What is the difference between KRs and KPIs?

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What Is the Difference Between Key Results and KPIs?

If you're exploring goal-setting frameworks, you've likely come across two popular terms: Key Results (KRs) and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).

At first glance, they sound similar — both involve measurement, both involve metrics, and both are tied to performance. But while they are related, they serve very different purposes.

This answer explains the difference between KRs and KPIs, when to use each, and how they fit together.

What Are KPIs?

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are metrics that track the ongoing health and performance of your business.

They are used to:

Monitor operations
Measure efficiency
Benchmark performance against goals

KPIs are usually stable, recurring metrics. They reflect what you already know you should be tracking — like:

Monthly recurring revenue (MRR)
Customer churn rate
Website traffic
Employee satisfaction score

You don’t set KPIs every quarter. You monitor them consistently, whether or not you're trying to change them at that moment.

Think of KPIs as the dashboard gauges of your company — they show how you’re performing, but they don’t necessarily tell you what you’re trying to achieve next.

What Are Key Results?

Key Results (KRs) are part of the OKR (Objectives and Key Results) framework.

Each Key Result is tied to a specific Objective — a qualitative, inspiring goal you want to achieve within a set time frame (usually a quarter).

Key Results:

Are outcome-based
Are time-bound
Measure progress toward a specific Objective
Indicate success or failure based on clear criteria

For example:
Objective: Improve customer onboarding experience
Key Results:

Increase onboarding completion rate from 65% to 85%
Reduce average time to first value from 5 days to 3
Improve onboarding satisfaction score to 9/10

Once the objective is complete, those Key Results are no longer relevant — they expire. KRs are temporary, while KPIs are ongoing.

The Core Differences Between KRs and KPIs

Purpose: KRs drive progress toward a specific goal. KPIs monitor performance over time.
Timeframe: KRs are short-term, usually quarterly. KPIs are long-term and continuous.
Context: KRs are always tied to an Objective. KPIs are often standalone metrics.
Change frequency: KRs are set and reviewed each cycle. KPIs are tracked consistently.
Nature: KRs are outcome-driven. KPIs are health-driven.

How They Work Together

While KPIs track what’s going on, Key Results define what needs to change.

For example:

KPI: Your current Net Promoter Score (NPS) is 45
KR: Raise NPS from 45 to 60 this quarter as part of your customer experience objective

In this way, you can use your KPIs as inputs when setting Key Results. If a KPI is underperforming, you might build an Objective and KR around improving it.