Generated by All in One SEO v4.9.10, this is an llms.txt file, used by LLMs to index the site. # OKR FAQ Objectives and Key Results Best Practices ## Sitemaps - [XML Sitemap](https://okrfaq.com/sitemap.xml): Contains all public & indexable URLs for this website. ## Posts - [What's PPP - Plans, Progress, Problems?](https://okrfaq.com/transition-from-other-goal-setting-methods/whats-ppp-plans-progress-problems/) - PPP or "Plans, Progress, Problems" is one of the easiest weekly reporting methodologies. You can use this weekly review process to report on the tasks you do in order to advance your OKRs. As with OKRs, Key Results should be updated on a weekly basis, PPP allows you to set plans, tie your Plans to - [What's the history of OKRs? When and how did OKRs get started?](https://okrfaq.com/introduction-to-okrs/whats-the-history-of-okrs-when-and-how-did-okrs-get-started/) - According to the "Step by Step Guide to OKRs", the history of OKR methodology started its climb to popularity when John Doerr introduced OKRs at Google in 1999. But actually, OKR methodology had been championed even earlier by Andy Grove, the late CEO of Intel during the 1970s. Doerr has said: "I remember being intrigued - [What are typical OKRs for Project Manager?](https://okrfaq.com/okr-examples-and-templates/what-are-typical-okrs-for-project-manager/) - OKRs for project manager offer many benefits. These include increased focus and productivity as well as better transparency and alignment with your team. But when it comes to setting OKRs, project managers often have a difficult time. There's a tendency to do what they do best and write project plans instead of OKRs. It's a - [How do you create an OKR for office administration?](https://okrfaq.com/okr-examples-and-templates/how-do-you-create-an-okr-for-office-administration/) - If you need an OKR for someone who manages an office from day to day, like an office administration, you need to look at two things: What are the goals for the office (team goals)? What are the individual goals that people do, to achieve the team goals? You can find many OKR examples from okrexamples.co. - [What are moonshot OKRs and roofshot OKRs?](https://okrfaq.com/introduction-to-okrs/what-are-moonshot-and-roofshot-okrs/) - All modern OKR software like Weekdone support the notion of "moonshot" and "roofshot" OKRs. Moonshot OKRs or stretch goals are goals that seem impossible to achieve. They should force teams and individuals to rethink how they work and take you out of your comfort zone. They should make everyone involved wonder, how far you can - [What are good OKR books?](https://okrfaq.com/useful-okr-materials/what-are-good-okr-books/) - We reccomend these printed OKR books. Measure What Matters by John Doerr Radical Focus by Christine Wodtke Start Less, Finish More: Building Strategic Agility with Objectives and Key Results by Dan Montgomery Objectives and Key Results: Driving Focus, AlignmDaent, and Engagement with OKRs by Ben Lamorte, Paul Niven Start Less, Finish More: Building Strategic Agility - [How to communicate OKRs inside a team or company?](https://okrfaq.com/okr-best-practices/how-to-communicate-okrs-inside-a-team-or-company/) - To successfully implement OKRs there needs to be company-wide agreement and awareness. It is important to implement the best practice process to make sure everyone can pick-up the new goal-setting methodology. CEO, VPs, and other relevant people start by setting company-level OKRs which will be guidelines for the whole Company. If you will have Annual - [What happens if you have too many OKRs?](https://okrfaq.com/okr-mistakes-to-avoid/what-happens-if-you-have-too-many-okrs/) - Having too many OKRs means, you will not be able to focus on any of your goals nor deliver everything that you have planned Objectives Key Results per Objective Total KRs 3 3 9 4 4 16 5 5 25 It’s a lot better to prioritize your goals before setting OKRs and focus on 9 - [How to set Key Result metrics?](https://okrfaq.com/okr-best-practices/how-to-set-key-result-metrics/) - Key Results measure how far from reaching your objective you are. It adds metrics to objectives. Key Results should be numeric and be updated every week. If your Key Result is binary it may be a task or plan and not a Key Result. Which moves us to the next point. While plans and projects are important - [How many levels should you use for OKRs?](https://okrfaq.com/okr-best-practices/how-many-levels-should-you-use-for-okrs/) - The complexity of the OKR system you implement depends entirely on the size of your company and how many levels of OKRs you need. But in general, you need two levels of OKRs: company OKRs and team OKRs. - [How are OKRs of CEO different from the company OKRs?](https://okrfaq.com/okr-examples-and-templates/how-are-the-okrs-of-ceo-different-from-the-okrs-of-the-company/) - It’s