Examples & Resources

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o
Establish the 8086 as the highest-performance 16-bit microprocesor family.
kr1
Develop and publish five benchmarks showing superior 8086 family performance.
kr2
Repackage the entire 8086 family of products.
kr3
Get 8MHz part into production.
kr4
Sample the arithmetic coprocessor no later than June 15.
Source: “Measure What Matters”

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o
Grow and diversify revenue through increased donor engagement.
kr1
Grow unrestricted donations by 25% with a baseline of $2,700,000 and a target of $3,375,000.
kr2
Host 12 engagement events to nurture major donor and foundation prospects with a baseline of 2 and a target of 12.
kr3
Grow highly engaged subscribers by 30,000, with 2.5% becoming new or re-engaged donors with a baseline of 60,000 and a target of 90,000.
o
Exceed Q4 quotas by +100%.
kr1
Create an account plan for each tier by January 31.
kr2
Generate 60 SQLs by end of Q1.
kr3
Source 30 Fortune 1,000 CXO meetings by March 31.
kr4
Bring in $200,000 in bookings by end of Q1.
Source: Betterworks

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o
Create new bookings and pipeline for Q1.
kr1
Contribute $1M in bookings by the end of Q1.
kr2
Contribute $4M in new pipeline opportunities by end of Q1.
kr3
Keep pipeliine above 3x at all times.
kr4
Achieve linearity targets with 20% closed by end of month and 50% closed by end of month 2.
Source: BetterWorks

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o
Hit company booking target for Q1.
kr1
Secure $10M in bookings by end of Q1.
kr2
Ensure each sales manager contributes $4M or more in bookings.
kr3
Ensure at least 60% of sales team achieves quota.
kr4
Deliver 40% of our overall. bookings via upsell and cross-sell.
kr5
Attend 3 industry events by end of Q1.
Source: BetterWorks

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o
Hire 10 new employees by end of March.
kr1
Develop an annual hiring plan by end of February.
kr2
Onboard 2 recruiting agencies for Engineering and Sales hiring by February 15th.
kr3
Launch new careers page with employee content to improve hiring brand.
kr4
Restructure employee referral program to generate 10% more referrals.
Source: Betterworks

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o
Make the museum more relevant to the community.
kr1
Grow number of monthly visitors from the local area 30% by next quarter.
kr2
Host 2 community events focused on attracting local donors.
o
Increase economic investment and neighborhood stability.
kr1
Ninety-five percent of permits and zoning approvals will be issued on-time.
kr2
Increase compliance of code violations by the comply by date from 20% to 35%.
kr3
Improve stability in the quality of life pilot area by 20%
Source: City of Syracuse

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o
Achieve fiscal sustainability.
kr1
Reduce the general fund budget variance from 11% to 5%.
kr2
Spend 95% of authorized capital project dollars by the end of the fiscal year.
kr3
Spend 95% of grant dollars for grants from prior fiscal years.
Source: City of Syracuse

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o
Provide quality constituent engagement and response.
kr1
Increase social media engagement by 10%.
kr2
Achieve 90% survey satisfaction from constituents.
kr3
Improve equity of Cityline use by 20%.
Source: City of Syracuse

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o
Deliver city services effectively, efficiently, and equitably.
kr1
Ninety-five percent of City services will be delivered by their established resolution time.
kr2
Increase the number of times city employees address a reported problem in one visit by 25%.
kr3
Improve equity of City service delivery time by 20%
Source: City of Syracuse

