4 customisable OKR examples for Application Security

What are Application Security OKRs?

The Objective and Key Results (OKR) framework is a simple goal-setting methodology that was introduced at Intel by Andy Grove in the 70s. It became popular after John Doerr introduced it to Google in the 90s, and it's now used by teams of all sizes to set and track ambitious goals at scale.

Formulating strong OKRs can be a complex endeavor, particularly for first-timers. Prioritizing outcomes over projects is crucial when developing your plans.

To aid you in setting your goals, we have compiled a collection of OKR examples customized for Application Security. Take a look at the templates below for inspiration and guidance.

If you want to learn more about the framework, you can read our OKR guide online.

Building your own Application Security OKRs with AI

While we have some examples available, it's likely that you'll have specific scenarios that aren't covered here. You can use our free AI generator below or our more complete goal-setting system to generate your own OKRs.

Our customisable Application Security OKRs examples

You will find in the next section many different Application Security Objectives and Key Results. We've included strategic initiatives in our templates to give you a better idea of the different between the key results (how we measure progress), and the initiatives (what we do to achieve the results).

Hope you'll find this helpful!

1. OKRs to enhance application security knowledge and awareness among teams

2. OKRs to seamless integration and deployment of Productiv SaaS application

3. OKRs to successfully complete Micro-segmentation for Tier1 and Tier2 applications

4. OKRs to successfully migrate all applications to a secure DevOps pipeline

Application Security OKR best practices to boost success

Generally speaking, your objectives should be ambitious yet achievable, and your key results should be measurable and time-bound (using the SMART framework can be helpful). It is also recommended to list strategic initiatives under your key results, as it'll help you avoid the common mistake of listing projects in your KRs.

Here are a couple of best practices extracted from our OKR implementation guide 👇

Tip #1: Limit the number of key results

Having too many OKRs is the #1 mistake that teams make when adopting the framework. The problem with tracking too many competing goals is that it will be hard for your team to know what really matters.

We recommend having 3-4 objectives, and 3-4 key results per objective. A platform like Tability can run audits on your data to help you identify the plans that have too many goals.

Tability's audit dashboard will highlight opportunities to improve OKRs

Tip #2: Commit to weekly OKR check-ins

Setting good goals can be challenging, but without regular check-ins, your team will struggle to make progress. We recommend that you track your OKRs weekly to get the full benefits from the framework.

Being able to see trends for your key results will also keep yourself honest.

Tability's check-ins will save you hours and increase transparency

Tip #3: No more than 2 yellow statuses in a row

Yes, this is another tip for goal-tracking instead of goal-setting (but you'll get plenty of OKR examples above). But, once you have your goals defined, it will be your ability to keep the right sense of urgency that will make the difference.

As a rule of thumb, it's best to avoid having more than 2 yellow/at risk statuses in a row.

Make a call on the 3rd update. You should be either back on track, or off track. This sounds harsh but it's the best way to signal risks early enough to fix things.

How to turn your Application Security OKRs in a strategy map

Your quarterly OKRs should be tracked weekly in order to get all the benefits of the OKRs framework. Reviewing progress periodically has several advantages:

• It brings the goals back to the top of the mind
• It will highlight poorly set OKRs
• It will surface execution risks
• It improves transparency and accountability

Most teams should start with a spreadsheet if they're using OKRs for the first time. Then, once you get comfortable you can graduate to a proper OKRs-tracking tool.

Tability's Strategy Map makes it easy to see all your org's OKRs

If you're not yet set on a tool, you can check out the 5 best OKR tracking templates guide to find the best way to monitor progress during the quarter.

More Application Security OKR templates

We have more templates to help you draft your team goals and OKRs.

• OKRs to improve organization's DevOps practices and monitoring systems
  real-time-monitoringdevops-practicesit-managerdevops-engineerinformation-technology-teamdevops-team
• OKRs to strengthen the company's network security defenses
  network-securitytwo-factor-authenticationnetwork-security-officerit-training-coordinatorit-security-teamhr-training-team
• OKRs to develop a cohesive investor relations strategy for effective fundraising
  investor-relationsfundraising-strategyinvestor-relations-managerstrategy-execution-trainerstrategy-development-teaminvestor-relations-team
• OKRs to develop a functional and user-friendly MVP
  minimum-viable-productuser-satisfactionproject-managertechnical-developerproduct-development-teammarket-research-team
• OKRs to establish credibility and recognition as a successful mentor and career guide
  career-guidancepersonal-brandingcareer-mentorpersonal-branding-specialistcareer-planning-teamcontent-creation-team
• OKRs to boost the total active customer base
  customer-retentionbusiness-growthcustomer-retention-specialistemail-marketing-managercustomer-service-teammarketing-team

OKRs resources

Here are a list of resources to help you adopt the Objectives and Key Results framework.

• To learn: What is the meaning of OKRs
• Blog posts: ODT Blog
• Success metrics: KPIs examples