Profit.co allows you to control who can view each Objective by setting a visibility level at the time of creation. Visibility can be scoped to the entire organization, a specific management chain, a team, a custom access list, or kept private to yourself.
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What is OKR Visibility?
OKR Visibility is a setting on each Objective that determines which users in Profit.co can see it. You configure this during Objective creation using the Visibility dropdown in the Using Form side panel.
Why OKR Visibility Matters
Not all objectives are appropriate for organization-wide viewing. Strategic initiatives in early planning stages, sensitive performance goals, or personal development OKRs may need to be visible only to the relevant stakeholders.
OKR Visibility Levels at a Glance
At the individual level, five visibility options are available when creating an Objective using the form method:
| Visibility Option | Who Can See the OKR |
|---|---|
| All Employees | Every user in the organization |
| My Management | Only the users in your management chain (those above you) |
| My Directs | Only the employees who directly report to you |
| My Team | Everyone in your team (direct reports and peers within the team) |
| Access List | Only the specific employees you manually select |
How It Works: Setting OKR Visibility
Step 1
- Go to OKRs from the left navigation panel.
- Click the + Create Objective button.
- In the Create Objective side panel, locate the Visibility dropdown field.
- Click the dropdown and select the appropriate visibility option (e.g., All Employees, My Team, Only Myself, or Access List).
Step 2
- If you select Access List, a search and select pop-up will appear.
- Search for and select the specific employees, departments, or teams who should have access.
- Click Create to confirm your selections, then complete the Objective creation.
The visibility setting takes effect immediately upon Objective creation. Only the users or groups within the selected visibility scope will be able to see and interact with the Objective.
Best Practices for OKR Visibility
- Default to All Employees for company-wide alignment goals: Objectives that ladder up to the company strategy benefit from full visibility. This allows any employee to understand how their work connects to higher-level priorities, which is fundamental to OKR transparency.
- Use only me for personal development OKRs in early stages: if an individual OKR is still being shaped or relates to personal performance, keep it private until it is ready for broader visibility. You can update the visibility after creation.
- Use an access list for cross-functional initiatives with a defined stakeholder set: when an objective spans multiple departments, but only specific people need visibility, an access list prevents unnecessary noise for unrelated teams.
- Align visibility settings with your org's OKR governance policy: If your organization uses department-level OKRs for confidential targets (e.g., budget, headcount), set visibility to department rather than public to limit exposure to non-members.
- Review Access List members when team structure changes: if employees move teams or leave, revisit objectives with access list visibility to ensure the list remains accurate. Stale access lists can result in key stakeholders losing visibility or former employees retaining it.
Related Questions
- How to create objectives with restricted visibility?
- How do I set the department visibility and the access list?
- How to create an Individual OKR?
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. You can update the visibility setting of an existing Objective from the Objective's detail view. Changes take effect immediately — users who no longer meet the new visibility criteria will lose access, and newly included users will gain it.
Super Users in Profit.co typically have elevated access rights across the platform. Even when an Objective is set to Only Myself, Super Users may retain visibility depending on your organization's role configuration. Confirm the Super User access scope with your Profit.co administrator if confidentiality is a concern.
The Access List supports selecting individual employees, entire departments, and teams. When you choose Access List from the Visibility dropdown, the search popup lets you search by employee name, department name, or team name, and add any combination of these as your access group.
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