An objective is "What" you want your team to achieve. It acts as a “North Star”, a guiding light that pulls everyone in the same direction. A key result explains "How" you will chase this star. An objective is significant, measurable and action-oriented. A key result is specific, time-bound, and measurable.
Objective (O) is the "What" of Aspirational Goals
Defined in a measurable manner, with a starting & target metric
Contains control / quality measures where necessary
Key Result(KR) is the "How" to achieve that objective
Clearly defined how and “so what?” (impact)
Are necessary and sufficient to achieve Objective
Single ownership
Resource requirement called out to cross-functional teams
Called out as commitment, aspirational or solutionning [C,A,S]
Examples of good OKRs go like this:
Objective: Look & feel like a teenager by reducing body-fat from 32% to 25% in the next 6 months (Self)
KR1: Burn 1000 calories through exercise everyday (Self) KR2: Follow a low-carb diet with carb intake of less than 100 grams per day (Cook) KR3: Maintain key health indicators: Hb, Ca, Liver & Kidney Function (Health-care partner)
Fewer KR's are better - While there are 3 key results here, you should have no more than 5. Objectives should be clear, crisp, measurable and time bound.
OKRs are that simple. Yet, because of their simplicity—thinking through HOW goals will be accomplished and measured—they can seem magical.
For more sample OKRs refer below:
Please refer to the following article for more information on why and how OKRs help drive strategy to execution.