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o
Reach 100k visitors/month via technical and non-technical SEO
kr1
Reach top 10 average position on Google for certain keywords.
kr2
Reach an average page speed 1.5s.
kr3
Publish 20 pieces of content/month.
kr4
Increase social media followers by 10x.
o
Reach over 90% of US households by end of 2019.
kr1
Understand “Total Cost to Serve” and measure everything.
kr2
Lower variable labor costs to 3.5% of premium.
kr3
Increase our gross margin to [XX]% by EOY 2019.
o
Reach meaningful scale by filing 1,500 cases/month.
kr1
NPS above X.
kr2
Scale product and processes to support X cases/month.
kr3
Improve funnel to file X cases/month based on all site traffic.
kr4
X website visitors/month via technical and non-technical SEO
o
RtI team handles classroom behaviors positively and proactively
kr1
Behaviors and responses include data from all our students’ diverse ages and backgrounds.
kr2
100% of staff knows how to build behavioral data into their work.
kr3
Disciplinary action down 20%.
kr4
War room approach answers the question, "How do we support the unmotivated student?"
o
O: Instagram account is a major contributor to sales and brand awareness.
kr1
KR: Hit 100k followers by end of cycle.
kr2
KR: 2.5% average engagement rate on all posts.
kr3
KR: 15% of sales comes from Instagram.
kr4
KR: Make a “10 top accounts you need to follow” list.
o
O: Be a second home for the people in our neighborhood.
kr1
30% of guest are return customers.
kr2
Sell out an event or holiday with sentimental value (Valentine’s Day, NYE, Super Bowl, etc).
kr3
Hand out 100 "neighborhood discount" coupons/week.
kr4
4 "neighborhood favorites" items on the menu/season.
o
Increase the number of people our office is able to serve each day.
kr1
Reduce the average form completion time to 15 minutes (from 45 minutes today).
kr2
Proactively reach out to enrollees before benefits expire, reducing re-enrollment rate 15%.
o
Make our new pilot pitch-ready.
kr1
Complete 3 practice pitches.
kr2
Sizzle reel reviewed by 5 top literary agents or development execs.
kr3
Friends and family give pitch materials approval of 80% or more.
kr4
Identify at least 1 pitch-meeting “wow” moment.
o
Maximize the amount of stories we’re able to tell.
kr1
Eliminate all pipeline bottlenecks.
kr2
100% of projects stay under budget.
kr3
Identify and cut back on wasteful spending (20% overall).
kr4
100% of staff feel empowered to take on one extra project.
o
Meaningfully improve your operating excellence in the next hour.
kr1
Finishing the session on time.
kr2
Getting a 4+ quality rating from our first draft of team OKRs.
kr3
100% commitment to trying OKRs.
Source: Measure What Matters Training Materials

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o
Improve the access to healthcare for veterans by providing more convenient options.
kr1
90% of veterans are within a 45-minute drive to a VA run healthcare facility or affiliated health center.
kr2
Telemedicine option is provided to all veterans and 30% have used it once.
kr3
Driving down appointment wait times from 10-day average to 3 days.
kr4
Streamline “second opinion” approval process, to provide a determination within 48 hours.
o
Introduce more formal measurement while increasing transparency. Move the needle on underrepresented groups in leadership.
kr1
Identify 3 professional organizations focused on advancing Black and Latinx Leaders to establish key partnerships.
kr2
As part of Zenefits launch, run EEOC survey to have diversity data by level & team. Publish Diversity Data across key leadership teams.
kr3
Increase our Diverse slate approach for our leadership searches of Chief Revenue Officer and other Directors and above hires by 2x diverse pipeline with a focus on Black & Latinx representation.
o
Make fitness and health a priority.
kr1
Read two books/month about diet and wellness.
kr2
Go to the gym 3x week.
kr3
No fast food for a month.
kr4
Be able to complete a 5k within 30 minutes.
kr5
Lose 20 pounds in time for vacation.
o
Have more quality family time, as measured by:
kr1
Getting home for dinner by 6 pm, 20 nights a month.
kr2
Being present by turning off the internet router to eliminate distractions.
Source: John Doerr

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o
Document career path matrix for employees at all levels by end of January.
kr1
Meet with all 50 managers to ensure each employee has a career path program by January 10.
kr2
Develop new program for high-performing employees by January 15.
kr3
Create a standard performance improvement program for every department by January 20.
Source: Betterworks

