A Strategic Upgrade: Moving From Microsoft Viva Goals to Kendis

Microsoft's decision to retire Viva Goals by December 31, 2025, marks a critical inflection point for countless organizations committed to Objectives and Key Results (OKRs). While the sunsetting of any core strategic tool can introduce uncertainty, this mandatory transition is, in fact, an extraordinary opportunity. It is the moment to move beyond basic goal tracking and strategically upgrade to a platform built specifically for enterprise execution, alignment, and quantifiable value realization.

This is not a search for a simple replacement; it is a strategic migration to Kendis, the dedicated platform engineered to link high-level strategy directly to scaled execution.

Why Replacement Isn't Enough 

For large enterprises, particularly those leveraging scaled Agile frameworks like SAFe, the immediate risk is a disruption in the continuous flow of execution. The challenge is twofold:

1. Data Continuity Anxiety: How do we preserve valuable historical OKR context?
2. Execution Stability: How do we ensure the new platform does more than just list goals, but actually accelerates the delivery of business value?

Why This is Your Moment to Switch to a Better Alternative

Microsoft’s withdrawal from the dedicated OKR space requires current users to seek vendors who place strategic execution at the core of their business model . For enterprises running scaled Agile frameworks like SAFe, the priorities shift from simple goal visibility to robust Strategy-to-Execution linkage.

The critical opportunity now is to:

1. Mitigate Future Risk: Avoid investing in generalist platforms that may shift focus or be retired down the line.
2. Ensure Long-Term Stability: Select a solution engineered for enterprise-grade execution, security, and continuous innovation.

Connecting Goals to Actual Work and Value

The true measure of an OKR platform is not how easy it is to set goals, but how effectively it drives and measures the delivery of business outcomes. This is where Kendis offers a significant strategic advantage, transforming the OKR process from a siloed activity into an engine of continuous value realization.

Kendis is designed to eliminate the historic gap between strategic intent and team delivery. This is achieved by embedding OKRs directly into the execution layer:

• Direct Work Linkage: Kendis provides a specialized way to track objectives by directly linking Key Results (KRs) to the actual work items—features and user stories—on your Program Board. This ensures that work prioritized during Program Increment (PI) planning is demonstrably tied to strategic goals.  
  
• Verifiable ROI with Business Value (BV): We move accountability past simple percentage completion. Kendis allows you to set a Business Value for each Key Result and track the BV Achieved upon delivery. This elevates the conversation from if the task was completed to what tangible value was realized, providing the quantifiable ROI necessary for executive stakeholders.

Keeping Data Safe and Security Seamless

The most urgent need during any migration is assurance of data continuity and minimal disruption to established technical workflows. Kendis guarantees enterprise stability through a focus on technical parity and strategic independence.
When facing the mandated move away from Viva Goals, many organizations worry about losing historical context.

Viva Goals offers data export via API, Excel, and PowerPoint . To counter the challenge of reconstructing this complex data, Kendis ensures stability through Structured Import and Mapping. Kendis features robust Excel/CSV import tools that allow your team to map your existing OKR structures into the new platform. Crucially, this provides a mechanism to preserve valuable strategic context and continuity

A second major concern is integration disruption. 

All native integrations between Viva Goals and other tools (like Azure DevOps and Teams) will cease functioning entirely after the December 31, 2025, retirement deadline. Kendis bypasses this risk by offering Bi-directional ALM Synchronization with core Agile Lifecycle Management (ALM) tools, including Azure DevOps (ADO) and Jira . This approach eliminates the need to move your active work data; Kendis simply acts as a strategic visualization layer on top of your existing backlogs. This ensures your delivery teams continue working in their familiar environments with zero disruption to their daily flow.

Finally, navigating security and identity management during a platform switch can be complex. Kendis addresses this by offering Microsoft Entra ID (Azure AD) Continuity . This enables seamless Single Sign-On (SSO) for users, allowing you to maintain high security standards, centralized user management, and organizational hierarchy synchronization using your existing Microsoft infrastructure .

Your Invitation to a Better Way to Execute

The mandatory migration from Viva Goals is a catalyst for positive change. It is an invitation to upgrade your entire execution environment—moving from a retiring goal-setting layer to a powerful, specialized platform that connects every delivered item to a measurable business objective.

Don't treat this transition as a simple technical chore. View it as the opportunity to adopt a platform built for your organization’s long-term agility and success.

We encourage you to explore our resources and engage with our team to understand the Kendis Strategic Upgrade path. Let us help you transform this forced transition into your most valuable strategic investment this year.