24 OKR Examples That Resonate with Busy Software Engineers

Ever feel like you’re writing great code, but it’s not quite hitting the mark for the bigger picture? Want to tackle those ongoing software development challenges but unsure where to start?

You’re not alone. Many engineers struggle to bridge the gap between individual tasks and the overall business or product goals. That’s where OKRs come in!

This blog will help you craft meaningful, measurable OKRs that keep you motivated and tightly aligned with your team’s efforts. We’ll dive deep into 24 specific OKR examples for Software Engineers.

How can Software Engineers solve their challenges with OKRs?

Today’s software engineers face a range of challenges. Here are some of the key challenges, backed by research, that the team may face:

• Keeping Pace with Evolving Technologies
• Managing Shifting Project Requirements
• Balancing Speed with Quality
• Ensuring Robust Security
• Collaboration and Communication Issues
• Work with Limited Resources
• Finding and Retaining Talent
• Work-Life Balance

If you want to clarify your goals, align with other team members, and focus on a few key goals, consider implementing OKRs for software engineering. Here’s where OKRs can help you make a difference in your daily work.

• Laser focus on areas where you can make the most impact.
• Follow measurable progress. Did you reduce bugs by 20%? Ship a new feature 10% faster?
• Understand how your individual goals align with the bigger picture.
• Setting your OKRs empowers you to take ownership of your work.
• Regular OKR meetings with your manager promote clear communication about expectations and progress.
• OKRs are agile. Adapt them to your specific role and challenges.

24 Software Engineer OKR examples based on their challenges, goals, teams, and roles

These OKR examples will inspire and guide you in creating personalized OKRs for your team members. The metrics in the following goals are just for your reference.

Software Engineer OKRs to Tackle Challenges

1. Keep Pace with Evolving Technologies

Objective: Become a tech-savvy engineering team, proficient in utilizing the latest relevant technologies to enhance development efficiency and software quality

Owners: CTO, Engineering Managers

Due date: 3 months

Key Results:

• Increase participation in relevant technical workshops/conferences by 20%
• Achieve a 70% completion rate for the internal training program on [Name of emerging technology]
• Integrate at least two new relevant technologies into a pilot project

2. Effectively Work in a DevOps/SecOps Environment

Objective: Seamlessly integrate DevOps and SecOps practices into the software development lifecycle (SDLC) to ensure faster, more secure deployments

Owners: Engineering Managers, DevOps Lead, Security Lead

Due date: 3 months

Key Results:

• Reduce deployment lead time by 15%
• Achieve a 90% success rate in automated security testing for all new features
• Conduct two joint DevOps/SecOps training sessions with a participation rate of at least 70% from engineers

3. Manage Shifting Project Requirements

Objective: Establish a clear and efficient process for managing project requirements to minimize rework and ensure project success

Owners: Product Managers, Engineering Managers

Due date: 3 months

Key Results:

• Implement a new requirements management tool
• Achieve a 95% agreement rate on project requirements during the initial kickoff meeting for all new projects
• Reduce the number of requirement changes mid-development by 10%

4. Work with Limited Resources

Objective: Optimize resource allocation and leverage existing resources effectively to deliver high-quality software within budget constraints

Owners: Engineering Managers, Project Managers

Due date: 3 months

Key Results:

• Achieve a 90% utilization rate for existing development licenses (avoiding unnecessary purchases)
• Implement a new code review process to identify and address potential issues early in development, reducing rework and saving time. (e.g., pair programming)
• Reduce external vendor dependency by 5% for specific development tasks through internal skill development initiatives

5. Minimize Collaboration and Communication Issues

Objective: Foster a culture of open communication and strong collaboration within and across engineering teams to streamline development processes and improve overall efficiency.

