OKR stands for Objectives and Key Results: a goal-setting method where you set an ambitious objective and track it with a few measurable key results. Google often sets three to five objectives with about three key results each, and grades every key result on a scale from 0 to 1.0.
The objective is where you want to go. The key results are how you'll know you're getting there. Andy Grove at Intel put it as two questions: where do I want to go, and how will I pace myself to see if I'm getting there?
Where OKRs came from
John Doerr learned OKRs at Intel and introduced them to Google's leadership in early 2000. Google sets OKRs annually and quarterly, and holds company-wide quarterly meetings to share and grade them. Google's re:Work guide, which this page draws on, is preserved as a record from 2016 and has a few era-specific references, but Google says the core insights remain relevant (checked as of October 2026).
Why scoring 70% counts as success
This is the part that trips people up. Google says the sweet spot for an OKR grade is 60% to 70%. If someone consistently hits all of their objectives, their OKRs aren't ambitious enough. Google likes success to mean achieving 70%, with 100% considered extraordinary.
That only works if everyone understands it. Google lists miscommunicating stretch goals as a common mistake: a team using stretch OKRs should expect to deliver about 70%. If a manager reads that as failure, people start setting targets they know they'll beat, which is sandbagging, another mistake on Google's list. Low grades aren't a punishment either. Google treats them as data for writing better OKRs next time.
How to write an objective
Google says objectives should be ambitious and may feel uncomfortable. Avoid phrases that don't push for anything new, such as 'keep hiring', 'maintain market position' or 'continue doing X'. Use endpoints and states instead, in the style of 'climb the mountain' or 'ship feature Y'. It should be obvious to an observer whether you achieved it.
How to write key results that measure outcomes
Key results must be measurable and easy to grade with a number. Google's test is simple: if a key result contains words like 'consult', 'help', 'analyze' or 'participate', it's describing activity, not an outcome. Evidence that it's done should be available, credible and easy to find.
| Weak (activity) | Strong (outcome) | |
|---|---|---|
| Key result wording | Assess customer service satisfaction | Publish customer service satisfaction levels by March 7th (Google's example) |
| Objective wording | Keep hiring | Ship feature Y, or climb the mountain (Google's style) |
What OKRs aren't
Google is clear on three points. OKRs are public inside the organisation, so everyone can see what everyone else is working towards. They're not the same thing as employee evaluations. And they're not a shared to-do list. If yours read like a task board, that's the activity problem again.
Google's other common mistakes are business-as-usual OKRs, low-value objectives and too few key results to cover the objective. It also warns that piling on more objectives leads to over-extended teams.
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How to set your first OKRs in six steps
- Pick 3 to 5 objectives that are ambitious and clear.
- Write about 3 key results for each objective, each a number or a dated milestone.
- Check every key result is an outcome, not an activity verb.
- Share them openly with the team.
- Grade each key result from 0 to 1.0 at the end of the quarter, and treat 0.6 to 0.7 as healthy.
- Use the low grades to write the next set.
Most of the friction is in tracking, not writing. A shared document is fine to start with. If you'd like a template, my goal-setting starter kit is a good first step, and if you outgrow a spreadsheet, I've compared the best OKR software as well as project management software for teams who'd rather keep goals and tasks in one place.
My verdict
OKRs work, but don't copy Google's whole cadence if you're a small team. Three objectives a quarter is plenty, each with about three key results, and the discipline that matters most is writing outcomes, not activities. Grade them honestly, expect to land around 70%, and use the gaps to set next quarter's goals. If you're hitting 100% every time, you're aiming too low.
Frequently asked questions
What does OKR stand for?
Objectives and Key Results. The objective is where you want to go; the key results measure whether you're getting there.
How many OKRs should you have?
Google often uses three to five objectives with about three key results each. More objectives lead to over-extended teams.
What is a good OKR score?
Google says the sweet spot is 60% to 70%. Hitting 100% every time suggests the goals weren't ambitious enough.
What's the difference between an objective and a key result?
An objective is an ambitious goal; a key result is a measurable outcome, graded with a number, that shows whether you reached it.
Are OKRs used for performance reviews?
Google says OKRs aren't synonymous with employee evaluations, and they aren't a shared to-do list either.
