Setting Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) is a powerful goal-setting framework when done correctly. However, it's possible to create ineffective or problematic OKRs if they are not well-defined or aligned with the organization's mission and values. Here are few bad examples of OKRs:
- Get more people to buy our product.
- Increase the average order value.
- Reduce customer churn.
The above OKR is too vague and unspecific. They don't provide any clear guidance on how much revenue to increase, how many more people to get to buy the product, how much to increase the average order value, or how much to reduce customer churn.
- Increase the number of positive customer reviews.
- Decrease the number of customer complaints.
- Reduce the average time it takes to resolve customer issues.
This OKR is better than the previous example, but they're still not perfect. The key results are still a bit vague, and it's not clear how much of an improvement is needed in each area.
- Increase the number of social media followers by 10%.
- Increase the number of website visitors by 5%.
- Increase the number of mentions in the media by 2%.
These OKRs are better than the previous two examples, but they're still not perfect. The key results are specific and measurable, but they're not necessarily the most important things to focus on in order to increase brand awareness. For example, it's possible to increase the number of social media followers by running paid ads, but that doesn't necessarily mean that people are more aware of your brand.
- Increase the number of new customers by 10%.
- Increase the average order value by 5%.
- Reduce customer churn by 2%.
- Increase the number of positive customer reviews by 10%.
- Decrease the number of customer complaints by 5%.
- Reduce the average time it takes to resolve customer issues by 25%.
- Increase the number of qualified leads generated from social media by 20%.
- Increase the number of organic website visitors by 15%.
- Increase the number of high-quality mentions in the media by 10%.
These OKRs are more specific, measurable, ambitious, and time-bound than the previous examples. They also focus on the most important things to focus on in order to achieve the desired objective.
When writing OKRs, it's important to keep in mind the following tips:
- Make sure your objectives are specific, measurable, ambitious, and time-bound.
- Focus on the most important things that need to be done to achieve your objectives.
- Make sure your key results are specific and measurable.
- Set realistic targets for your key results.
- Track your progress regularly and make adjustments as needed.
More Bad OKR Examples
Here are some more bad OKR examples that are different from the ones provided above:
- Come up with 10 new ideas per week.
- Win 10 awards for creativity.
- Get 100,000 views on my creative work.
These OKRs are bad because they are vague and unspecific. Creativity is a subjective concept, and there is no clear way to measure it. Additionally, the key results are not specific or measurable. For example, what does it mean to "come up with a new idea"? And what kind of awards are we talking about?
- Increase the number of positive employee surveys by 10%.
- Reduce the number of employee turnover by 5%.
- Increase the number of employee engagement events by 2%.
These OKRs are bad because they focus on the wrong things. Employee morale is a complex issue, and it is not influenced by a few simple metrics. Additionally, the key results are not specific or measurable. For example, what kind of employee survey are we talking about? And what does it mean to "increase employee engagement"?
- Complete the product development process.
- Launch the product on time and within budget.
- Achieve 10,000 downloads in the first month.
These OKRs are bad because they are too focused on the outputs and not the outcomes. Launching a new product is not an end in itself. The real goal is to create a product that is valuable to customers and that helps the company achieve its business goals. The key results in this example are focused on the outputs of the product development process, but they do not say anything about the quality or value of the product.
- Get more visitors to the website.
- Boost the number of page views.
- Improve website engagement.
This OKR lacks specificity, as it doesn't define what "more visitors" or "improved engagement" means. It's also missing a measurable target.
- Gather customer feedback on product quality.
- Conduct a survey on user satisfaction.
- Hold internal quality meetings.
These key results are process-oriented rather than outcome-oriented. They don't measure an actual improvement in product quality.
- Attend five industry events.
- Launch a new marketing campaign.
- Increase the size of the sales team.
These key results focus on activities rather than outcomes. Attendance at events or team size doesn't guarantee an expansion of market share.
- Send out a quarterly employee survey.
- Implement a new employee recognition program.
- Conduct monthly team-building activities.
These key results are more focused on the process of measuring satisfaction and taking actions but lack specific measurable targets for improvement.
- Streamline processes in the production department.
- Reduce departmental operational costs.
- Complete three process improvement projects.
While these key results mention process improvements, they lack specificity, measurable targets, and alignment with the broader company objectives.
