Goals and milestones
Goals are the maturity targets you commit to; milestones are the dated checkpoints that prove you are on track.
Last updated September 22, 2026
A goal in Pytheus is a commitment to raise maturity from where it is now to a defined target. Because targets are set per capability, every goal ties back to a real CAMP score rather than a vague intention to improve security. That grounding is what lets you report progress in numbers instead of effort.
Milestones are the dated checkpoints between today and a goal's target. They break a multi-quarter climb into stages you can verify, so a goal to move Patch Management from maturity 2 to 4 becomes a sequence of observable steps rather than a single far-off date.
Good goals share a few traits:
They name a target maturity, not just "better." The gap between current and target is what feeds priority.
They respect criticality. A compliance-required capability earns attention ahead of a nice-to-have, even when the raw gap is smaller.
They have an owner and a date, so a slipping milestone is visible early.
Hitting a milestone should move a real score. Goal alignment is one component of your Pytheus Score and execution discipline is another, so consistently meeting committed milestones lifts the headline number, not just the domain you worked on.
Set goals at the level you manage. Most teams anchor on domain goals for leadership reporting and break them into capability goals for the people doing the work. Then watch the projected effect in timeline and projections.