combined make WorkBoard best suited for the large enterprise niche.
4. Perdoo: Simplified OKRs and KPI tracking for developing teams
Perdoo is in many senses the opposite of WorkBoard because of its pure simplicity and ideal fit for startups and teams that are new to the OKR concept. It offers a clean and approachable OKR system that also consists of KPI tracking under the same roof. Perdoo's strategy mapping visually connects company goals, team OKRs and key results that give teams a clear view from organizational strategy to daily work.
The platform supports features like check-ins, progress updates, performance metrics and engagement features. Perdoo's interface is visibly intuitive and encourages an environment of frequent updates, adding to its advantage towards companies introducing OKRs into their system for the first time. Perdoo emphasizes more on people-centric functionality with 1:1 meetings, performance reviews, peer recognition capabilities and pulse surveys.
While Perdoo excels in simplicity and ease of use, it falls behind in terms of flexibility and scalability compared to the other platforms. Larger teams often find its dashboards, reporting options and customization capabilities quite restrictive. Its workflow automation capabilities are quite limited with no native support for advanced cross-department dependency tracking. It is however one of the most ideal OKR tools for small business owners.
Best Alternative to Viva Goals: Zoho sprints
Conventional OKR tools are centered almost entirely around the goal setting and tracking aspect. Teams are required to juggle between separate project management and goal tracking platforms to convert their aspirations into direct results. Bringing OKRs straight into project workflows lets teams view, update and measure their goals in sync with the real-time impactful tasks they complete on a daily basis.
Zoho Sprints delivers exactly that and with extra finesse. This integrated OKR-Agile Project Management approach empowers members across the organization with instant insights into how every sprint, task and epic is moving them towards achieving their larger business outcomes. By housing strategy and execution in one unified platform, Zoho Sprints lets your organization foster more transparency, accelerate results and make it easier to scale impact irrespective of your team size or complexity.
FAQs
Viva Goals is being retired by Microsoft due to low adoption and usage rates. It didn't meet the requirements that they had envisioned.
Some of the common challenges associated with Microsoft Viva Goals as reported by users are:
- Disconnect between goals and daily work
- Minimal execution-suppot features
- Clunky UI/UX with cumbersome navigation
All the tools mentioned on this list, i.e. Zoho Sprints, TeamFlect, WorkBoard and Perdoo support Microsoft Teams integrations. Of the four, TeamFlect has the most extensive integration with Microsoft Teams.
The most sought-after essential features in an OKR platform are:
- Objective & Key Result Management: Create, assign, and structure OKRs across teams and hierarchies.
- Progress Tracking & Visualization: Real-time dashboards and visual charts to monitor goal completion.
- Alignment & Linking: Connect OKRs to tasks, projects, and other OKRs to ensure work drives strategic outcomes.
- Check-ins & Updates: Automated or manual progress updates to maintain accountability and visibility.
- Integration Capabilities: Seamless connections with PM tools, collaboration platforms, and analytics software to reduce friction and keep OKRs actionable.
Some of the popular OKR software similar to Microsoft Viva Goals include Zoho Sprints, Teamflect, WorkBoard and Perdoo.