13 OKR Examples for Optimal Results

Every company is always looking for ways to improve performance. There are a variety of ways to achieve this. One of them is the OKR method, which is also used by Google, Uber, Spotify and Airbnb. OKRs are a very effective goal-setting and leadership tool for companies in any industry. In this article, we briefly look at what OKRs are, how to best create them, and avoid mistakes. Many OKR examples will then help you put the theory into practice - also with the help of OKR tools.

• What should you pay attention to when creating OKRs?
• What are stumbling blocks when creating OKRs?
• What are successful examples of OKRs?
• How can OKR tools help and which ones are they?
• Conclusion

What are OKRs?

OKR is an acronym for "Objectives and Key Results". It is a method of shared goal setting used by teams and individuals. OKRs consist of the desired outcome and measurable steps needed to achieve this outcome. With OKRs, you can create a common goal setting, track progress, and enable the achievement of ambitious, measurable goals.

The objective is the goal that should be achieved. Objectives are relevant, specific, action-oriented and ideally also motivating. The objectives always align with the business goals in the business context. When goals are formulated and used correctly, they are an effective means against vague planning and inefficient execution.

Key Results, the key results, serve as a benchmark. With it, you monitor how, or if, you achieve the goal. Good Key Results are specific and time-bound, ambitious and realistic. Above all, they are measurable and verifiable. At the end of the defined period, you check whether the Key Results have been fulfilled or not.

OKRs in the company

There are 3 different OKR types: committed, aspirational and learning.

Committed OKRs: These OKRs must be successfully completed at the end of the defined period. Completion is mandatory.

Aspirational OKRs: They are also called "stretch goals" or "moonshots". With these OKRs, you do not yet know how they are to be achieved at the beginning. These tasks are usually very challenging and it is not expected that they will be completed after one work cycle. But: Your team must pave the way.

Learning OKRs: Learning something new is the goal of these OKRs. If your team is unsure of how to proceed, learning OKRs can be created. They answer the question: "What is the most important thing we want to learn in the next 90 days?" The results can serve as a basis for a Committed or Aspirational OKR in the next cycle.

What should you pay attention to when creating OKRs?

An OKR consists of one goal and 3 to 5 supporting key results. A goal can run over a year or longer, the Key Results change as the work progresses. Once all Key Results have been achieved, the goal is reached. But what should you pay attention to when creating OKRs?

OKR Framework

1. Orient yourselves to this simple formula:

OKR = (Objective = "What?") + 3 x (Key Results = "Measurement criteria")

The sentence could read like this:

I will achieve [goal], measured by [key result].

Example: I will improve my website for the majority of users, measured by 7 out of 10 users. The reaction time on the website is 1 second, with an error rate of 1 %.

First define a goal. It is simply a description of what is to be achieved.

When formulating your goal, make sure it meets the following requirements:

• it is challenging and inspiring
• it is specific
• it is action-oriented

2. The Key Results are measurable milestones, which describe, through which events the goal can be achieved. These criteria should fulfill the Key Results:

• Describes results, not activities.
• They are time-bound, ambitious, but realistic.
• They are measurable. It must be possible to evaluate your Key Result when the target time for achievement has come.

The SMART method helps you with the practical implementation. For guidance, you can also use this structure:

Verb + what you want to measure + from A to B.

Example: Increase the opening rate from 30 % to 40 %.

3. Don't take on too much at once. Usually, the goals are set monthly or quarterly. The recommendation is to set no more than 1 to 3 goals per team and quarter. The exact number depends on your company.

4. Create the OKRs together with your team. Everyone must know why what is being done. This not only promotes understanding of the common goal, but also boosts motivation. The joint brainstorming for Key Results to the objectives generates a certain degree of shared responsibility in your team and has a positive effect on the willingness to take responsibility for the results. Every employee in your company has a crucial role to play in achieving the OKRs.

5. Appoint a DRI for each OKR (Directly Responsible Individual). If you don't, no one is likely to feel responsible. The elected person must drive the achievement of the OKR.

Pay attention to a good mix of all OKR types. If you only create Committed OKRs, you leave no time for your team to be creative and try new ways. Together with Learning OKRs creates the possibility to achieve previously unachievable.

What are stumbling blocks when creating OKRs?

As simple as the theory is, implementing OKRs in practice is not always that easy. Here are some typical stumbling blocks when creating OKRs:

1. Goals that are too simple

You and your team don't challenge yourselves enough. You create OKRs based on what you have already achieved. To grow and unleash your team's full potential, you need to step out of your comfort zone. It's not bad if not all goals are achieved as planned. Every ambitious goal is an opportunity to outgrow yourself.

2. Goals that are too high

Also, the opposite of stumbling block number 1 is a challenge. It is good and important to pursue ambitious goals. However, these must be realistic and therefore achievable. Your team should be motivated and have room for growth. What you don't want: a frustrated and demotivated team. You avoid this stumbling block by including your team in the creation of the OKRs.

3. Incorrect resource planning

If a team fulfills all OKRs without using up all the personnel and financial resources, you are planning incorrectly. Redistribute your resources so that you can achieve more in the same amount of time.

4. Insufficient Key Results for the desired goal

A common mistake is that Key Results are written that are necessary, but not sufficient to completely achieve the goal. This is very tempting, as it circumvents the really difficult requirements. Insufficient Key Results can, on the one hand, result in no accurate resource planning. On the other hand, it is very likely that the goal will not be reached at the set time.