important to remember that OKRs for CEO are not the same as company’s OKRs. The company OKRs give direction to all your teams. While personal OKRs only show what’s CEOs part in getting the company OKRs done. All in all, you don't actually need personal OKRs for the CEO or other employees. You can - [What are the benefits of OKRs for employees?](https://okrfaq.com/benefits-of-okrs/what-are-the-benefits-of-okrs-for-employees/) - Objectives and Key Results (OKR) is a proven goal-setting strategy to help your team and company reach your goals. OKR is used to connect the company and team goals to weekly plans for measurable results. When employees aren't super enthusiastic about cultural change, goal setting systems tend to fail. Typically, everyone is either stuck in - [Are OKRs meant only for companies of specific size, large or small?](https://okrfaq.com/introduction-to-okrs/are-okrs-meant-only-for-companies-of-specific-size-large-or-small/) - No. OKRs can be implemented in a company of any size. The core principles of the methodology (Objectives with measurable Key Results) can be scaled for one small team or for huge companies. - [What does a good Key Result look like in OKRs?](https://okrfaq.com/introduction-to-okrs/what-does-a-good-key-result-look-like-in-okrs/) - Key results measure how far from reaching your objective you are. It adds metrics to objectives. The biggest challenge that most of the companies face is that instead of defining Key Results as measurable outcomes they set a list of action based Outputs. This goes against the whole point of OKRs. The output is an - [What are linked or aligned OKRs?](https://okrfaq.com/introduction-to-okrs/what-are-linked-or-aligned-okrs/) - To get the best results OKRs should be aligned to one another. Each part of your company must know what's going on and how each part contributes to the whole. Our belief is that in order to get all the employees in your company working as one, they all should share an aligned, hierarchical tree - [What makes OKRs work?](https://okrfaq.com/introduction-to-okrs/what-makes-okrs-work/) - The OKR methodology is a simple process of setting and aligning company and team goals (Objectives) and connecting each Objective with 3-5 measurable results (Key Results) to measure progress. For example, increase _ from X to Y. Reduce by X%. Improve __ up to X%. Key Results can be measured on a 0-100% scale or - [Should OKRs be part of employee bonus and salary schemes?](https://okrfaq.com/okr-best-practices/should-okrs-be-part-of-employee-bonus-and-salary-schemes/) - In general, no. OKRs should not be directly tied to employee bonuses and salary schemes to make sure employees are still willing to take risks and work towards moonshot OKRs. OKRs should reflect team priorities not tasks the employee is responsible for. - [Should OKRs always be quarterly?](https://okrfaq.com/okr-best-practices/should-okrs-always-be-quarterly/) - OKRs can be set for either a quarter or a year. Any shorter period of time is too short to actually get impactful things done. Quarterly OKRs (set for 3 months) are considered the optimal solution as it is long enough time to get things done and see the results of your labour. - [How to use OKRs in a remote team?](https://okrfaq.com/okr-best-practices/how-to-use-okrs-in-a-remote-team/) - For a remote team to work, you must set up an excellent communication system for your team and make sure this system runs smoothly every day. People who start working remotely need time for these work processes to become a habit. Here, we’ll take a look on how to run a new remote team and - [Where can I find good OKR examples?](https://okrfaq.com/okr-examples-and-templates/where-can-i-find-examples-of-good-okrs/) - If you need OKR examples, you can check out the OKRexamples site. These are strongly based on real objectives and key results. And there is OKRtemplates that has real examples on how OKRs can be set up in different teams and on different levels. For good example, that is aspirational and moves the company forward, - [What's the simplest way to get started with OKRs?](https://okrfaq.com/introduction-to-okrs/whats-the-simplest-way-to-get-started-with-okrs/) - The easiest way to get started with OKRs is to start using them. There are a lot of resources you can read and watch before, but to understand how they work, they need to be tested on your team. It is very common to finish your first quarter with mostly 100% or with mostly zeros, - [What does a good Objective look like in OKRs?](https://okrfaq.com/introduction-to-okrs/what-does-a-good-objective-look-like-in-okrs/) - Objectives should be qualitative and actionable. And they should focus on the problems you are trying to solve. For example, look at the goal: understand