liminfoOkrtemplate
Free reference guide: Okrtemplate
About Okrtemplate
The OKR Template & Framework Reference is a free, comprehensive guide to implementing Objectives and Key Results (OKR) methodology across your organization. It covers 6 essential OKR categories: Goal Setting (SMART objectives, inspirational language, quarterly cycles, 3-5 objectives per quarter, qualitative expression), Key Results (measurable KRs, 2-5 per objective, 70% moonshot scoring, leading/lagging indicator mix, outcomes vs outputs), Metrics (progress tracking on 0-100% scale, confidence levels, health metrics, dashboard visualization), Review Cadence (weekly check-ins, monthly reviews, quarterly retrospectives, mid-quarter adjustments), Alignment (vertical top-down cascade, horizontal cross-department linking, bidirectional 60/40 setting, transparent sharing), and real-world Examples (Google engineering, startup growth, sales team, HR team OKRs).
Each entry provides practical templates with concrete examples: Objectives are written as qualitative, inspirational statements (e.g., "Make our product the most loved service in the market"), while Key Results are quantified with specific metrics (NPS from 40 to 60, MAU increase by 50%, response time under 2 hours). The reference covers the distinction between moonshot OKRs (70% achievement equals success) and committed OKRs (100% expected), leading versus lagging indicators, and outcomes versus outputs.
Built for product managers, engineering leaders, HR professionals, startup founders, and anyone implementing OKR methodology for team goal alignment and performance tracking. The bilingual Korean-English format makes it suitable for international teams adopting OKRs.
Key Features
- SMART goal setting framework: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound objectives with quarterly cycle guidance
- Key Result formulation: 2-5 measurable KRs per objective, 70% moonshot achievement standard, leading/lagging indicator balance
- Outcome-focused KR writing: distinguishing valuable outcomes (30% traffic increase) from mere outputs (10 blog posts written)
- Review cadence templates: 15-30 min weekly check-ins, monthly deep-dive reviews, quarterly retrospectives, mid-quarter adjustments
- Vertical alignment cascade: Company OKR to Department to Team to Individual with bidirectional 60% top-down / 40% bottom-up setting
- Horizontal cross-department alignment: linking interdependent KRs across product, marketing, sales, and engineering teams
- Real-world OKR examples: Google engineering (search latency, relevance), startup growth (retention, conversion, NPS), sales (contracts, deal size, pipeline), HR (turnover, satisfaction, hiring lead time)
- Health metrics and confidence tracking: protecting core metrics during growth pursuits, 10-point confidence scoring throughout the quarter
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between Objectives and Key Results in OKR?
Objectives are qualitative, inspirational statements that describe what you want to achieve (e.g., "Become the essential tool customers use daily"). They should be ambitious, motivating, and time-bound (typically quarterly). Key Results are quantitative, measurable outcomes that indicate whether you achieved the objective (e.g., "NPS score from 40 to 60", "Monthly active users increase by 50%"). Each Objective should have 2-5 Key Results. The Objective answers "where do we want to go?" while Key Results answer "how do we know we got there?"
What does the 70% achievement standard mean for OKRs?
For stretch or "moonshot" OKRs, achieving 70% of the target is considered a success. If you consistently hit 100% on your OKRs, your goals are likely too conservative. The 70% standard encourages teams to set ambitious targets that push beyond comfort zones. However, some OKRs are "committed" (operational necessities) where 100% achievement is expected. The distinction should be clear when setting each OKR. Google popularized this approach, treating 60-70% achievement on stretch goals as strong performance.
How many OKRs should a team have per quarter?
The recommended practice is 3-5 Objectives per quarter, with 2-5 Key Results per Objective. This typically means 6-25 total Key Results, though most teams aim for 3 Objectives with 3 Key Results each (9 total KRs) as a practical sweet spot. Having too many dilutes focus and makes tracking impractical. If a team has more than 5 Objectives, they likely need to prioritize and defer lower-priority goals to the next quarter.
What is the difference between leading and lagging indicators in KRs?
Lagging indicators measure results after the fact (revenue increase of 20%, customer satisfaction score of 90%), while leading indicators measure activities that drive those results (10 sales meetings per week, 5 customer interviews per sprint). A balanced OKR set includes both: lagging KRs confirm you achieved the desired outcome, while leading KRs ensure the team is executing the right activities. If only lagging indicators are used, you may not discover problems until it is too late to course-correct.
How should I structure OKR review cadence?
The reference recommends four review levels: (1) Weekly check-ins of 15-30 minutes during Monday team standups to share KR progress updates. (2) Monthly reviews for deep-dive analysis of blockers, strategy adjustments, and resource needs. (3) Mid-quarter adjustment at week 6 to revise KR targets if external conditions have changed significantly. (4) Quarterly retrospectives to evaluate overall achievement rates, document lessons learned (what worked and what to improve), and feed insights into next quarter OKR planning.
How do I align OKRs vertically and horizontally?
Vertical alignment cascades from Company OKRs down to Department, Team, and Individual OKRs. For example: Company Objective "Market leadership" cascades to Marketing Objective "Increase brand awareness" and then to Content Team Objective "Grow organic traffic." Horizontal alignment links cross-department KRs: Product team KR "80% onboarding completion" connects with Marketing team KR "200% increase in new signups." The reference recommends a bidirectional approach: 60% top-down direction from leadership plus 40% bottom-up proposals from teams who understand operational realities.
What are health metrics and why are they important?
Health metrics are core indicators that must not be sacrificed while pursuing ambitious OKR goals. For example, when aggressively pursuing growth, a health metric might be "maintain customer churn rate below 5%." Without health metrics, teams might hit their growth OKR by degrading product quality or customer experience. Health metrics act as guardrails — they are not OKR targets to improve, but baselines to protect. Track them alongside your OKRs on the same dashboard using color coding (green for on track, yellow for at risk, red for off track).
Can you give a real-world OKR example for a startup?
The reference includes a startup growth OKR: Objective is "Achieve Product-Market Fit." Key Results are: KR1 "Weekly retention above 40%" (lagging indicator showing users find lasting value), KR2 "Paid conversion rate 5%" (lagging indicator proving willingness to pay), KR3 "NPS above 50" (lagging indicator measuring user satisfaction). This set focuses entirely on outcomes, not outputs. A common mistake would be writing KRs like "Launch 3 features" or "Run 10 experiments" — those are outputs that may or may not drive product-market fit.