5. Objectives with low added value

OKRs must have a clear benefit for your company - otherwise, you are just wasting resources. So-called Low Value Objectives (LVOs) are targets that do not have any noticeable positive influence on anything or anyone even when they are fully achieved. The achievement of the OKRs is therefore not noticeable at all. Such a goal could be "launch product X", for example. Reformulated to provide added value: "Launch product X to increase revenue next quarter by 5%". The OKR thus focuses on a tangible benefit.

6. No regular progress control

Check the progress of the OKRs weekly to avoid a nasty surprise at the end of a work cycle. Regularly discuss the results so far with the entire team. This way you ensure that enough progress is made weekly to meet your set goals in time.

What are successful examples of OKRs?

The theory is simple, the implementation requires some practice. To make the start easier for you, you can look at examples of good OKRs here. The examples are from different areas and industries.

1. OKR example for an e-commerce shop to improve environmental protection:

O: We want to create the smallest ecological footprint in our industry.

KR1: Our supply chain and shipping infrastructure is 100% waste-free.

KR2: 25% of materials are compostable.

KR3: 75% of materials are biodegradable.

2. OKR example for a software vendor's sales to increase revenue:

O: Recurring revenues for the software are to be increased.

KR1: Monthly recurring revenues of €2.8 million.

KR2: Annual renewals increase by 25%.

KR3: 10% fewer cancellations.

3. OKR example for a theater to increase the number of members:

O: We want to win more young season ticket holders.

KR1: Increase the U30 membership by 80%.

KR2: A return rate of 25% in the next direct mailing campaign throughout the catchment area.

KR3: 20 mentions from 5 local Instagram influencers per month.

4. OKR example for a pizza delivery service, to delight customers with the product:

O: We want to be our customers' favorite delivery service.

KR1: Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 56 or better.

KR2: An order rating of 4.6 or better on the Facebook fan page.

KR3: At least 75% of customers order more than 3 times.

5. OKR example in online marketing to improve search engine ranking:

O: With 75% of our strategic search terms, we will be displayed on the first page of Google.

KR1: Create two new blog posts each week that are optimized for strategic search terms.

KR2: 15 new inbound links from relevant websites with a domain score of over 50 per quarter.

KR3: Onpage optimization of 16 blog posts per quarter.

6. OKR example in customer service to strengthen customer loyalty through better service:

O: Stronger customer loyalty through better service.

KR1: Reduce telephone waiting time to under 4 minutes.

KR2: Hire 3 new customer service representatives.

KR3: Introduction of weekly product training to further educate customer service staff.

7. OKR examples in graphic design to create more attractive blog posts:

O: Design graphics for blog posts that generate more attention.

KR1: Add infographics to the 30 most popular blog posts.

KR2: Revise current design to increase the number of monthly clicks on Pinterest from 12k to 20k.

KR3: Redesign the freebie ads to increase the conversion rate from page views to downloads from 30% to 60%.

8. OKR example in online marketing to improve the blog content:

O: The blog articles on the business blog are informative and helpful.

KR1: Increase social media shares by 25%.

KR2: Interviews with 15 industry experts per quarter.

KR3: At least 450 PDF downloads per quarter.

9. OKR example from the Human Resource area to make new employees' start easier:

O: Design an onboarding program.

KR1: Summarize all tasks and the administrative work of the HR department in a task list for each position.

KR2: Development of online product training for the 3 main products.

KR3: Appointment of a coordinator who oversees the onboarding activities of the individual departments.

10. OKR example in the sales team to increase the purchase completions:

O: More intense, personal care of potential customers.

KR1: Increase the conversion rate after trial periods from 25% to 40%.

KR2: Increase the opening rate of follow-up emails from 17% to 48%.

KR3: Achieve an average score of 8/10 in customer satisfaction surveys with at least 100 responses.

11. OKR example for the marketing department to increase brand awareness:

O: The brand awareness of the house brand is increased through social media.

KR1: Achieve 10 times more followers on Instagram.

KR2: Increase members in the Facebook group by 25%.

KR3: Increase views on YouTube by 55%.

12. OKR example in office management to improve the welfare at the workplace:

O: Employees love coming to the office and feel comfortable at their places of work.

KR1: Get feedback on suggestions for improvement from at least 80% of the employees.

KR2: Implementation of the 3 most frequently mentioned suggestions for improvement.

KR3: Get confirmation of the improvements from 50% of the participating employees.

13. OKR example in online marketing to improve the content marketing:

O: Improve the blog strategy of the corporate blog.

KR1: Analysis of all blog posts to find the most popular topics.

KR2: 5 VIP interviews with industry experts.

KR3: 20% more blog subscribers

How can OKR tools help and which ones are they?

A principle of the OKR method is to keep things simple. An OKR tool helps you with that. With a suitable OKR tool, every team member can see what needs to be done by when. You can easily track the progress of the OKRs on your own dashboard and save yourself the time of manual evaluation. OMR Reviews has already taken care of the search for tools for you. On OMR Reviews you can OKR-Software & Tools that have been rated by real users, compare with each other.

These are the 5 best OKR tools, sorted by the OMR Score:

• Mooncamp
• Leapsome
• Loopline
• Workpath

• Asana

Conclusion

Properly applied, the OKR method gives your company enormous growth potential. The approach has evolved into one of the most effective and popular goal management methods. The uniqueness of OKR lies in its simplicity and focus on the essentials; this allows you to effortlessly thrive in the modern work environment. Realize bold corporate missions together with your team. With the OKR examples and tools from this article, you can get started right away!