Objectives and Key Results

Also called OKR and OKRs

Objectives and key results: a goal-setting framework where you set an ambitious objective and a few measurable key results that show whether you hit it. Popularized at Intel and Google.

Why it matters

OKRs align a team around a few clear, measurable goals and make progress visible, which matters more as a company grows past a handful of people. The trap is over-engineering them; the value is focus and honest measurement.

For example

The quarter's objective is 'delight new users', with key results of lifting activation to 40 percent and cutting time-to-value under three minutes.

Go deeper

How to Set KPIs and Goals Y Combinator · guide A practical guide to setting goals and metrics for a team, which is where Objectives and Key Results does its work. Open ycombinator.com →

Related terms

Also in Starting Up

See how founders actually handle this on Co-founders, team and legal, part of the Starting Up hub.

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