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o
Make our city center more accessible to residents living in the city.
kr1
Address long wait times for busses, reduce 90th percentile of lateness by 50%.
kr2
Increase accessibility of protected bike lanes, no point will be more than .5 mi from one.
kr3
Identify corporate and philanthropic partners that allow us to reduce senior fares by $1.50
kr4
Make our streets safer, reducing the number of thefts by half in 60 days.
o
Break into prestige-level true crime podcasting.
kr1
Identify 5 engaging under-the-radar cold cases.
kr2
Sample 3 episodes from each of the top 5 true crime podcasts.
kr3
Interview 5 investigative journalists.
kr4
Draft treatments for top 2 cold cases.
o
Expand distribution channels for video content
kr1
Debut video game adaptation of original series at the 2019 E3 event.
kr2
0% of comedy specials available for radio distribution by April 15.
kr3
Reduce backend costs to be able to offer HDR streaming without raising subscription prices.
o
Engage our coalition by keeping them both inspired by and active in our work.
kr1
Increase click-through rates on all digital communications by 20%.
kr2
Develop an annual report by the end of Q1.
kr3
Produce 3 video spotlights of community partners.
o
Gain product superiority within the consideration set for our key markets
kr1
Bring to market one unique technology feature that doubles retention in our top customer segment (i.e., simplify administration, reduce CPU utilization, increase security, streamline integration).
kr2
Land in the top third of the curve on the Challenger section for the Gartner Magic Quadrant.
o
Create the lowest carbon footprint in our industry.
kr1
Supply chain and shipping infrastructure 100% zero waste.
kr2
Pay 100% carbon offset for calculated carbon dioxide emissions.
kr3
25% of material is compostable.
kr4
75% of material is biodegradable.
o
Gain hard technical skills to become top 1% product manager in Silicon Valley.
kr1
Spend 3 days a week practicing Python and SQL.
kr2
Deploy sample project to Heroku by the end of the month.
o
Grow Flyers by X percent by the second quarter.
kr1
Grow in the Fourth of July category by X percent.
kr2
Grow in quinceañera by Y percent.
kr3
Grow in adult birthday by Z percent.
Source: Paperless Post
o
Build a planning model for Google.
kr1
Finish presentation on time.
kr2
Create a sample set of quarterly Google OKRs.
kr3
Gain management agreement for a three-month OKR trial.
Source: Measure What Matters Training Materials

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o
Ensure funders feel informed and encouraged to continue support.
kr1
Establish 3 funder check-ins throughout the quarter.
kr2
Develop an impact report by the end of the quarter.
kr3
Retain at least 40% of donors.
o
Increase the overall impact of our organization in the areas of thought leadership, policy and advocacy.
kr1
Produce quarterly publications to highlight the organizations’ research, point of view and recommendations.
kr2
Secure 3 meetings with partners and elected officials to address key issue areas and opportunities for potential alignment.
kr3
Host 2 advocacy events this quarter to convene leaders and representatives from nonprofits, business, higher education and government institutions to learn about effective strategies for implementation.
o
Strengthen the family connection.
kr1
Develop a form of discipline that cultivates learning and loving opportunities rather than punishment.
kr2
Discontinue yelling at the children.
kr3
Observe Saturdays as a day of rest and rejuvenation.
o
Fix Healthcare.gov for the vast majority of consumers.
kr1
7/10 people able to apply
kr2
1000 ms response time
kr3
1% error rate
kr4
99% uptime
Source: Healthcare.gov
o
Expand support coverage to Arabic, Chinese, and Spanish.
kr1
Hire and onboard 10 native speakers of each language for phone support by October.
kr2
Expand online automated online support pipeline to each language by November.
kr3
Develop in-house translation tool to help aid non-speakers in simple problem solutions by December.
o
Deliver 500 8MHz 8086 parts to CGW by May 30.
kr1
Develop final art to photo plot by April 5.
kr2
Deliver Rev 2.3 masks to fab on April 9.
kr3
Test tapes completed by May 15.
kr4
Fab red tag start no later than May.
Source: “Measure What Matters”

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o
To refine the entire Superhuman experience to Remarkable Quality.
kr1
Grow to $X annual recurring revenue by the end of the quarter from current: $Y.
kr2
Mobile: improve sentiment to 75% from current 69%.
kr3
Desktop: improve sentiment to 92% from current 89%.
Source: Superhuman