customer needs. There is no need to have numeric metrics for objectives (you’ll have those with key results). You can see a lot of examples of different OKRs for different - [How should OKRs be reviewed and graded?](https://okrfaq.com/grading-okrs/how-should-okrs-be-reviewed-and-graded/) - With OKRs, it’s important to set them high enough. Getting 100% should be a near-impossible feat that only a few teams accomplish. OKRs should be reviewed weekly to avoid discovering that you have no results at the end of the quarter. However, and this is important: you should not grade success based on your Objectives. - [What's the relation between OKRs versus KPIs?](https://okrfaq.com/transition-from-other-goal-setting-methods/whats-the-relation-between-okrs-versus-kpis/) - Many companies use Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to monitor their business activities. If you are trying to implement the Objectives and Key Results (OKR) method in your company, OKRs and KPIs may seem similar on the surface. You may wonder: do you need to abandon your KPIs? Can you use KPIs as OKRs? How do they work together? While - [How to connect OKRs to weekly planning and tracking?](https://okrfaq.com/transition-from-other-goal-setting-methods/how-to-connect-okrs-to-weekly-planning-and-tracking/) - OKRs work best if progress towards your OKRs is measured regularly. You can use a combination of weekly status reporting and OKRs by linking each weekly task to an Objective. If a weekly task can not be linked to a Objective, you need to think long and hard if the task is actually necessary to - [How to transition from spreadsheets to an OKR tool?](https://okrfaq.com/transition-from-other-goal-setting-methods/how-to-transition-from-spreadsheets-to-an-okr-tool/) - Spreadsheets are a great tool for getting started and organizing your OKRs, but the number one problem with spreadsheets is implementation. To avoid that, you need to make it as easy and comfortable as possible. Let's be honest, the main reason why people start OKRs on spreadsheets is because it is free. While it is - [Where can I find more OKR resources to read?](https://okrfaq.com/useful-okr-materials/where-can-i-find-more-okr-resources-to-read/) - There are a lot of material available on OKRs. If you’re getting started on OKRs you can take a look at the Weekdone Learning Center. For advanced users, there is the Weekdone Academy. You can find examples of OKRs from OKRexamples.co You can find OKR templates from OKRtemplates.com You can take a look at this - [What are the advanced features of any OKR software solution?](https://okrfaq.com/okr-software-and-tools/what-are-the-advanced-features-of-any-okr-software-solution/) - The advanced features of OKR software differ a lot. They may include annual or custom OKRs, graphic dashboards, weekly reporting tools, or private objectives. - [What is Weekdone.com?](https://okrfaq.com/okr-software-and-tools/what-is-weekdone-com/) - Weekdone is a OKR goal setting and weekly reporting application. The Vision at Weekdone is for all managers and employees at companies to be productive, communicative, and happy. Many managers don't know their employees current goals, accomplishments, or problems. People on the other hand want more feedback from their managers. Weekdone lets managers quickly know - [What is OKRSoftware.com?](https://okrfaq.com/okr-software-and-tools/what-is-okrsoftware-com/) - OKRSoftware.com is a free tool to compare different goal setting apps to help you find a tool that best fits your company. - [What's the relation between OKRs versus MBO?](https://okrfaq.com/transition-from-other-goal-setting-methods/whats-the-relation-between-okrs-versus-mbo/) - The birth of OKRs can be traced back to Peter Drucker, one of the first managerial thinkers, who, in the 1950s introduced a system called “Management by Objectives” (MBOs) that called for setting objectives for everyone who works in a company. These goals had to “lay out what contributions a given individual and their unit - [What are Objectives and Key Results (OKRs)?](https://okrfaq.com/introduction-to-okrs/what-are-objectives-and-key-results-okrs/) - Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) is a simple process of setting company, department and team goals and connecting each goal with 3-5 measurable results. As you achieve those results, the whole objective feeds into overall completion. It's all about focus, so only any level you should limit yourself to 3-4 objectives, not more. There's a - [Should annual OKRs be used? If so, when and how?](https://okrfaq.com/okr-best-practices/should-annual-okrs-be-used-if-so-when-and-how/) - Apps like Weekdone allow you to set annual company Objectives but it is reccomened to keep OKR quarterly for the company level as well. You should not use annual