Microsoft Viva Goals is being retired on December 31st, 2025. By that time, you must have migrated to a different strategy execution and OKR platform. With this article, we’ll show you how easy it is to transition from Microsoft Viva Goals to WorkBoardAI (like 30+ Viva Goals customers already have).
We’ll walk you through key features of both platforms showing you how similar (or different) it is to manage OKRs. The goal is to avoid a steep learning curve and make the transition as smooth as possible for your organization.
We’ll cover topics such as:
- Setting OKRs
- Goal tracking
- Updating key results
- Generating AI summaries
- Building and customizing dashboards
- Viewing OKR data, progress and advanced analytics
1. Setting OKRs
WorkBoardAI offers a familiar flexible OKR platform with a doc-style experience for creating goals. Your teams can write OKRs on their own from scratch, from a document, or use AI Co-Author to help draft and refine them. During the OKR creation flow, the platform's AI also suggests related key results to connect to, so alignment is easier from the start.
What’s similar:
Clean, document-style goal setting with structured OKRs.
What’s different:
AI-assisted OKR creation flow to write strong OKRs and suggests strategic alignment across teams automatically.
2. Built-in integrations for automatic KR updates
WorkBoardAI makes it easy to connect key results to the systems teams already use — including the full Microsoft ecosystem, Jira, Salesforce, Asana and more. Link individual results directly with a few clicks so progress updates automatically.
You’ll also see the data source and KR owner clearly across all views, which helps keep updates consistent and accountable.
What’s similar:
Integrates with all platforms you’re used to with Viva Goals — including Excel, Azure DevOps, Power BI, and other Microsoft apps. The full WorkBoardAI application is available in Microsoft Teams.
What’s different:
WorkBoardAI goes beyond basic OKR tracking and connects to more data sources — such as Workday for integrated org structure and bi-directional personal goals sync.
3. Viewing and keeping track of OKRs
WorkBoardAI shows you in a glance what needs attention right away, whether that’s overdue updates or missing alignment. WorkBoardAI proactively notifies team members when updates are needed, or key results are at risk, improving employee engagement. You and your teams can update key results directly in WorkBoardAI, in Microsoft Teams, or ADO.
AI briefings ensure every team member has the facts ahead of the meeting.
What’s similar:
Alerts for missing updates, flexible ways to update OKRs, MS Teams integration.
What’s different:
AI-generated briefings on OKRs and scorecards — available instantly or scheduled for weekly delivery.
4. Updating Key Results (check-ins in Viva Goals)
WorkBoardAI makes it easy to update key results with both numbers and context. You’ll get alerts in the app and in Teams that take you directly to what needs attention. Updates can include a numeric value, a quick note, and a simple red-yellow-green status (confidence level) to show how things are really going.
The confidence level help you express how you feel about hitting a goal — even if the metric hasn’t moved. On top of everything, each update is time-stamped for easy OKR tracking.
What’s similar:
Notifications in Teams, inline updates with comments, attach images to OKR comments (check in notes), and dynamically update KRs.
What’s different:
In addition to the automatic red-yellow-green status based on progress to plan and time remaining. Team members can add a confidence flag status to provide additional context, or insight on progress and expected measurable outcomes.
5. AI summaries
WorkBoardAI creates instant summaries of your teams’ progress. These summaries are tailored to the period, format, and language you choose. You can generate summaries for specific teams, dashboards, or individuals, and then post them to MS Teams, send them via email, or schedule for regular delivery.
Viva Goals provides you with basic text summaries. On the other hand, WorkBoardAI pulls in real-time data from OKR updates, workstreams (initiatives in Viva Goals), and scorecards — so they reflect actual progress, not just static status notes.
What’s similar:
AI-generated summaries (basic on Viva Goals) which can be shared to MS Teams, Slack, email and more.
What’s different:
Full context AI summaries from OKRs, workstreams, meetings, scorecards with the option to be scheduled for in-platform delivery or shared instantly across connected platforms.
6. Creating and customizing dashboards
WorkBoardAI builds on the dashboard concept you’re used to at Viva Goals by giving you more control. You can add charts, scorecards, strategic objectives, KRs, and even operational data from systems like Power Bi, Salesforce or Jira. Layouts are fully customizable, with the ability to group, label, and format as needed.
Dashboards and reports update automatically, and you can add AI summaries as pre-reads for important meeting or change reports on the go. With WorkBoardAI you have the option to change between single-quarter or multi-quarter views, track dependencies, and include KPIs alongside OKRs.
What’s similar:
Dashboards that show OKRs data and progress with customizable views.
What’s different:
WorkBoardAI builds on with robust analytics and seamless access to more data systems than Viva Goals — plus built-in tools for business reviews and team briefings.
Switch to a platform that feels like home right from the start
WorkBoardAI gives you all the capabilities you're familiar with from Microsoft Viva Goals, and builds on them with added value that makes day-to-day work easier and helps your managers and teams execute strategy more effectively.
We know you want to keep things simple.
But once you experience next generation strategy execution, you won’t want to go back.
Here’s what you get when you choose WorkBoardAI:
AI agents
WorkBoardAI is the ultimate performance management solution that gives every manager extra capacity with the Chief of Staff and leadership coach agents. The Chief of staff agent drafts meeting pre-reads, create scorecards, flag risk and blockers and automatically nudges team members for updates.
The Leadership Coach agent helps run more effective 1on1s and improve performance reviews and feedback by surfacing team signals, suggesting agenda topics, and even framing tough conversations.
OKR Heatmaps
Monitor progress and risks across the whole business for seamless initiative tracking. Heatmaps roll up OKRs by team, level, or category — with color-coded indicators to help you see where to focus, where support is needed, and what’s off track.
Meetings and 1on1s
The meetings features help you turn status updates into real strategy conversations they bring actual AI-powered insights into every meeting — whether it’s a weekly 1on1 or a quarterly business review.
Managers and team members show up informed with a ready-to-tackle agenda.
Canvas for OKRs & Retros
Use interactive whiteboards as flexible space for teams to draft, reflect, and align on OKRs. Collaboratively co-create OKRs and run retrospectives — all with AI-powered suggestions to guide the conversations.
Strategy Module
Keep your long-term strategy visible and connected to execution. WorkBoardAI links your multi-year strategic planning directly to the work and goals across the org.
Project management
WorkBoardAI includes robust project management capabilities with workstreams and action items that connect directly to your strategic priorities. Organize your work by list, kanban board, milestones, or timeline views to get fully structured projects and tasks that roll up to your key results.
Why choose WorkBoardAI as your alternative to Viva Goals?
WorkBoardAI is trusted by over 30,000 users and organizations like 3M, AstraZeneca, Boeing, Cisco, Roche, Mars, Workday, Renault, and more to align people and outcomes across the business.
Microsoft M12 is also an investor in WorkBoardAI. By choosing WorkBoardAI, you get:
- Enterprise ready solution that runs securely on Microsoft Azure in US and European data centers, with ISO/IEC 27001, SOC 2, TiSAX, and full GDPR compliance
- Purpose-built platform for strategy execution with OKRs that has led the category since 2014
- One-step migration from Viva Goals via API or Excel/PowerPoint
- Seamless integration with the Microsoft ecosystem
- Exceptional support, customer success team, feature development, and a rich learning hub
- Strong community for strategy leaders, including annual conference Accelerate
Ready to move away from Viva Goals? Contact us and let’s discuss your needs.
