What are the best practices for writing high-quality OKRs?

What are the best practices for writing high-quality OKRs?

The quality of your OKRs will determine their impact. A well-written OKR provides clarity, focus, and inspiration, while a poorly written one creates confusion and leads to wasted effort. The key is understanding that Objectives and Key Results have different jobs and must be written differently.

Here are the essential best practices for writing goals that drive real results.

Best Practices for Writing Objectives

The Objective is the "what"—the ambitious, qualitative goal you want to achieve. It should make the team excited to come to work.

• Make it Inspirational and Qualitative: An Objective should describe a desired future state in words, not numbers. It should be memorable and motivating.
  • Good Example: "Deliver a world-class onboarding experience for new customers."
  • Bad Example: "Increase user activation by 15%." (This is a Key Result).
• Make it Action-Oriented and Specific: Use strong verbs and provide clear direction. It should be significant enough to take a full quarter to achieve.

Best Practices for Writing Key Results

Key Results are the "how"—they are the measurable proof that you have achieved your Objective. They are about outcomes, not outputs.

• Make it Quantitative and Measurable: Every Key Result must contain a number. There should be no gray area; at the end of the quarter, you can objectively say whether you hit the target.

• Focus on Outcomes, Not Outputs: This is the most critical and most common mistake. Do not measure the work done (outputs); measure the value or impact created (outcomes).
  • Output (Wrong): "Ship the new customer feedback feature."
  • Outcome (Right): "Increase the product satisfaction score from 7.5 to 8.5."
• Show Movement: The most effective Key Results define a clear change from a baseline to a target. For example, "Increase monthly trial-to-paid conversion rate from 12% to 18%."

The Ultimate Litmus Test: Necessary & Sufficient

Once you've drafted your OKR, put it through this final logic check to ensure it's strategically sound. Ask your team two questions:

1. Is every Key Result absolutely necessary to achieve the Objective? (If not, remove it to improve focus).

1. Are all the Key Results, taken together, sufficient to say we have fully achieved the Objective? (If not, you're missing a key measure of success).

From Good to Great: Master the Art of Writing OKRs

Understanding these best practices is the first step. Applying them consistently to craft high-impact goals for your unique business is a skill that takes practice and expert guidance.

Our OKR Setting Workshops are the fastest way to get your team writing goals that deliver powerful results. Learn About Workshops