OKRs on a team level. When setting annual OKRs it’s important to remember that KRs should still be updated weekly and Objectives reviewed every month to - [Should OKRs be public or private?](https://okrfaq.com/okr-best-practices/should-okrs-be-public-or-private/) - In general OKRs should be visible to everyone in the company. This gives employees a clear picture of what everyone is doing. That’s how Google does it. - [What are common mistakes made when using OKRs?](https://okrfaq.com/okr-mistakes-to-avoid/what-are-common-mistakes-made-when-using-okrs/) - One of the main problems with any sort of goal setting technique is that after a lot of effort has been put into designing and shaping goals, people forget them and only remember them when they are due. OKR methodology addresses this problem with constant monitoring. The progress toward Key Results should be measured weekly - [Which companies were early users of OKRs?](https://okrfaq.com/okr-case-studies/which-companies-were-early-users-of-okrs/) - OKR methodology started its climb to popularity when John Doerr introduced OKRs at Google in 1999, but OKR methodology had been championed even earlier by Andy Grove, the late CEO of Intel during the 1970s. - [Which well-known companies use OKRs today?](https://okrfaq.com/okr-case-studies/which-well-known-companies-use-okrs-today/) - After OKR’s success in Google many tech companies implemented it. They are nowadays used in all fields and in companies like Twitter, LinkedIn, and Spotify amoung others. - [What are the benefits of OKRs for leaders?](https://okrfaq.com/benefits-of-okrs/what-are-the-benefits-of-okrs-for-leaders/) - For leaders and managers, the benefits are: Quickly knowing what's happening in a team; Increasing productivity; Making better more informed decisions; Guiding your people and giving feedback; Measuring work satisfaction; - [What are the benefits of Objectives and Key Results (OKRs)?](https://okrfaq.com/benefits-of-okrs/what-are-the-benefits-of-objectives-and-key-results-okrs/) - OKRs, on a team, and company level make up a system that shows how everything one person does connects to the work of others. If an employee knows that not meeting his goals makes achievements harder for people in other departments, they will want to try harder. When everyone knows how their work matters, it - [What are the basic features of any OKR software solution?](https://okrfaq.com/okr-software-and-tools/what-are-the-basic-features-of-any-okr-software-solution/) - Most OKR tools offer the ability to set Objectives and Key Results, measure their progress and automatically generate reports based on progress. - [What's the Eisenhower Matrix?](https://okrfaq.com/transition-from-other-goal-setting-methods/whats-the-eisenhower-matrix/) - The Matrix is a 4-square grid. The top 2 boxes are respectively labeled Urgent and Not Urgent at the top. The top row is labeled Important to the left, and the bottom row is labeled Not Important. The Eisenhower matrix expedites time management. You list all the tasks for your day in one or another - [How can OKRs used for annual performance review?](https://okrfaq.com/grading-okrs/how-can-okrs-used-for-annual-performance-review/) - When setting annual OKRs it’s important to remember that KRs should still be updated weekly and Objectives reviewed every month to make sure employees don’t lose track of what they’re doing. Annual OKRs make it easier to perform yearly review in companies that still use them and may be used for a transitory phase when - [How many Objectives and Key Results should you have?](https://okrfaq.com/introduction-to-okrs/how-many-objectives-and-key-results-should-you-have/) - In general you should have 1 - 5 Objectives that each have 3 - 5 Key Results. But this is not set in stone. You just have to keep in mind, that more objectives means less focus. 3 Objectives with 3 KRs have 9 KRs to follow, 5 Objectives with 5 KRs is 25 and - [Any good OKR videos to watch?](https://okrfaq.com/useful-okr-materials/any-good-okr-videos-to-watch/) - If you are looking for some good OKR videos to watch, we recommend this playlist on YouTube. It currently has videos on the following topics: What are OKRs? Learn the Basics How to Set Good OKRs with Examples Top Five Common OKR Mistakes and How to Avoid Them How to Align OKRs with Examples How - [How to select and compare OKR software solutions?](https://okrfaq.com/okr-software-and-tools/how-to-select-and-compare-okr-software-solutions/) - You can use OKRSoftware.com - a free tool to compare different goal setting apps to help you find a tool that best fits your company. - [How can you prioritize goals?](https://okrfaq.com/transition-from-other-goal-setting-methods/how-can-you-prioritize-goals/) - You can use the Eisenhower Matrix for your goal setting. The Matrix