OKR guide
OKRs explained for product managers
OKRs are how Google, Intel, Spotify, and most tech companies set ambitious goals. Here is the framework, real examples, and how to write good OKRs for PM interviews and real work.
What are OKRs?
OKR stands for Objectives and Key Results. The framework was developed at Intel and popularized at Google, where it became the operating system for goal-setting at every level of the company.
Objective
What you want to achieve. Qualitative, ambitious, and inspiring. It answers the question: where do we want to go?
Key Results
How you know you achieved it. Quantitative, measurable, and time-bound. Usually 3–5 Key Results per Objective.
The formula
We will [Objective] as measured by [Key Result 1], [Key Result 2], and [Key Result 3].
This sentence test is simple but powerful. If you cannot fill in the blanks with specific numbers, your OKR is not ready.
Good OKR examples
PM-focused examples showing what strong Objectives and Key Results look like.
Make the onboarding experience delightful for new users
Increase Day 1 retention from 40% to 60%
Reduce median time-to-first-value from 10 minutes to 4 minutes
Achieve NPS score of 45+ from onboarding survey
Become the preferred tool for freelance designers in our market
Grow MAU among designers from 50k to 80k
Increase designer-segment NRR from 95% to 110%
Win 3 industry design award mentions by Q4
What makes a good Key Result
Five properties every strong KR should have.
Measurable with a number
If you cannot put a number on it, it is not a Key Result.
Has a baseline and a target
From X to Y. You need to know where you started to know how far you went.
Time-bound
Usually quarterly. A KR without a deadline is just a wish.
Achievable but ambitious
Aim for 70% achievement. If you always hit 100%, your targets were not ambitious enough.
Outcome-focused, not output-focused
"Increase retention to 60%" (outcome) vs. "Ship onboarding redesign" (output).
Common OKR mistakes
Most OKR failures trace back to one of these four patterns.
Writing tasks as KRs
That is a task, not a result. A Key Result measures impact, not delivery.
Too many OKRs
Nothing gets focus. Limit to 3 objectives and 3-4 KRs each.
No baseline
By how much? From what? Baselines make targets meaningful.
Set and forget
OKRs require weekly check-ins and honest grading throughout the quarter.
OKR grading
At the end of each quarter, grade each Key Result on a 0.0 to 1.0 scale.
Failed
The objective was not meaningfully advanced.
Progress but missed
Real work happened but the goal fell short. Reflect on why.
Success
Strong delivery. If you hit 1.0 every cycle, raise the bar.
If you always hit 1.0, your OKRs were not ambitious enough. The 70% target is intentional — it keeps teams reaching beyond the comfortable.
Next steps
Learn PM fundamentals in depth
OKRs are one layer of the PM skillset. The product manager track covers prioritization, roadmaps, metrics, and the full interview playbook.