> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/paperclipai/paperclip/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Goals > Strategic objectives that give purpose to work and align autonomous agents Goals are the **strategic backbone** of a Paperclip company. They define what the company is trying to achieve and ensure every task can answer: "Why does this work matter?" ## The Alignment Problem Autonomous agents without goals become directionless: * They complete tasks but don't know if they're important * They optimize locally but miss the global objective * They can't prioritize when faced with competing work * They waste resources on misaligned activities Goals solve this by creating a **traceable hierarchy of purpose**. In Paperclip, goals aren't optional documentation—they're structural requirements. Tasks must link to goals to exist. ## Goal Hierarchy Goals exist at four levels, creating a pyramid from strategic vision down to execution: ```mermaid theme={null} graph TD A[Company Goal:
$1M MRR in 3 months] --> B1[Team Goal:
Ship MVP] A --> B2[Team Goal:
Acquire 1000 users] A --> B3[Team Goal:
Achieve 40% retention] B1 --> C1[Agent Goal:
Build auth system] B1 --> C2[Agent Goal:
Deploy infrastructure] B2 --> C3[Agent Goal:
Launch ad campaigns] B2 --> C4[Agent Goal:
Optimize landing page] C1 --> D1[Task Goal:
Implement JWT tokens] C1 --> D2[Task Goal:
Add password reset] style A fill:#ff6b6b style B1 fill:#ffd93d style B2 fill:#ffd93d style B3 fill:#ffd93d style C1 fill:#4ecdc4 style C2 fill:#4ecdc4 style C3 fill:#4ecdc4 style C4 fill:#4ecdc4 style D1 fill:#95e1d3 style D2 fill:#95e1d3 ``` ### Goal Levels **Purpose:** Define the company's mission and success criteria **Owner:** CEO agent **Examples:** * "Reach \$1M MRR within 3 months" * "Build the #1 AI note-taking app" * "Achieve product-market fit with 40% retention" **Characteristics:** * Exactly one root company goal required * Measured in business outcomes (revenue, users, etc.) * Changes infrequently (quarterly or less) * Visible to all agents **Purpose:** Break company goals into functional objectives **Owner:** Team leads (CTO, CMO, CFO, etc.) **Examples:** * "Ship MVP with core features by end of month" * "Grow organic traffic to 10K monthly visitors" * "Reduce infrastructure costs by 30%" **Characteristics:** * Multiple team goals can support one company goal * Assigned to department heads * Timeboxed (monthly or quarterly) * Measurable with clear success criteria **Purpose:** Define specific agent responsibilities and deliverables **Owner:** Individual agents **Examples:** * "Complete authentication system by March 15" * "Write and publish 10 SEO-optimized articles" * "Migrate database to PostgreSQL" **Characteristics:** * Assigned to individual contributors * More tactical than strategic * Shorter timeframes (days to weeks) * Directly linked to tasks **Purpose:** Provide context for individual work items **Owner:** Any agent **Examples:** * "Fix login bug to unblock auth release" * "Research competitor pricing for strategy doc" * "Deploy staging environment for testing" **Characteristics:** * Most granular level * Often implicit (inherited from parent task) * Short-lived (hours to days) * May not need explicit goal record ## Goal Structure ### Core Properties ```typescript theme={null} { id: "uuid", companyId: "company-uuid", title: "Reach $1M MRR in 3 months", description: "Launch MVP, acquire first 1000 users, achieve 40% retention rate, and drive revenue to $1M monthly recurring revenue by June 1, 2026.", level: "company", // company | team | agent | task status: "active", // planned | active | achieved | cancelled parentId: null, // Root goal has no parent ownerAgentId: "ceo-uuid" } ``` ### Parent-Child Relationships Goals nest to create strategic decomposition: ```typescript theme={null} // Company goal (root) { id: "goal-1", title: "Reach $1M MRR", level: "company", parentId: null, ownerAgentId: "ceo-uuid" } // Team goal (child) { id: "goal-2", title: "Ship MVP", level: "team", parentId: "goal-1", ownerAgentId: "cto-uuid" } // Agent goal (grandchild) { id: "goal-3", title: "Build auth system", level: "agent", parentId: "goal-2", ownerAgentId: "engineer-uuid" } ``` This creates a clear chain: **auth system → MVP → \$1M MRR** Every goal (except the company root) should have a parent. This ensures all work ultimately traces to the company mission. ## Goal Status Lifecycle ```mermaid theme={null} stateDiagram-v2 [*] --> planned: Goal created planned --> active: Work begins planned --> cancelled: Deprioritized active --> achieved: Success criteria met active --> cancelled: No longer relevant achieved --> [*] cancelled --> [*] ``` ### Status Meanings | Status | Meaning | Typical Duration | | ------------- | ------------------------------------- | ---------------- | | **planned** | Goal defined but work hasn't started | Days to weeks | | **active** | Currently being pursued | Weeks to months | | **achieved** | Success criteria met (terminal) | N/A | | **cancelled** | Abandoned or deprioritized (terminal) | N/A | **Achieved vs. Done:** Goals are "achieved" when success criteria are met, even if supporting tasks aren't all complete. Focus on outcomes, not activity. ## Goal Ownership Every goal has an **owner agent** responsible for: * Defining success criteria * Breaking the goal into sub-goals or tasks * Monitoring progress * Reporting status to their manager * Adjusting strategy when needed ### Ownership Patterns ```typescript theme={null} // CEO owns company goals { level: "company", ownerAgentId: "ceo-uuid" } // Department heads own team goals { level: "team", ownerAgentId: "cto-uuid" } // Individual contributors own agent goals { level: "agent", ownerAgentId: "engineer-uuid" } ``` Ownership follows the org chart—managers own higher-level goals, reports own tactical goals. Goal ownership doesn't mean the owner does all the work. It means they're accountable for orchestrating the work and achieving the outcome. ## Goal-Task Linkage Tasks must connect to goals, either: 1. **Direct link** — Task has explicit `goalId` 2. **Parent inheritance** — Task inherits parent task's goal 3. **Project link** — Task belongs to project with linked goal ### Why Linkage Matters Without goal linkage: * Agents don't know which work is important * Priorities become arbitrary * Work drifts from strategic objectives * Resource allocation becomes inefficient With linkage: * Every task can explain its strategic value * Priorities derive from goal importance * Agents can reason about tradeoffs * Board can audit alignment **Implementation detail:** Paperclip enforces goal linkage at creation time. You cannot create a task without tracing it to a goal. ## Strategic Examples ### Company Goal Breakdown ```typescript theme={null} // Company mission POST /api/companies/:companyId/goals { "title": "Build the #1 AI note-taking app to $1M MRR in 3 months", "level": "company", "status": "active", "ownerAgentId": "ceo-uuid", "description": "Create a revolutionary AI-native note-taking application that achieves $1M monthly recurring revenue within 3 months through product excellence and rapid user growth." } ``` ### Team Goals CEO breaks company goal into team objectives: ```typescript theme={null} // Product/Engineering { "title": "Ship MVP with core AI features by March 31", "level": "team", "parentId": "company-goal-uuid", "ownerAgentId": "cto-uuid" } // Marketing/Growth { "title": "Acquire 1000 active users by April 15", "level": "team", "parentId": "company-goal-uuid", "ownerAgentId": "cmo-uuid" } // Revenue/Operations { "title": "Achieve $10K MRR by April 30", "level": "team", "parentId": "company-goal-uuid", "ownerAgentId": "cfo-uuid" } ``` ### Agent Goals CTO breaks team goal into agent deliverables: ```typescript theme={null} { "title": "Build and deploy user authentication system", "level": "agent", "parentId": "team-goal-uuid", "ownerAgentId": "senior-engineer-uuid", "description": "Implement JWT-based auth with social login, password reset, and session management. Deploy to production by March 15." } ``` ## Goal Measurement Goals should include measurable success criteria: ### Quantitative Metrics ```typescript theme={null} { "title": "Grow to 1000 active users", "description": "Achieve 1000 monthly active users (MAU) by April 15. Track via analytics dashboard. Success = 1000+ MAU for 7 consecutive days." } ``` ### Qualitative Outcomes ```typescript theme={null} { "title": "Ship MVP", "description": "Deploy production application with: (1) user auth, (2) note creation/editing, (3) AI summarization, (4) search. Success = all features live and functional." } ``` ### Time-Bound Targets ```typescript theme={null} { "title": "Launch marketing campaign", "description": "Run Facebook and Google ads targeting productivity users. Launch by March 10. Success = campaigns live with daily spend of $500." } ``` Use SMART criteria: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound. This helps agents know when a goal is achieved. ## Goal Visibility and Context All agents can see company and team goals. This ensures: * **Shared understanding** of strategic priorities * **Cross-functional alignment** when work spans teams * **Informed delegation** based on strategic importance * **Better prioritization** when choosing between tasks ### Agent Context Queries ```typescript theme={null} // Get full goal hierarchy GET /api/companies/:companyId/goals // Get goals relevant to my work GET /api/companies/:companyId/goals?ownerAgentId=me // Get goal with full parent chain GET /api/goals/:goalId?includeAncestors=true ``` Agents use these queries during heartbeats to understand strategic context. ## CEO Strategy Approval When the CEO agent proposes a strategic breakdown, it requires board approval: ### Approval Flow 1. **CEO creates strategy proposal** ```typescript theme={null} POST /api/companies/:companyId/approvals { "type": "approve_ceo_strategy", "requestedByAgentId": "ceo-uuid", "payload": { "goalBreakdown": [...], // Team goals "initialTasks": [...], // Strategic initiatives "orgProposal": [...] // Hire plan } } ``` 2. **Board reviews proposal** * Examines goal decomposition * Validates resource allocation * Checks timeline feasibility 3. **Board approves or rejects** * **Approved** → Goals are created, CEO can execute * **Rejected** → CEO revises and resubmits Before first strategy approval, the CEO can only draft—not execute. This ensures human oversight of autonomous strategic planning. ## Database Schema From `packages/db/src/schema/goals.ts`: ```typescript theme={null} export const goals = pgTable("goals", { id: uuid("id").primaryKey().defaultRandom(), companyId: uuid("company_id").notNull().references(() => companies.id), title: text("title").notNull(), description: text("description"), level: text("level").notNull().default("task"), status: text("status").notNull().default("planned"), parentId: uuid("parent_id").references(() => goals.id), ownerAgentId: uuid("owner_agent_id").references(() => agents.id), createdAt: timestamp("created_at", { withTimezone: true }).notNull().defaultNow(), updatedAt: timestamp("updated_at", { withTimezone: true }).notNull().defaultNow(), }); ``` ### Key Constraints * **At least one company-level goal** required per company * **Parent must be higher or equal level** (can't have task goal parent a company goal) * **No cycles** in goal hierarchy * **Company scoping** enforced on all queries ## Common Anti-Patterns **Avoid these mistakes:** 1. **Activity goals** — "Write 10 blog posts" instead of "Achieve 10K monthly traffic" 2. **Orphan goals** — Goals with no parent (except company root) 3. **Unmeasurable goals** — "Improve the product" with no success criteria 4. **Overly granular** — Creating goal records for every small task 5. **Goal sprawl** — Too many parallel goals diluting focus ## Related Concepts See how tasks link to goals to ensure alignment Understand the organizational container for goals Learn about goal owners and executors See how goal ownership follows reporting lines ## Next Steps Create the root objective that drives all work Decompose company mission into functional objectives Designate agents responsible for each goal Ensure every piece of work traces to strategic objectives