OKRs — Objectives and Key Results — are a goal-setting framework popularised by John Doerr in Measure What Matters (born at Intel, scaled at Google). The idea is simple: pair an ambitious, qualitative objective with two to five measurable key results that prove you got there. The formula is “I will [objective] as measured by [key results].”
The fastest way to understand OKRs is to see good ones. This guide gives you ready-to-adapt OKR examples for Australian workplaces — company, HR, rostering, sales, marketing and customer teams — plus the rules for writing your own and the mistakes to avoid. If OKRs are new to your team, pair them with a solid performance management rhythm so they actually stick.
OKRs in one box
- Objective:
a qualitative, ambitious statement of what you want to achieve
- Key results:
2–5 measurable outcomes that prove the objective is met — if it has no number, it’s not a key result
- Cadence:
usually set quarterly, with 3–5 objectives at a time
- Grading:
score committed OKRs against 1.0; aspirational “stretch” OKRs against about 0.7
Objective vs key result: the difference in plain English
The objective is the destination — inspiring, directional and easy to remember. It answers “what do we want to accomplish?” The key results are the odometer — they answer “how will we know we got there?” and must be numeric.
For example: Objective — “Build a high-performing, engaged frontline team.” That’s motivating but not measurable on its own. The key results make it real: cut turnover from 20% to 12%, lift the engagement score 15%, reduce time-to-hire from 45 days to 30. You can look at those three numbers and know, objectively, whether you succeeded.
How to write an OKR (with a weak vs strong example)
The most common mistake is writing key results that measure activity instead of outcomes. “Run four training sessions” is an activity — you can complete it and change nothing. “Lift the team competency score from 6 to 8” is an outcome. Aim for outcomes.
| Weak (activity-based) | Strong (outcome-based) |
|---|---|
| Publish a new roster process doc | Cut weekly rostering admin from 6 hrs to 2 hrs |
| Hold monthly team meetings | Lift engagement survey score from 6 to 8 |
| Advertise open roles faster | Reduce time-to-hire from 45 days to 30 days |
| Roll out a new onboarding pack | 90% of new hires complete onboarding within 5 shifts |
OKRs vs KPIs vs SMART goals
These get muddled, so keep it simple. KPIs monitor the steady-state health of the business — an ongoing dashboard metric like labour cost percentage or NPS that you watch continuously. OKRs drive change: they take a metric you want to move and set a time-boxed target to move it. As the saying goes, “OKRs are KPIs with soul.” SMART goals overlap with key results (both are specific and measurable), but OKRs add the ambitious objective on top and are designed to cascade across a team. A KPI you’re happy to hold steady can become the baseline for an OKR when you decide to improve it — see how we frame the numbers in an HR KPI review.
Committed vs aspirational (stretch) OKRs
Committed OKRs are ones you fully expect to deliver — you plan to hit 1.0, and missing them signals a real problem. Aspirational (stretch) OKRs are deliberately ambitious; hitting around 0.7 is considered a success, and the point is to push beyond what feels safe. Be explicit about which is which, so a stretch OKR scoring 0.7 is celebrated rather than treated as failure.
Company-level OKR examples
Company-level OKRs
| Objective | Key results |
|---|---|
| Deliver record, profitable growth this financial year | Grow revenue 25% to $5M · cut monthly churn from 3% to 1.5% · lift average deal size 15% |
| Become the most desired employer in our region | Lift eNPS from +20 to +40 · increase retention from 85% to 95% · reach 90% wellbeing-program participation |
HR and people OKR examples
People OKRs are where most Australian SMBs get the fastest return, because retention, engagement and onboarding all move the bottom line. Anchor them to metrics you can actually track, like staff turnover rate and employee engagement.
HR & people OKRs
| Objective | Key results |
|---|---|
| Build a high-performing, engaged frontline team | Cut voluntary turnover from 20% to 12% · lift engagement score 15% · reduce time-to-hire from 45 to 30 days |
| Make onboarding fast and consistent for every starter | Cut onboarding time from 5 days to 2 · 90% of new hires finish onboarding within their first 5 shifts · onboarding satisfaction 8/10 |
| Reduce absenteeism and improve shift reliability | Reduce absenteeism 25% · keep no-shows and late starts below 3% · lift roster acceptance within 24h from 60% to 90% |
Rostering and operations OKR examples
These are the OKRs frontline and shift-based businesses rarely see in generic lists — yet they move labour cost, your single biggest controllable expense. The key results below are all things a rostering and time and attendance system measures directly.