is a 4-square grid. The top 2 boxes are respectively labeled Urgent and Not Urgent at the top. The top row is labeled Important to the left, and the bottom row is labeled Not Important. You list all your goals in one or - [How to get employee buy-in to OKRs and being goal-oriented?](https://okrfaq.com/okr-best-practices/how-to-get-employee-buy-in-to-okrs-and-being-goal-oriented/) - Managers love to set goals. So do CEOs. For employees, however, goal setting and reporting may seem like a waste of time meant to keep them in the office longer. It’s important to educate and train employees about OKRs before implementing it. It’s vital that they understand how using OKRs helps to make their life - [Are there good case studies of implementing OKRs?](https://okrfaq.com/okr-case-studies/are-there-good-case-studies-of-implementing-okrs/) - A lot of companies have told their stories about implementing and using OKRs. You can read them from the Weekdone OKR case study page. ## Pages - [Objectives and Key Results Best Practices](https://okrfaq.com/) - Learn about OKR Software Everything you've ever wanted to know about the best practice of team goal-setting via OKRs - Objectives and Key Results. Turn up your efficiency by following the methods used at leading companies like Google, Twitter, Linkedin, Amazon and others - all users of OKRs. - [OKR training course](https://okrfaq.com/training/) - Become an expert of the Objectives and Key Results (OKR) methodology with this email crash course by Weekdone. You’ll learn how to set OKRs, implement the methodology, and improve the focus and direction of your company or team. Every day we’ll send you an email with OKR best practices from 1 of the 10 categories ## Categories - [Introduction to OKRs](https://okrfaq.com/./introduction-to-okrs/) - Introduction to OKRs starts with understanding the basic concepts of Objectives and Key Results. You need to know what are Objectives. And what are the Key Results. You also need to know, how they differ from other popular goal setting methodologies. OKRs stands for Objectives and Key Results. It is a framework of defining and tracking objectives and their outcomes. The main goal of the system is to set company and team “Objectives.” And set the measurable “Key Results” that define achievement of each objective. One OKRs book defines OKRs as “a critical thinking framework and ongoing discipline that seeks to ensure employees work together.” In addition, OKRs are shared across the organization. That way, teams have visibility into goals across the organization, helping to align and focus effort. So, here you’ll find everything you need to know about OKRs. - [Benefits of OKRs](https://okrfaq.com/./benefits-of-okrs/) - There are many benefits of using OKRs. Both for companies and employees who are using them. In general, Objectives and Key Results make your goals more transparent. And they make it easier to track. Using OKRs will help your team to move in one direction and makes it easier for you to know how your work is progressing. When you are using OKRs, you can: Align and connect your employees to your corporate goals. Give clear direction to every team. Increase productivity. Track regular progress towards goals. Make more effective and informed decisions. See how your goal progress aligns with the company’s vision, Be effective in setting clear and specific goals. Boost individuals’ engagement and empowerment through your goal-setting process. Increase insight and transparency across the organization for top-level executives. - [OKR Case Studies](https://okrfaq.com/./okr-case-studies/) - There are many OKR case studies out there. They show you how companies use Objectives and Key Results every week to stay on top of their goal setting. You can learn from them, to reap the benefits of the OKR methodology yourself Just don’t forget, that implementing a system like OKRs, is hard work and none of the success stories of OKRs got there just by throwing the system at their employees. Implementing OKRs requires a lot of onboarding and training. Both for your team leaders and employees. As it is not the easiest system to learn. Still, the work is usually worth it as these case studies show. - [OKR Examples and Templates](https://okrfaq.com/./okr-examples-and-templates/) - The best way to get started with Objectives and Key Results is to look at some OKR Examples and Templates that give you an idea what an Objective and a Key Result should look like. When setting your own OKRs, remember that Objectives should focus on improvements to your team. They should inspire people and focus on quality not quantity. Key Results should be numeric and easily measurable. They show how you’ll achieve your Objectives. You’re in the right place if you’ve ever found yourself asking any of the