OKRs are Objectives and Key Results, a goal-setting method that pairs a qualitative objective with two to five measurable key results. The objective is the direction, stated in plain language that motivates. The key results are the numbers that prove you got there. Together they answer two questions: where are we going, and how will we know we have arrived.

What is the difference between an objective and a key result?

An objective is the ambitious, qualitative goal, for example 'become the default payments option for partners.' A key result is a specific, measurable outcome that signals progress toward it, for example 'increase partner adoption from 20 to 60 percent.' Objectives inspire, key results measure. If a key result is not a number you can track, it is just another objective in disguise.

How do you score OKRs?

Score each key result as current progress toward its target, usually on a 0 to 100 percent scale, then average the key results to score the objective. Many teams treat 70 percent as success for a stretch OKR, because hitting 100 every time means the goals were too easy. The score is a conversation starter about what to do next, not a performance grade to optimize.

How many OKRs should you have per quarter?

Keep it small. Most teams do best with two to four objectives per quarter, each with two to five key results. More than that and focus dissolves, since OKRs are meant to name the few things that matter most, not catalog everything you are doing. If everything is an OKR, nothing is.

OKR Tracker

Track objectives and their key results with live progress bars. Add an objective, give it a few measurable key results with a target and a current value, and watch each one and the objective fill in. Everything saves in your browser. No signup.

How to use an OKR tracker

OKRs pair a direction with proof. The objective is the ambitious, qualitative goal that tells the team where they are headed. The key results are the two to five numbers that prove they got there. This tracker keeps the math out of your way: set a target and a current value for each key result, and it computes the percentage and rolls the key results up into an objective-level score.

Treat the score as a prompt, not a grade. For a stretch OKR, landing around 70 percent is often a healthy result, because objectives you hit at 100 every time were set too low. Read the color the way a status flag works: green is on pace, yellow needs attention, red needs a decision. The point of tracking is to have the right conversation at the check-in, not to make every bar green.

Common mistakes to avoid

Key results that are not numbers. "Improve onboarding" is an objective, not a key result. If you cannot put a target on it, it does not belong in the key results.
Too many OKRs. Two to four objectives a quarter keeps focus. A long list is a to-do list wearing an OKR costume.
Setting and forgetting. OKRs earn their value at the weekly or biweekly check-in. Update the current values and talk about what the bars are telling you.
Punishing a yellow. If every miss is treated as failure, people set safe goals. Keep the targets ambitious and the conversation honest.

For more on goals, metrics, and running programs at scale, see the Insights.

Built by Arsenii Samoilov, a Senior Technical Program Manager with 19+ years at Intuit, Atlassian, Adobe, Salesforce, Roku, and Apple. If your team needs help standing up program governance, get in touch.

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