Beginners guide to how to write OKRs with examples

As companies seek to improve their performance, many have turned to using Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) as a tool to align individual and team goals with overall business objectives. It is an effective way to set goals and track progress, providing a clear roadmap to success. However, creating effective OKRs is not always easy, especially for beginners. This is why organizations have been making countless efforts to understand how to write OKRs. 

Why would they even not? It is one of the most effective strategies that is known to bring multifold benefits to businesses of all sizes and industries. 

Understanding how to write OKRs

But before we jump into how to write OKRs, let us understand what this approach exactly is. 

Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) is a goal-setting methodology that helps businesses align goals and focus on the most important initiatives. It serves as a OKR framework for setting objectives that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART). 

It also help to prioritize goals and focus on the most important initiatives. They are typically broken down into two parts: the objective and the key results. The objective is a short statement that describes the goal to be achieved. 

At the same time, the key results are specific, measurable, and quantifiable steps that must be taken to achieve the objective.

OKRs are an important tool for businesses because they provide a clear roadmap to success. By setting objectives and key results, businesses can focus their efforts on the most important initiatives and track progress toward their goals.

Without further ado, let us understand how to write OKRs most effectively!

 

Start with your company’s mission and vision

Before you think about how to write OKRs for your organization, it is important to have a clear picture of your company’s mission and vision. Your OKRs should align with these statements and support your company’s overall goals.

 

Identify your objectives

Objectives should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART). They should be challenging but achievable, and they should align with your company’s overall goals. 

If you want to understand how to write OKRs, it is important to remember that objectives should be written in a way that is easy to understand and communicate to others.

Example objective: Increase website traffic by 20% in the next quarter.

 

Define your key results

Key results should be specific, measurable, and quantifiable steps that must be taken to achieve the objective. They should be written in a way that clarifies what needs to be done to achieve the objective.

Example key results:

Increase social media engagement by 15% in the next quarter

Launch a new PPC campaign targeting high-converting keywords

 

Prioritize your objectives

Once you have identified your objectives and key results, it is important to prioritize them. 

Doing so will allow you to focus your efforts on the most important initiatives and ensure that you achieve your goals. This is one of the most crucial parts of how to write OKRs and achieve them.

 

Communicate your OKRs

OKRs should be communicated clearly and effectively to everyone involved in achieving them. 

This includes individual team members, managers, and executives. By communicating your OKRs effectively, you can ensure that everyone is aligned and working towards the same goals.

 

Review and adjust your OKRs regularly

OKRs should be reviewed and adjusted regularly to ensure they are relevant and achievable. Regular reviews also help to identify potential roadblocks and make adjustments as necessary. 

No matter how great you are at how to write OKRs, without reviewing and adjusting them, your organization might not be able to reap its full benefits.

 

Track progress toward your OKRs

Tracking progress toward your OKRs is important to ensure you are on track to achieve your goals. This can be done by getting an OKR software or OKR tool for your organization. 

The experts don’t recommend using spreadsheets for OKRs as it makes the whole process ineffective and hence, defeats the purpose of OKRs. 

OKRs Example  for a marketing team:

Objective: Increase lead generation by 30% in the next quarter

Key result: Launch a new email marketing campaign targeting high-value prospects

Key result: Increase landing page conversion rates by 10%

Key result: Publish two new case studies

 

Make Your OKRs Measurable:

One of the core principles of setting up OKRs is that they should be measurable. It is crucial to measure progress and evaluate success or failure. 

Establishing a quantitative target will enable you to measure progress toward that target, which is critical to the OKR process. Ensure that you have a way to measure the success of your objectives.

OKRs Example: Increase website traffic by 30% in the next quarter.

 

Keep it Actionable:

Make your OKRs actionable by setting up objectives that can be controlled by the team or individual working on them. 

If an objective is too abstract or too broad, it can be difficult to measure progress and determine success or failure. Make sure to set up objectives that are specific and actionable.

OKRs Example: Launch a new product feature in the next quarter that increases customer engagement.

 

Ensure that Your OKRs are Relevant:

Your OKRs should align with your company’s goals and vision. When crafting your OKRs, ensure they are relevant to your organization’s overall strategy. 

This can help increase alignment between departments and teams and ensure everyone works towards the same goals.

OKRs Example: Increase revenue by 20% in the next quarter by expanding into new markets.

 

Make it Time-bound:

Set specific deadlines for achieving your objectives. A time-bound objective ensures that everyone knows when the goal should be achieved. 

This, in turn, helps to keep everyone on track and accountable. Establishing deadlines also helps to break down the objective into smaller, more manageable tasks.

OKRs Example: Launch a new marketing campaign in the next month that generates 100 new leads.

 

Review and Adjust:

Finally, it is important to review your OKRs and adjust them as needed regularly. You may find that an objective is not attainable or that you must revise your key results based on new information. 

Regularly reviewing and adjusting your OKRs ensures you always work towards the most relevant goals.

OKRs Example: Review progress towards increasing website traffic by 30% at the end of the quarter, and adjust key results as needed for the following quarter.

 

Learning how to write OKRs is important for leaders and managers that want to drive successful teams and businesses.  

Following the ten principles outlined in this beginner’s guide will help you craft effective, measurable, and actionable objectives. You will not be pondering how to write OKRs.  

To get a detailed insight on how to write OKRs and seek expert guidance on this framework, book a consultation call with the experts right away!