Owners: Engineering Managers, Team Leads

Due date: 3 months

Key Results:

• Implement a new team communication tool (e.g., Slack channel) and achieve a 70% weekly active participation rate by all engineers
• Conduct bi-weekly team meetings with a dedicated agenda for discussing project progress, roadblocks, and knowledge sharing. Achieve a 90% attendance rate in these meetings
• Implement a knowledge-sharing initiative. Host at least two sessions with a minimum of 50% engineer participation each

Try using these OKRs to develop your software engineering skills, align with the business goals, and prioritize like a pro!

Download OKR Examples for Software Engineers

Software Engineer OKRs to Aspirational Growth

1. Align the team with the business goals

Objective: Promote a culture where engineers understand and actively contribute to achieving the company’s business goals

Owners: CEO, Engineering Managers

Due date: 3 months

Key Results:

• Conduct a company-wide workshop on the company’s business goals and strategic roadmap, with a participation rate of 80% from all engineers
• Integrate at least two key business metrics (e.g., customer satisfaction, revenue growth) into relevant software engineering dashboards to track progress and impact
• Implement a program where engineers can shadow key business stakeholders (e.g., sales, marketing) for a day to gain a deeper understanding of customer needs and business challenges (at least 10% of engineers participate)

2. Work-Life Balance

Objective: Promote a healthy work-life balance for all software engineers to reduce burnout and enhance overall well-being

Owners: HR, Engineering Managers

Due date: 3 months

Key Results:

• Increase employee participation in the company’s wellness program by 15%
• Reduce employee overtime hours by 10% compared
• Conduct a company-wide survey on work-life balance and implement at least two action items based on employee feedback

3. Include AI in your Work

Objective: Empower engineers to leverage AI tools and techniques to enhance software development efficiency and product innovation

Owners: CTO, Engineering Managers

Due date: 3 months

Key Results:

• Offer an internal training program on basic AI concepts and relevant AI tools for software development, with a completion rate of 70% from all engineers
• Identify at least one existing development process or task that can be optimized using AI, and pilot an AI-powered solution
• Encourage engineers to participate in hackathons or innovation challenges focused on exploring apps for software development (set a participation target based on team size)

4. Finding and Retaining Talent

Objective: Cultivate an attractive work environment that fosters talent acquisition and retention of highly skilled software engineers

Owners: HR, Engineering Managers

Due date: 3 months

Key Results:

• Implement at least two new employee referral program initiatives to incentivize referrals
• Achieve a 90% employee satisfaction rate on the company’s annual engagement survey
• Reduce employee turnover rate by 5%

5. Balance Speed with Quality

Objective: Establish a development process prioritizing fast delivery and high-quality code

Owners: Engineering Managers, QA Lead

Due date: 3 months

Key Results:

• Implement a continuous integration/continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipeline to automate testing and deployment processes, reducing time to market
• Maintain a minimum code coverage of 80% with unit tests for all new features
• Conduct a retrospective on the team’s development process after each major release, identifying areas for improvement in both speed and quality (conduct at least two retrospectives)

6. Seamless collaboration across cross-functional teams

Objective: Foster strong collaboration and communication between engineering and other departments to ensure smooth project execution and delivery

Owners: Engineering Managers, Project Managers

Due date: 3 months

Key Results:

• Conduct joint cross-functional team workshops (e.g., engineering and product) at the beginning of each new project to align on goals, expectations, and communication channels
• Implement a communication plan that outlines clear roles and responsibilities for each department involved in the development process
• Measure and track project success based on cross-functional team collaboration metrics (e.g., on-time delivery, reduced rework) and aim for a 10% improvement

Software Engineer Team-Level OKRs

1. Ensure Robust Security

Objective: Develop and deliver secure software products by integrating security best practices throughout the entire development lifecycle (SDLC)

Team: All Engineers (ownership can be distributed based on roles)

Due date: 3 months

Key Results:

• Achieve a 100% completion rate for security awareness training for all team members
• Integrate static code analysis tools into the development workflow to identify and address potential security vulnerabilities early on, aiming for a 90% reduction in high-risk security vulnerabilities identified in code reviews
• Conduct at least one security code review for each new feature before deployment

