Big news for Focus admins!
Hiya, everyone! Jake here, Product Manager for Focus. I am stoked to announce a big upgrade to Focus administration. We are rebuilding the settings that control fields, types, and statuses so that you can customize Focus how you want.
We are also separating health and status into two distinct fields so that you can monitor where your Focus Areas are at in their lifecycle, and how well they are doing. Big news, don’t ya think?
We know that every organization has different processes and requirements based on the type of initiative they’re investing in. Previously, Focus treated them all the same. But with these new enhancements, and more enhancements coming down the line, administrators will be able to customize and require anything based on their type or level.
Read on to see what we’re launching and when, and how to get started.
First, two quick definitions
An object is an item that exists natively in Focus. Focus’s objects are Focus Areas, Organizations, Asks, and Strategic Event Proposals. Risks are also an object in Focus that are currently in EAP.
An object type is a variation of an object that you define and configure. Types are how you model your business in Focus.
- Focus Area Example – “Company Strategy” and “Big Rock” can both be Focus Area types.
- Asks Example – “Dependency Request” and “Intake” can both be Ask types.
What's new
1. The Fields setting (previously “Custom fields”)
Fields is now the single place to manage every field across every Focus object. From here you can:
- Create custom fields and describe what they are for, so your teams know what to put in them.
- View and edit certain standard fields, including two new ones: Priority and T-Shirt Size.
- Hide certain fields across all object types.
2. The Types setting (previously “Hierarchies”)
Types bring all of your object types into one place with a consistent, clean UI. It covers all objects. From here you can:
- Create new object types and describe them.
- Set the levels for your Focus Areas and Organizations.
- Add or hide fields (both standard and custom) per object type. For now you can have up to 50 custom fields on Focus Areas and 15 on Asks.
- Show or require fields (both standard and custom) on create. Requiring fields when moving objects from one status to another is coming later.
3. The new Statuses setting
You can create up to 15 statuses for Focus Areas and Asks. Status has a color and is mapped to a status category (to do, in progress, or done) so that reporting and rollups stay consistent no matter what you name things.
As part of this work, we also separated status from health. Up until this point we were answering two critical questions with one field, but that is no longer! Status tells you where a Focus Area is in its lifecycle, and health tells you how well it's going. Health options are on track, off track, and at risk, and users can clear health entirely when it isn't relevant.
Because status and health changes are usually the moments when someone needs to know something, you will be able to trigger updates for them in Studio!
4. Visual upgrades
To keep data clean and expectations clear across varying object types, you'll see a distinct visual difference between fields you cannot edit and those awaiting input.
There are also a handful of smaller UX improvements across data visualizations, directories, and other Focus surfaces.
When this all becomes available
- Many of these updates will come on October 28, 2026, including each new setting and the separation of health and status.
- Certain customization for Focus Areas within the new Types setting will come before the end of the year, such as the ability to hide fields by Focus Area type.
- Other functionality relating to Strategic Event Proposals and Organizations, as well as requiring fields during status transitions, will come next year.
If there is certain administrative functionality that you need more specific timing on, please reach out or comment on this post!
How to get started
For those of you with Focus admin permissions, you can take the following steps –
- Open Focus settings.
- Start in Fields – create custom fields and give each a description.
- Then Types – create your object types, set your levels, then decide which fields appear and which are shown or required on create.
- Then Statuses – rename or create your statuses, pick colors, and map to a category.
What to expect on health and status
Since one field is becoming two for Focus Areas, we want to clearly lay out what you’ll see on October 28th.
Existing Focus Area status | → New Focus Area status | → New Focus Area health |
|---|
Off track | NEW In progress | Off track |
|---|
At risk | NEW In progress | At risk |
|---|
On track | NEW In progress | On track |
|---|
Pending | Pending | No health |
|---|
Paused | Paused | No health |
|---|
Completed | Completed | No health |
|---|
Please comment on this post or reach out if any of your questions are not answered below!
Frequently asked questions
What happened to “Custom fields” and “Hierarchies”?
They were renamed. “Custom fields” is now Fields because it manages standard fields too. “Hierarchies” is now Types because levels are only one part of what you configure there.
What is the difference between status and health?
Status is where a Focus Area is in its lifecycle. You can define the options. Health is how well it is going, and the options are fixed: on track, off track, and at risk. Health can also be cleared.
Why map statuses to a category?
So that reporting still works. You can call a status whatever makes sense at your company, and Focus still knows whether it counts as not started, in flight, or finished.
Are there limits I should know about?
Yes. For now, there can be up to 15 statuses, up to 50 custom fields on Focus Areas, and up to 15 custom fields on Asks.
