The essentials
- Definition: an OKR pairs a qualitative, ambitious objective with two to five quantified key results that prove it has been reached, over a quarter.
- The difference with KPIs: a KPI measures the ongoing health of an activity; an OKR sets a change to achieve over a period and ends with it.
- The rule: three to five OKRs per team at most, key results measurable without argument, a monthly review and a quarterly assessment.
- A benchmark: reaching 70% is considered a success in the original method; hitting 100% every time signals objectives that are too easy.
The OKR (Objectives and Key Results) is a goal-setting method formalised at Intel and popularised by Google. An OKR pairs a qualitative, ambitious, memorable objective with two to five quantified key results that prove the objective has been reached. The objective says where you want to go, the key results say how you'll know you got there. The reference period is generally the quarter, which imposes a faster decision rhythm than an annual plan.
OKRs and KPIs: two different tools
| Criterion | KPI | OKR |
|---|---|---|
| Role | Measuring the ongoing health of an activity | Achieving a change over a period |
| Duration | Permanent | A quarter, sometimes a year |
| The full destination URL | Cost per qualified lead | Halve the cost per qualified lead by the end of the quarter |
| How many | 5 to 8 for a leadership team | 3 to 5 per team |
| Expected attainment | Staying within a range | 70% is enough; ambition is part of the method |
| Consequence | Alerting and diagnosis | Prioritising the quarter's projects |
The two complement each other: KPIs feed the key results, and an OKR with no existing metric forces you to put the measurement in place first. Choosing your underlying metrics is covered in digital marketing KPIs, and connecting them to business objectives in connecting business objectives and marketing KPIs.
Three examples applied to digital marketing
- Objective: become our sector's reference on search engines and AI assistants.
Key results: go from 12 to 30 commercial keywords in the top 3; be cited in at least 40% of ChatGPT and Perplexity answers on our ten shortlisting questions; take non-brand organic traffic from 4,000 to 7,000 monthly sessions. - Objective: make paid acquisition profitable without increasing the budget.
Key results: bring cost per qualified lead down from €180 to €120; take the MQL to SQL rate from 22% to 35%; isolate brand and demonstrate a positive ROI on new business. - Objective: get the leadership team steering marketing on shared figures.
Key results: a seven-metric dashboard with targets, read at every monthly meeting; three budget decisions taken on those figures within the quarter; no gap above 10% between reported conversions and accounted sales.
Writing a good key result
- A starting figure and a finishing figure: "from 22% to 35%" rather than "improve the rate".
- A result, not a task: "publish 12 articles" is an activity; "take organic traffic to 7,000 sessions" is a result. The distinction is the same as for vanity metrics.
- Measurable without argument: an identified data source and a reading date.
- Within the team's reach: a key result entirely dependent on another team or on the market discourages people without steering anything.
- Ambitious but achievable: the original method treats 70% attainment as a success; an objective reached 100% every quarter was too cautious.
The mistakes in setting them up
- Confusing OKRs with a task list: the quarter fills up with boxes to tick and the ambition disappears.
- Too many OKRs: beyond five per team, nothing is a priority any more.
- Tying them to pay: objectives then become deliberately modest, which empties the method of its point.
- Setting them and forgetting them: without a monthly review, the quarterly assessment happens in a rush; the reading ritual is described in adding target objectives to your dashboard.
- Imposing them from above: key results are negotiated with the people who will carry them, or they don't get met.
How GreenRed helps
Rather than juggling several tools, the GreenRed action plan brings these metrics together in a single dashboard, compares them over time and tells you which actions come first. You can try it free, with no card, from the Pricing.
Frequently asked questions
What is an OKR?
A qualitative, ambitious objective paired with two to five quantified key results that prove it has been reached, generally over a quarter. The objective says where to go, the key results say how you'll know you got there.
What is the difference between an OKR and a KPI?
A KPI measures the ongoing health of an activity and stays in place; an OKR sets a change to achieve over a period and ends with it. Cost per lead is a KPI; halving it by the end of the quarter is a key result.
How many OKRs should you set?
Three to five per team at most, with two to five key results each. Beyond that, nothing is a priority and the method turns into a task list. For a first attempt, one well-tracked marketing OKR beats five badly held ones.
Do you have to reach 100% of your OKRs?
No. The original method treats 70% attainment as a success, because the objectives are meant to be ambitious. Consistently hitting 100% signals objectives that were too cautious; it is also why tying OKRs to pay distorts the approach.