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o
Extend Coursera’s reach to new students.
kr1
Perform A/B tests, learn, and iterate on ways to acquire new students and engage existing students.
kr2
Increase mobile monthly active users (MAU) to 150k.
kr3
Create internal tools to track key growth metrics.
kr4
Launch features to enable instructors to create more engaging videos.
Source: Coursera

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o
Hire 1 full-time person by end of T13.
kr1
4 previous months of meeting $66k sales/month.
kr2
Confirmed 50% revenue for next 6 months.
kr3
Long-term forecasted revenue for months 6-12 @ 25%.
Source: August Public

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o
Run a 10K in under 50 minutes by June.
kr1
Go for a run 3x/week for at least 30 minutes.
kr2
Increase distance of run by 1 mile every week.
kr3
Increase mile speed by 5 seconds every week.
o
Learn new skills and practices beyond the job description.
kr1
Complete Lynda.com web development training courses to earn two additional certifications before the end of the 1st quarter.
kr2
Attend networking events to gain three new mentors in my field this month.
kr3
Lead one project this quarter.
o
Improve shopping cart conversions from 20% to 45%.
kr1
Launch the new version of the shopping cart by June 30.
kr2
120,000 new downloads this month.
kr3
Automate the deployment of our production system to require no manual interventions and to take less than 10 minutes.
o
Tighten funnel to achieve 2,000 software subscriptions /month based on site traffic.
kr1
25%+ conversion rate from site visitor to sales inquiry.
kr2
75%+ conversion rate from inquiry received to trial account created.
kr3
15%+ conversion rate from trial account created to software subscriber.
o
Increase sales by 50 percent over last quarter.
kr1
Generate $10 million in sales.
kr2
At least 10 percent of sales must come from returning clients.
kr3
Reach 95% customer satisfaction.
kr4
Provide monthly training for sales team.
Source: Google

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o
Exceed Q4 quotas by 100%+.
kr1
Create an account plan for each tier by January 31st.
kr2
Generate 60 SQLs by end of Q1.
kr3
Bring in $200,000 in bookings by end of Q1.
kr4
Source 30 Fortune 1,000 CXO meetings by March 1st.
Source: BetterWorks

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o
Fix Healthcare.gov for the vast majority of consumers.
kr1
7/10 people able to apply.
kr2
1000 ms response time.
kr3
1% error rate.
kr4
99% uptime.
Source: Measure What Matters Training Materials

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o
Be the most trusted car-sharing service among millennials.
kr1
Launch charity roundup opt-in option for all rides.
kr2
Publish a carbon offset report and get coverage in national newspapers.
kr3
Add gender neutral gender pronoun product feature for users.
o
Reach meaningful scale by achieving 5,000 software subscriptions/month.
kr1
100K site visitors/month via technical and non-technical SEO.
kr2
Improve funnel to achieve 5,000 subscriptions/month based on all site traffic.
kr3
Scale product and processes to support 5,000 subscriptions/month.
kr4
NPS above 90.
o
Invest in the root if you want the fruit.
kr1
Make Snapchat the fastest way to communicate.
kr2
Find best friends for all Snapchatters.
kr3
Achieve full year profitability.
kr4
Lead the way in augmented reality.
kr5
Spread positivity.
Source: Snap, Inc.’s 2019 OKRs

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o
Increase the number of data stewardship innovations that can accelerate the growth of trustworthy AI.
kr1
$3 million raised to support bold, multi-year, cross movement initiatives on data stewardship as an indicator of growing philanthropic support in this area.
kr2
10 awards or fellowships for prototypes or other concrete exploration re: data stewardship.
kr3
4 concentric “networks of practice” utilize Mozilla-housed Data x Lab.
Source: Mozilla 2020 OKRs

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o
Become the #1 free mobile banking app for developing countries.
kr1
Improve weekly sign-ups by 15% by July.
kr2
Launch a marketing campaign in every language by August.
kr3
Establish at least one ATM-access point across all countries by September.
o
Maintain a world-class office.
kr1
Transfer all company and client records to the cloud.
kr2
Avoid running out of office supplies.
kr3
Reduce spending on office supplies by 10%.
kr4
Implement an online conference room reservation system.
kr5
Choose and launch a new document sharing platform.
o
Make Minnesota's innovation ecosystem a national leader.
kr1
Land Minnesota in the "Top 5" of either the Milken Institute State Technology and Science Index, the National Science Foundation Science and Engineering State Profiles, and/or Wallet Hub's list for best ecosystems for innovation.
kr2
Increase the number of innovative businesses, organizations, and entrepreneurs we reach with our programs by 25%.
kr3
Double the number of job-seekers we reach with technology training.
Source: Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED)

