OKR Examples

Company Level OKRs

Objective 1: Launch a blockbuster product by end of FY 2017-18

Key results:

1. 40% increase in pre-bookings for new product by Q3 FY 2017-18
2. 70% increase in inquiries about new product, every quarter
3. 60% demos given to prospects converted to negotiation stage by Q4 FY 2017-18

Discussion:

The objective would be good for a small company that has only one product that it offers to the market. On the other hand, if it’s a large company with many verticals, “Launch a blockbuster product” becomes a vague term. It becomes difficult to determine exactly which vertical would the product belong to and what would be the plan of action to go about achieving this objective. In this case, we can modify the objective and make it more comprehensive such as, “Launch a blockbuster goals management product by end of FY 2017-18.”

Team Level OKRs

Objective 1: Create new user interface for product

Key results:

1. Identify problems with current user interface
2. Reduce time required for transitioning from one stage to another by 25%
3. New user interface can be used by 90% users with minimal training

Discussion:

“Identify problems with current user interface” is a task. A sensible KR would be, “55% users reported problems with current user interface in previous quarter’s customer feedback.” This KR makes it easy for the team to identify the more common problems with current interface and take steps to avoid those while creating the new user interface.

Objective 2: Ideate and create new features for product by Q2 FY 2017-18

Key results:

1. Seek feedback for new feature ideas from existing customers
2. Create a poll to gather insights on top 5 most desirable features
3. Finalize 3 new features for next product upgrade

Objective 3: Upgrade product and enable it to take on competitors’ products

Key results:

1. Identify top 10 competitors playing in the same market
2. Study common features and find areas where innovation is needed
3. Replicate top features and their strategies that competitors push to the market

Objective 4: Increase the efficiency of bookkeeping process

Key results:

1. Utilize advanced tools and techniques to eliminate errors
2. Hire qualified bookkeepers with knowledge of the ever-changing compliance norms
3. Prepare a monthly report to avoid loss of data

Individual Level OKRs

Objective 1: Identify problems with current user interface by Q2 2017-18

Key results:

1. Test all features in real time
2. Identify areas where the product lags in more than 20% cases
3. Provide solutions to reduce time lag
4. Learn new skills to enhance creativity

Discussion:

While the fourth KR is perfectly okay for self development, the first three need to have more details. These could be better written as:

1. Testing all features of existing product in real time reveal product lags in more than 20% cases
2. Provide solutions to reduce time lag by 85%

Objective 2: Increase performance of product by Q4 FY 2017-18

Key results:

1. Remove 95% bugs
2. Identify tools to enhance performance of product
3. Processing time reduced by 35%