2. Reduce Technical Debt

Objective: Reduce the existing technical debt within the codebase and establish a process for ongoing maintenance to prevent future accumulation

Team: All Engineers (ownership can be distributed based on roles)

Due date: 3 months

Key Results:

• Conduct a technical debt assessment to identify and prioritize areas requiring refactoring
• Dedicate at least 10% of each sprint cycle to technical debt reduction activities (e.g., code refactoring, documentation updates)
• Implement a code review process that emphasizes code maintainability and adherence to best practices to prevent further technical debt accumulation

3. OKR for Quality Assurance and Testing Team

Objective: Enhance software quality and product reliability through a comprehensive and efficient testing strategy

Team: QA and Testing Team

Due date: 3 months

Key Results:

• Increase test automation coverage to 85% for all core functionalities by the end of the quarter
• Reduce the number of high-priority bugs identified in production by 20%
• Achieve a 90% defect resolution rate within 5 business days of identification

4. OKR for Product Development Team

Objective: Deliver a high-quality product that meets user needs and expectations, resulting in a positive user experience (UX)

Team: Product Development Team (cross-functional)

Due date: 3 months

Key Results:

• Achieve a customer satisfaction score of at least 80% based on post-release surveys
• Reduce the number of user-reported bugs by 15%
• Conduct A/B testing on a key user interface (UI) element to identify and implement an improvement that increases user engagement by 10%

Software Engineer OKRs by Roles

1. CTO – Expand the professional network

Objective: Expand the company’s reach and influence within the technology industry by actively engaging in the professional network

Due date: 3 months

Key Results:

• Secure speaking engagements at two relevant industry conferences
• Increase the company’s social media following by 20% across key platforms (e.g., LinkedIn, Twitter)
• Establish partnerships with at least one academic institution or technology incubator to promote innovation and talent acquisition

2. Agile Coach – Enhance Code Quality and Efficiency

Objective: Empower engineering teams to adopt agile practices that enhance code quality and development efficiency

Due date: 3 months

Key Results:

• Conduct two training sessions on code quality best practices (e.g., unit testing, code reviews) with a participation rate of 80% from all engineers
• Implement a new code review process that focuses on catching defects and improving code maintainability, aiming for a 15% reduction in code defects identified during production
• Facilitate team retrospectives after each sprint to identify improvement areas in code quality and development velocity (conduct at least two retrospectives)

3. Scrum Master – Successfully Deliver a Complex Project

Objective: Apply Scrum principles effectively to ensure the successful completion of a complex project on time and within budget

Due date: 3 months

Key Results:

• Achieve a 90% completion rate for all user stories committed to during each sprint cycle throughout the project
• Maintain a clear and transparent product backlog that is prioritized and groomed regularly
• Conduct a project retrospective after completion to identify areas for improvement in the Scrum process and team collaboration (facilitate one session)

4. Software Engineering Manager – Enhance Continuous Integration and Deployment Pipelines

Objective: Optimize the CI/CD pipeline to streamline the software development process and accelerate deployments

Due date: 3 months

Key Results:

• Implement automated testing tools within the CI/CD pipeline to achieve 80% test coverage for all new features
• Reduce the average deployment lead time by 20%
• Conduct a training session on the CI/CD pipeline for all engineers to ensure proper utilization and efficient deployment practices (achieve a 70% participation rate)

5. Software Engineer – Enhance Collaboration with QA and Testing Teams

Objective: Foster strong collaboration and communication with the QA and Testing team to identify and address defects early in the development cycle

Due date: 3 months

Key Results:

• Participate in at least two joint code review sessions with QA engineers per sprint cycle
• Resolve at least 80% of bugs identified during code reviews before the code is pushed to production
• Attend a training session on basic testing principles and tools offered by the QA team (participation is mandatory)

6. Product Manager – Meet client expectations

Objective: Deliver a product that meets or exceeds client expectations, resulting in high client satisfaction and long-term partnerships

Due date: 3 months

Key Results:

• Achieve a customer satisfaction score of at least 85% based on post-release surveys
• Secure product sign-offs from all key stakeholders before each release to ensure alignment with client requirements
• Conduct a client advisory board meeting to gather feedback and suggestions for future product enhancements (hold one meeting)

7. QA Engineer – Enhance Test Coverage and Automated Testing

Objective: Increase test coverage and leverage automation to ensure comprehensive and efficient software testing

Due date: 3 months

Key Results:

• Achieve a minimum of 85% code coverage for all core functionalities with unit tests
• Develop and implement automated tests for at least 70% of regression test cases
• Identify and report two improvement areas in the testing process based on test result analysis, leading to increased efficiency or defect detection (conduct this activity monthly)

8. DevOps Engineer – Improve DevOps Practices and Automation

Objective: Continuously improve DevOps practices and automation to streamline software delivery and reliability

Due date: 3 months

Key Results:

• Automate at least two new tasks within the deployment pipeline (e.g., infrastructure provisioning, configuration management)
• Reduce deployment rollback rate by 15% compared, indicating fewer deployment issues due to improved automation
• Conduct a knowledge-sharing session on a new DevOps tool or practice for the engineering team, achieving a participation rate of at least 60% (conduct one session)

9. UI/UX Designer – Optimize Mobile Experience

Objective: Enhance the mobile user experience (UX) of the company’s product to improve user engagement and satisfaction

Due date: 3 months

Key Results:

• Conduct user research (e.g., usability testing) to identify areas for improvement in the mobile user interface (UI)
• Implement design changes based on user research findings, aiming for a 10% increase in user engagement metrics (e.g., time spent on the app, conversion rate) on the mobile platform
• Develop and maintain a mobile UI style guide to ensure design consistency across all mobile app features and updates

Conclusion

Here are two quick tips for successfully writing OKRs. Involve your team. Collaborative OKR creation promotes buy-in and ownership.

Focus on outcomes, not outputs. Define success by the impact your work has, not just the tasks you complete.

Feeling overwhelmed by crafting your OKRs? Consider working with an OKR Consultant. We can guide you through the process, ensuring your OKRs are clear, measurable, and drive real results. Feel free to talk to us!

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How to set OKRs for software engineers?

Setting OKRs for software engineers involves a collaborative process. Here’s a simplified approach:

• Align with Company Goals
• Identify Team Challenges and Aspirations
• Define Objectives and Key Results
• Set Timeframes and Ownership

2. What is an OKR in software?

An OKR in software may be the Objectives and Key Results framework applied specifically to software development teams. It translates high-level goals into measurable milestones, helping engineers understand how their work impacts the bigger picture.

3. What is the difference between KPI and OKR?

KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) are specific metrics that track ongoing performance. OKRs are more ambitious and future-oriented which uniquely aligns everyone’s goals with the business. You can learn more about OKRs vs KPIs here.

4. How do you write technical OKRs?

Here’s the key: translate technical goals into business-relevant Objectives.

• Focus on Outcomes: Don’t just focus on technical activities (e.g., “Write 100 unit tests”). Instead, frame the OKR around the outcome (e.g., “Improve code quality to reduce production defects by 20%”).

• Align with Business Goals: Connect your technical OKRs to how they contribute to the business (e.g., “Reduce development time by 15% to launch new product features faster”).

5. How should a software engineer write a SMART goal?

The SMART goal framework ensures your goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.

For software engineers, a SMART goal could be: “Reduce API response time by 20% within the next quarter through code optimization techniques.”

6. How to choose OKR software?

Consider factors like team size, budget, desired features (e.g., OKR templates, progress tracking), and ease of use when choosing your OKR software