Rostering & operations OKRs
| Objective | Key results |
|---|---|
| Run leaner, compliant rosters without under-staffing | Reduce labour cost from 32% to 28% of revenue · cut manual rostering admin from 6 hrs to 2 hrs/week · achieve 100% Fair Work-compliant break and shift coverage |
| Match staffing to demand across all venues | Reduce over-staffed shift hours 20% · fill open or swapped shifts within 2 hours 90% of the time · keep understaffing incidents below 2 per month |
Sales, marketing and customer service OKR examples
Sales, marketing & customer OKRs
| Objective | Key results |
|---|---|
| Smash new-revenue targets this quarter | Achieve $1.2M new revenue · lift close rate from 20% to 25% · shorten the sales cycle from 60 to 45 days |
| Own our local niche and drive demand | Grow organic visitors from 10k to 25k/month · increase leads 40% · improve lead-to-opportunity conversion from 25% to 35% |
| Deliver an unforgettable customer experience | Improve NPS from 40 to 55 · cut first-response time under 30 minutes · lift CSAT from 88% to 95% |
Individual OKR examples for frontline managers
Individual (frontline manager) OKRs
| Objective | Key results |
|---|---|
| Become a manager my team trusts and grows under | Hold monthly 1:1s with 100% of direct reports · lift team engagement from 6 to 8 · have 2 team members complete a development plan |
Common OKR mistakes to avoid
Watch out for these
-
Writing key results as activities (“run 4 workshops”) instead of outcomes (“lift score from 6 to 8”)
-
Setting too many — 3–5 objectives with 2–5 key results each is plenty for a quarter
-
Confusing OKRs with your KPI dashboard — OKRs drive change, KPIs monitor steady state
-
Treating every OKR as committed, so ambitious stretch goals get punished for scoring 0.7
-
Setting them and forgetting them — review progress at least monthly
-
Choosing key results you can’t actually measure with the data and tools you have
How the right tools turn workforce OKRs into results
A workforce OKR is only as good as your ability to measure its key results. That’s why so many people and operations OKRs quietly stall — the target is sound, but no one can pull the number reliably.
This is where a workforce platform earns its place. Time and attendance data gives you real absenteeism, no-show and punctuality figures; workforce analytics reports live labour cost as a percentage of revenue; and consistent rostering shows shift-fill speed and coverage compliance. Tie those numbers to a performance review rhythm and to your broader company goals, and your OKRs move from wishful whiteboard notes to tracked, reviewable outcomes. If you’re building a business case, our staff turnover cost guide helps put a dollar figure on a retention OKR.
Workforce OKRs live or die on measurable data. RosterElf tracks labour cost, attendance, shift-fill and turnover in real time — so your people and rostering key results are numbers you can actually report.
Frequently asked questions
What does OKR stand for?
OKR stands for Objectives and Key Results. It’s a goal-setting framework popularised by John Doerr in Measure What Matters, originally developed at Intel and scaled at Google. An objective is a qualitative, ambitious goal; key results are the measurable outcomes that prove you achieved it.
What is the difference between an objective and a key result?
The objective is what you want to achieve — qualitative, ambitious and memorable. Key results are how you’ll measure success — two to five specific, numeric outcomes. A useful test: if a statement has no number attached, it’s an objective or an activity, not a key result.
What is the difference between OKRs and KPIs?
KPIs monitor the ongoing health of the business as a steady-state dashboard metric, like labour cost percentage or NPS. OKRs are time-boxed goals designed to change or improve a metric within a quarter or year. A KPI you decide to actively improve often becomes the baseline for an OKR — see how we track workforce numbers in an HR KPI review.
How many OKRs should you have?
As a rule of thumb, 3–5 objectives per quarter, each with 2–5 key results. Fewer, well-chosen OKRs beat a long list — the point is focus. Too many objectives dilute effort and make it hard to tell what actually matters this quarter.
What is the difference between committed and aspirational OKRs?
Committed OKRs are ones you fully expect to deliver and grade against 1.0; missing them signals a problem. Aspirational or stretch OKRs are deliberately ambitious, and hitting around 0.7 counts as success. Label each type up front so a stretch OKR scoring 0.7 is seen as a win, not a failure.
What are good OKR examples for a small business?
Focus on outcomes you can measure: reducing staff turnover (e.g. from 20% to 12%), cutting labour cost from 32% to 28% of revenue, shortening time-to-hire from 45 to 30 days, or lifting your customer NPS from 40 to 55. Track the numbers with workforce analytics. See the copy-and-adapt example bank above, grouped by company, HR, rostering, sales, marketing and customer teams.