following questions: What are OKRs? Do you have an OKR template? Can you share some OKR templates? - [OKR Best Practices](https://okrfaq.com/./okr-best-practices/) - What does OKR stand for? OKRs are Objectives and Key Results, It’s a popular management framework that is used to set goals in an organization. When you are looking for OKR best practices, you should look here. We have combined a lot of answers to questions about the OKR practices. Understaning and learning how OKRs actually work is the best way to make sure you can implement the system successfully. But don’t be disencouraged if you make mistakes in the beggining. Implementing OKRs can take 3 or 4 quarters and often the process is even longer. So, check here to make sure that you have set your OKRs correctly. And that you are really getting the maximum benefit from using Objectives and Key Results - [Grading OKRs](https://okrfaq.com/./grading-okrs/) - Grading OKRs is a vital aspect of making sure Objectives and Key Results really help your team. For the OKR methodology to be most effective, it should be paired with weekly check-ins. A weekly check-in gives team members a chance to grade their OKRs- It allows them and you to go over the work they’ve done so far. It shows how well they’re progressing toward team and company Objectives.’ Grading your OKRs weekly provides managers with an opportunity to provide feedback and assistance if an employee seems to be struggling. It is a vital part of what makes OKRs so successful methodology. - [OKR Mistakes to Avoid](https://okrfaq.com/./okr-mistakes-to-avoid/) - When you start to use a new goal setting method or any new system in your team, it is easy to make mistakes. Here, you’ll see how to avoid the most common OKR mistakes. Luckily, most common mistakes can be avoided, when you plan ahead and think things through. You need to make sure, you know what you are getting into and what OKRs are. And what they are not. Still, you shouldn’t expect that you can do everything perfectly the first time you try it. Implementing and using OKRs can take many tries. You should not be discouraged if you don’t succeed with OKRs the first time. - [Transition from other goal-setting methods](https://okrfaq.com/./transition-from-other-goal-setting-methods/) - OKRs stand out among the different goal-setting methods as the one that focuses on measuring improvements rather than KPis. And while it is not an ideal fit to every team or department, for those OKRs suit, they work well. OKRs force your team to stay engaged with their goals every week. Instead of only thinking about them when the time for an annual review comes along. OKRs give everyone’s tasks meaning and show how every team’s projects contribute to the company vision. This will help employees to stay engaged in their work At the same time, managing OKRS takes very little time compared to more classical goal-setting methods. - [OKR Materials](https://okrfaq.com/./useful-okr-materials/) - Different OKR materials help you prepare for implementing and using Objectives and Key Result yourself. Before you start to use OKRs, it is important to be as educated and aware as possible. As it is not an easy system to master. Like most books and articles about OKRs will tell you, you must also be ready for the system to fail on your first try. Implementing the system successfully can take 2 to 3 quarters. But the end result will definitely be worth it. Here you’ll find the best OKR materials, articles and books that we at Weekdone have gathered together. - [OKR Software and Tools](https://okrfaq.com/./okr-software-and-tools/) - Professional companies need specialized OKR software or tools. It is the only way to get the most out of the Objectives and Key Results methodology. There are many options out there. You need to find the one that suits your team’s personal needs the best. That means finding the software that covers the features that your team requires. Using OKR software or tools is much easier than using spreadsheets (another popular option). As spreadsheets are often hard to follow and confusing to update on a weekly basis. Not to mention, people don’t want to look at some boring spreadsheets when they could have a tool that is tailored for engaging OKR users like Weekdone. ## Tags - [okr book](https://okrfaq.com/tag/okr-book/) - [measure what matters](https://okrfaq.com/tag/measure-what-matters/) - [free okr book](https://okrfaq.com/tag/free-okr-book/) - [okr](https://okrfaq.com/tag/okr/) - [okrs](https://okrfaq.com/tag/okrs/) - [history of okrs](https://okrfaq.com/tag/history-of-okrs/) - [john doerr](https://okrfaq.com/tag/john-doerr/) - [andy grove](https://okrfaq.com/tag/andy-grove/) - [peter drucker](https://okrfaq.com/tag/peter-drucker/) - [okr examples](https://okrfaq.com/tag/okr-examples/)