How to Write Good OKRs for Your Team (with Examples)

OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) are a simple way to set goals: a short objective that says what you want, and a few numbers that prove you got there.

The objective: what and why

An objective is short, memorable and worth achieving this quarter:

• "Make delivery reliable"
• "Grow revenue from key accounts"
• "Faster month-end close"

Key results: the proof

Each objective gets 2 to 4 key results. A good key result has a starting point, a target and a deadline:

• On-time delivery from 91% to 97%
• Days to close books from 12 to 5
• Qualified leads from 40 to 90 a month

Key results are not tasks

"Launch a new website" is a task. "Website leads from 40 to 90 a month" is a key result. Tasks belong in your project plan; key results measure whether the tasks worked.

Targets can go up or down

Progress = (current − start) ÷ (target − start). For downtime going from 40 hours to 15, a current value of 22 means (22 − 40) ÷ (15 − 40) = 72% progress.

Examples by team

• Sales: revenue from top 20 accounts ₹210 lakh → ₹260 lakh; quote turnaround 5 days → 2 days
• Operations: unplanned downtime 40 → 15 hours a month; complaints 8 → 3 a month
• Marketing: website conversion 1.2% → 2.5%
• Finance: days to close 12 → 5; bank reconciliation automated (0 → 1)
• HR: time to hire 45 → 30 days; 90-day attrition of new joiners 20% → 10%

Weekly check-in (30 minutes)

For each key result: current value, confidence (high, medium, low) and what's blocking it. Spend the meeting on low-confidence items, not on reading numbers aloud.

Scoring at quarter end

70% progress on an ambitious key result is a good result. If everything always hits 100%, targets are too safe. Carry unfinished but important key results into the next quarter, and drop the rest.

Common mistakes

1. Too many OKRs: 15 objectives means no focus
2. Business as usual dressed up as OKRs
3. Setting and forgetting: no weekly check-in
4. Tying OKRs directly to bonuses, which makes everyone sandbag

Our OKR & Goal Tracker for Teams rolls key results up into objective progress, handles targets that go up or down, and shows on-track, at-risk and off-track goals by team.