Do different departments have their own OKRs?

In This Answer

Do Different Departments Have Their Own OKRs?

When implementing Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) across an organization, one of the most common questions is:

Should departments create their own OKRs, or should everything be set at the company level?

The answer lies in how you balance strategic alignment with team autonomy. In this article, we’ll explore why departmental OKRs matter, how they connect to company-wide goals, and how to ensure they’re impactful — not isolated.

What Are Departmental OKRs?

Departmental OKRs are sets of objectives and key results created by specific teams or business units. These OKRs are:

Aligned with the company's strategic priorities
Tailored to the department’s role, responsibilities, and impact
Used to focus the team on what really moves the needle

Rather than having a one-size-fits-all set of company-wide OKRs, departments define how their unique contributions support the bigger picture.

Why Departmental OKRs Are Essential

1. They Drive Relevance

A marketing team’s goals are naturally different from those of engineering or HR. By setting departmental OKRs, teams can focus on outcomes that matter in their context — whether that’s lead generation, product quality, or employee retention.

2. They Encourage Ownership

When teams define their own OKRs (within a clear strategic framework), they feel more accountable for outcomes. It’s no longer about completing tasks — it’s about achieving meaningful results they helped shape.

3. They Enable Alignment

Well-written departmental OKRs ladder up to company goals. This makes it clear how every team is contributing, and it avoids siloed efforts or misaligned priorities.

From Company Goals to Team Execution

Here’s how departmental OKRs typically cascade from company-level objectives:

Company Objective:
Expand into new markets and grow revenue by 25%.

Sales OKR:
Close €5M in new business from target markets.

Marketing OKR:
Generate 1,000 qualified leads from Germany and France.

Product OKR:
Launch localized versions of the platform in French and German.

Each department focuses on outcomes they directly influence — but all are aligned with the same strategic direction.

Best Practices for Departmental OKRs

To make departmental OKRs effective (and not just a checkbox exercise), keep these principles in mind:

1. Co-Create, Don’t Dictate

Avoid having OKRs pushed top-down from leadership without team input. Instead, start with strategic company-level goals and give teams the freedom to craft OKRs that align.

2. Make Them Outcome-Focused

Key Results should measure outcomes, not activities. For example:

Good: “Improve customer satisfaction score from 72 to 85”
Bad: “Send out 3 customer surveys”

Outcome-based metrics foster clarity and impact.

3. Keep It Focused

Limit each department to 1–3 Objectives and up to 5 Key Results per Objective. The goal is focus, not overload.

4. Ensure Cross-Functional Visibility

Make departmental OKRs visible across the organization. This transparency helps identify overlaps, dependencies, and opportunities for collaboration.

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

Too much focus on outputs (e.g., “publish 10 blog posts”) instead of results (e.g., “increase organic traffic by 20%”)
Disconnected team goals that don’t align with company priorities
Overloading teams with too many OKRs, reducing focus and clarity

The best OKRs serve as a bridge between high-level vision and day-to-day execution.

Final Thoughts: Empower Teams Through Aligned Autonomy

Yes, different departments should absolutely have their own OKRs — but they shouldn’t exist in isolation.

When done right, departmental OKRs turn strategy into action. They create clarity, encourage ownership, and help every team focus on what matters most.

The magic of OKRs happens when every team understands the bigger picture and sees exactly how their work contributes to it.