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o
Develop an excellent company culture.
kr1
Increase employee retention to 90%.
kr2
Implement a new onboarding process.
kr3
Conduct quarterly work satisfaction surveys across the company.
kr4
Reach 95% in average work satisfaction.
kr5
Organize monthly company outings.
o
Showcase full [BBC iPlayer] series and make them easy to watch, to keep users coming back.
kr1
Document a one year cross platform vision by 1 Aug.
kr2
Get green light from all platforms to proceed based on the vision proposal by 10th Aug.
kr3
Have 10 prioritised epics for the three platforms for next quarter by 18th June.
kr4
Increase time spent by 5% on web (as measured by A/B tests) by 23rd June.
Source: Leo Marti, BBC iPlayer

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o
Increase financial security.
kr1
Eliminate all high-interest debt.
kr2
Have six months' worth of expenses in savings by end of year.
kr3
Credit score increases at least 10 points every update until 800.
o
Advance and engage in the conservation mission of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund.
kr1
The campus design enhances education opportunities throughout the building infrastructure and landscape to showcase local conservation techniques.
kr2
Achieve measurable impact within the Rwandan economy through the use of local materials and trades.
kr3
Create a reforestation landscape that supports testing and planting of native species for researchers and students to measure and study within the unique VNP ecosystem over time.
Source: MASS Design Group

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o
Make Stories the best product possible.
kr1
Talk to X users.
kr2
Understand their top pain-points.
kr3
Produce a document analyzing users' pain points.
Source: Duolingo

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o
Delight customers. Ensure that our customers are so happy with our service and product that they have no choice but to order more pizza and to rave about the experience with their friends
kr1
Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 42 or better.
kr2
Order Rating of 4.6/5.0 or better.
kr3
75% of customers prefer Zume to the competitor in a blind taste test.
Source: “Measure What Matters”

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o
Win the Indy 500.
kr1
Test at wind tunnels ten times.
kr2
Reduce average pit stop time by one second.
kr3
Practice pit stops one hour per day.
kr4
Reduce pit stop errors by 50%.
kr5
Increase average lap speed by 2%.
Source: Ford Motor Company

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o
Increase the number of monthly blog subscribers 2x.
kr1
Expand distribution method of blog to RSS news aggregators like Apple News, Google News, and Flipboard.
kr2
Implement subscriber call-to-action (CTA) on landing page for new, uncookied unique visitors.
kr3
Begin 2 campaigns with prizes offered for new blog subscriptions.
o
Improve company website.
kr1
Redesign visuals and layout of website.
kr2
Increase loading speed by 20%.
kr3
Reach 1 million monthly visitors.
kr4
Increase average visit times by 20%.
o
Get a literary agent to take my next book proposal.
kr1
Research 15 literary agents who represent books in my genre.
kr2
Read at least one of their clients’ books every other week for query letter research.
kr3
Query 5 literary agents by end of quarter.
kr4
Attend one writer workshop this year and connect with 10 literary agents in-person.
o
Increase space tourism.
kr1
Increase subscription cohort for Mars travelers | 30% increase in revenue from travelers who subscribe to annual space flights.
kr2
Best first flight experience in the market | Improve first flight NPS from 15 to 25 to encourage second and third flights.
kr3
Improve landing experience | Decrease detractor comments for landing experience by 50% with launch of 2.0 landing gear, which will make experience faster and less turbulent.
Source: Atlassian OKR Training

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o
Achieve fiscal sustainability.
kr1
Reduce the general fund budget variance from 11% to 5%.
kr2
Spend 95% of authorized capital project dollars by the end of the fiscal year.
kr3
Spend 95% of grant dollars for grants from prior fiscal years.
o
Scale Services to Improve Margins.
kr1
Delight our broker partners with our product and service.
kr2
Increase efficiency of new broker acquisition.
kr3
Launch a new dental benefits product.
Source: Beam Dental

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o
Maximize executive and office productivity.
kr1
Streamline company approval processes.
kr2
Ensure executives arrive to all scheduled meetings and events on time.
kr3
Ensure executives reach inbox box zero at the end of every week.
kr4
Implement quarterly training for admin staff.
o
Sucessfully launch product in Asian-Pacific markets.
kr1
Hire 10 APAC salespeople.
kr2
Create sales training course for product line.
kr3
5% of new sales come from Asia-Pacific region by end of year.
o
Launch mobile app update by Q3.
kr1
Design and build three new features.
kr2
Fewer than 2 bugs per feature in quality assurance testing.
kr3
Average 4 star rating in app store.
kr4
Secure top 100 position in the health and fitness category of app store charts.
o
Reduce the disparities faced by populations with barriers to employment.
kr1
Increase the average starting wage for people of color who DEED helps place in jobs by $2/hour.
kr2
Create a unique “Equity goal” for every single program across DEED, focused on reducing disparities based on either 1) race, 2) ability level, or 3) geography.
Source: Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED)

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o
Build tools that help nonprofit organizations access and apply their data better.
kr1
Increase usage of donation dashboard tool for nonprofits from 20% to 50% without decreasing performance times.
kr2
Host 30 CTOs from local non-profits for a seminar on embracing open source technologies.
o
Highest customer satisfaction ratings in the industry.
kr1
Collect feedback from 100 top customers via in-depth interviews.
kr2
Conduct 200 phone interviews with recently churned customers.
kr3
Exceed Net Promoter score (NPS) of over 8.0.
o
Test industry’s customer-friendly return policy.
kr1
Finish development of automated e-receipt service by February.
kr2
Soft launch to Phoenix metro area by March.
o
Make products that elevate people and put community first.
kr1
Make documentation of ethical standards 100% transparent and available to anyone.
kr2
Deliver measurable impact within local economies by using 75% of local tradespeople and material.
kr3
Host a monthly feedback forum for the community with a 90% approval rating.
o
Recruit three new players.
kr1
Attend 25 games to scout out potential recruits.
kr2
Approach 30 players throughout these games.
kr3
Contact the agents of 10 potential recruits.
Source: Measure What Matters Training Materials

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o
Design a UX so intuitive that there are no customer service inquiries.
kr1
Design matches 100% of customer requirements.
kr2
Fewer than 1 UX-related customer service inquiries per week.
kr3
Scale infrastructure to support 100,000 users by end of quarter.
o
Launch ride review CTA after all train rides.
kr1
Train ride review CTA launched by March 1.
kr2
70% of all commuters who book through app successfully funneled to leave review.
kr3
1,000 reviews in first week of launch.
kr4
Respond to 80% of reviewers that leave a comment to source ideas for future updates.
o
Enable every worker to make decisions based on "live" data.
kr1
Deliver functional data marts for HR and Sales by April 1.
kr2
Complete migration to data warehouse for real-time access by April 15.
kr3
100% of all workers trained on data visualization tools by end of Q2.
o
Become recognized as a thought leader in my field.
kr1
Share 5 unique insights each week on Twitter.
kr2
Start a bi-weekly newsletter that aggregates insights, includes more detailed commentary on tweet, and reaches 1,000 subscribers by next quarter.
kr3
Build complementary audiences by engaging with 10 pieces of content from other experts each month.
o
Become the most efficient HR department in our industry.
kr1
Automate the management of time off and administrative leave requests.
kr2
100% of employee and leadership employee trainings complete by end of quarter.
kr3
All new employees pass follow-up questions that accompany our company orientation video series.
o
Win the Super Bowl.
kr1
Passing attack amasses 300+ yards per game.
kr2
Defense allows fewer than 17 points per game.
kr3
Special-teams unit ranks in top 3 in punts return coverage.
Source: Measure What Matters Training Materials

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Frequently Asked Questions

Foundations of OKRs

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Implementing OKRs

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Putting OKRs into Action

Growing an OKR Culture

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OKRs by Department

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