OKR: Objectives and Key Results Explained

OKR – Objectives and Key Results, metoda pro řízení a měření cílů

WHAT IS IT

Objectives & Key Results

Objectives and Key Results (OKR) is a proven system for setting and managing goals that helps companies and teams maintain a clear direction and regularly evaluate progress. Their successful implementation takes time, but the results are worth it.

The acronym OKR stands for a combination of:

Objective – an inspiring, clear, and motivating direction that defines what we want to achieve
Key Results – measurable outcomes that show whether we are truly moving toward the objective

The OKR framework is especially popular in technology companies and agile organizations because it promotes focus, transparency, and team collaboration.

How do OKRs work in practice?

Objective

An Objective describes where we want to go. A good objective is:

short and easy to remember
motivating and understandable for the entire team
ambitious, yet realistic

Key Results

Key Results answer the question: “How do we know we have achieved the objective?”
Each objective typically has 2–5 key results that are:

measurable (using numbers or clear metrics)
time-bound
focused on outcomes and impact, not activities

Example:

Objective: “Improve customer experience”
Key Results:
- “Increase NPS from 35 to 50”
- “Reduce average support response time by 30%”

OKR vs KPI: What is the difference?

OKRs are often used as an alternative or as a complement to KPIs; however, the difference between them is fundamental.

On the one hand, KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) measure the overall “health” of the organization and track ongoing operational performance, such as revenue, margins, outages, or customer complaints.
On the other hand, OKRs focus on managing change and driving growth. Specifically, they support initiatives such as product improvement, innovation, market expansion, and organizational transformation.

In simple terms: KPIs keep the business running, OKRs move the business forward.
For teams focused primarily on operations, KPIs often make more sense than OKRs.

How long are OKRs set for?

OKRs are considered mid-term goals and are usually set for 12–18 months.
Thanks to regular reviews and adjustments, OKRs are well suited for fast-changing environments.

Why do companies use OKRs?

OKRs support organizations in many areas, for example:

aligning team goals with company strategy (alignment)
focusing attention on what truly matters (focus)
increasing accountability and ownership within teams (ownership)
creating a transparent and fair environment (transparency & trust)
measuring impact, not just the number of activities (outcomes over outputs)

Moreover, OKRs also promote psychological safety. Instead of punishing failure, the goal is to learn and continuously improve.

A valuable side effect of OKR implementation is team and agility diagnostics. It often becomes clear:

how well IT and business are connected
whether teams can jointly define and measure meaningful goals
how effectively teams coordinate to achieve them

Recommended OKR structure in a company

OKRs can be scaled across the entire organization. When set correctly, they connect:

the company’s strategic goals
team-level OKRs

We recommend that each team has:

1–3 Objectives (maximum)
2–5 Key Results per objective

This makes OKRs easy to remember and actively use in decision-making. However, when teams have too many goals, people tend to forget them exactly when they matter most.

How often are OKRs reviewed?

As part of implementation, we introduce regular check-ins and continuous improvement.
OKRs often become part of Scrum events in agile teams, or new facilitated workshops are created at the company level.

Typical cadence includes:

weekly or bi-weekly check-ins (quick status updates)
monthly reviews (trends and risks)
quarterly evaluations (cycle close and retrospectives)

Progress is often measured on a 0.0–1.0 scale or in percentages.
For ambitious OKRs, achieving around 70% is considered ideal—goals are meant to drive progress, not just task completion.

Summary

OKR (Objectives and Key Results) is a framework for setting mid-term and short-term goals that connects company strategy with team objectives and measures impact through concrete, measurable outcomes. It supports agility, collaboration, transparency, and clear prioritization of work.

Additional practical resources

Explore our other services in agile approaches: Agile Performance
Learn how we can support your Agile Transformation
Enroll in our practical course Agile Transformation in Practice, which includes hands-on experience and real-world guidance on implementing agility in organizations

Would you like to introduce OKR in your company? We will train your teams, help you set up OKR, and support you in ongoing evaluation. We have many years of experience with successful OKR implementation in Czech companies.

Request OKR training or consultation