OKRs

Introduction to OKRs

OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) is a goal-setting framework that helps organizations define and track objectives and their outcomes. The product provides a comprehensive OKR management system that allows you to create objectives, define measurable key results, and track progress over time.

Understanding the OKR Framework

Objectives

Objectives are qualitative, inspirational goals that define what you want to achieve. They should be:

• Ambitious - Push your team to achieve more
• Qualitative - Describe a desired outcome, not a metric
• Time-bound - Have a clear timeframe (quarterly, yearly, etc.)
• Actionable - Something your team can influence directly

Key Results

Key Results are quantitative measures that track progress toward an objective. Each objective can have multiple key results. They should be:

• Measurable - Have a clear numeric target
• Specific - Define exactly what success looks like
• Achievable - Challenging but realistic
• Relevant - Directly contribute to the objective

Creating Objectives

To create a new objective:

1. Navigate to the OKRs section from the sidebar
2. Click New Objective
3. Fill in the objective details:
   • Title - A clear, inspiring statement of what you want to achieve
   • Description - Additional context and details about the objective
   • Owner - The team member responsible for this objective
   • Timeframe - Select quarterly, yearly, or custom date range
   • Growth Areas - Tag relevant growth areas this objective contributes to
   • Visibility - Choose who can see this objective (organization-wide or limited)

Objective Status

Objectives progress through the following statuses:

• Draft - Initial creation, not yet active
• Active - Currently being worked on
• Completed - Successfully achieved
• Cancelled - No longer being pursued

Creating Key Results

Once you have an objective, add key results to measure progress:

1. Open an existing objective
2. Click Add Key Result
3. Configure the key result:
   • Title - What you're measuring
   • Metric Name - The specific metric being tracked
   • Metric Unit - The unit of measurement (%, $, count, etc.)
   • Start Value - Your baseline or starting point
   • Target Value - The goal you're aiming to reach
   • Goal Direction - Whether you want to increase or decrease the metric

Calculation Types

Key results support different calculation methods:

• Absolute Target - Reach a specific number (e.g., reach 1,000 customers)
• Percentage Lift - Achieve a percentage improvement (e.g., increase by 20%)
• Absolute Lift - Achieve a fixed increase (e.g., add 500 new customers)

Tracking Frequency

Set how often you'll update progress:

• Daily - For fast-moving metrics
• Weekly - Common for operational metrics
• Monthly - Typical for strategic metrics
• Quarterly - For long-term objectives

Rollup Methods

When you have multiple data points, choose how to calculate the current value:

• Last Value - Use the most recent measurement
• Average - Calculate the mean of all measurements
• Sum - Add up all measurements
• Maximum - Use the highest value
• Minimum - Use the lowest value

Progress Tracking

Updating Progress

Regularly update your key results with new measurements:

1. Navigate to the key result
2. Click Update Progress or use the inline update
3. Enter the new current value
4. Optionally add a note explaining the update

The system automatically calculates:

• Progress percentage - How far you've come toward your target
• Trend - Whether you're on track, at risk, or behind
• Projected completion - Based on current velocity

Reminders

Enable automatic reminders to keep your team on track:

• Set reminder frequency (weekly, bi-weekly, monthly)
• Receive notifications when updates are due
• Get alerts when key results are at risk

Linking to Experiments

Connect your OKRs to experiments to show how experimentation drives results:

1. Open a key result
2. Click Link Experiment
3. Select an experiment that impacts this metric
4. Track how experiment outcomes affect your key results

This creates visibility into how your experimentation program contributes to organizational goals.

Viewing OKRs

List View

The default list view shows all objectives with:

• Title and description
• Owner and status
• Overall progress (aggregated from key results)
• Timeframe

Progress Dashboard

Get a high-level view of all OKRs:

• Color-coded progress indicators (green, yellow, red)
• Filtering by owner, status, or timeframe
• Export capabilities for reporting

Best Practices

Setting Good Objectives

• Start with "We will..." to make objectives action-oriented
• Limit to 3-5 objectives per quarter to maintain focus
• Ensure objectives align with company strategy
• Make objectives inspiring but achievable

Defining Effective Key Results

• Each objective should have 2-5 key results
• Use specific numbers, not vague terms like "improve"
• Include both leading and lagging indicators
• Set stretch goals (aim for 70% achievement rate)

Maintaining OKRs

• Review progress weekly in team standups
• Update metrics regularly (don't wait until end of quarter)
• Adjust targets if circumstances change significantly
• Celebrate wins and learn from misses