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How to write OKRs with examples

How to write OKRs with examples
Table of Contents

All businesses have objectives. These can occasionally be internal, like creating a fantastic culture. Sometimes they are internal objectives, like providing a wonderful experience for your customers. But achieving those goals takes more than putting your intentions out into the universe — you need a plan.

You need to understand how to write OKRs and if you’re wondering how to write OKRs that work, you’re in the right place. In this article, we’ll take you through:

  • The format of an OKR
  • What are good OKRs and bad ones
  • How to draft useful OKRs

So let's dive straight in!!

What are OKRs

OKRs, or Objectives and Key Results, is a goal-setting framework used by organizations to define and track their objectives and the outcomes they aim to achieve. OKRs provide a structured approach for setting and measuring goals, fostering alignment, transparency, and accountability within teams and across the organization.

OKRs ensure that an organization's leaders, teams, departments, and individual contributors are on the same page. Every stakeholder can prioritize tasks and projects and understand how their daily work contributes to the same overarching goals thanks to the OKR goal-setting framework.

Few tips to get started

  1. Start small to test the framework.
  2. Involve leaders and key stakeholders for support.
  3. Provide training and resources for teams.
  4. Focus on a limited number of objectives.
  5. Craft specific and measurable key results.
  6. Empower teams to set their own OKRs.
  7. Schedule regular check-in meetings to review progress.
  8. Celebrate achievements to motivate teams.

How do you set an OKR?

OKRs are among the easiest tools for almost every type of business when it comes to goal-setting frameworks.

Writing an OKR that works starts with an objective statement that is time-bound, goal-oriented, and actionable.

For example:

How do you set an OKR?

Then, as you work toward the goal, use key results to gauge your progress.

It's important to keep your key results concise, quantifiable, and actionable when writing them. There isn't a set formula for how many key outcomes an objective must have, but a good guideline is to aim for 3 to 5. 

Here is an illustration of 3 important outcomes for the final goal mentioned above: