4 OKR examples for Engineering Operations

What are Engineering Operations 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.

OKRs are quickly gaining popularity as a goal-setting framework. But, it's not always easy to know how to write your goals, especially if it's your first time using OKRs.

To aid you in setting your goals, we have compiled a collection of OKR examples customized for Engineering Operations. 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 Engineering Operations OKRs with AI

How to create great OKRs for any scenario in seconds

While we have some examples available, it's likely that you'll have specific scenarios that aren't covered here.

You can use Tability's AI generator to create tailored OKRs based on your specific context. Tability can turn your objective description into a fully editable OKR template -- including tips to help you refine your goals.

• 1. Go to Tability's plan editor
• 2. Click on the "Generate goals using AI" button
• 3. Use natural language to describe your goals

Tability will then use your prompt to generate a fully editable OKR template.

How to improve existing OKRs with AI feedback

If you already have existing goals, and you want to improve them. You can use Tability's AI feedback to help you.

• 1. Go to Tability's plan editor
• 2. Add your existing OKRs (you can import them from a spreadsheet)
• 3. Click on "Generate analysis"

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

Tability will scan your OKRs and offer different suggestions to improve them. This can range from a small rewrite of a statement to make it clearer to a complete rewrite of the entire OKR.

You can then decide to accept the suggestions or dismiss them if you don't agree.

Using the free OKR generator to get a quick template

If you're just looking for some quick inspiration, you can also use our free OKR generator to get a template.

Unlike with Tability, you won't be able to iterate on the templates, but this is still a great way to get started.

Our Engineering Operations OKRs examples

We've added many examples of Engineering Operations Objectives and Key Results, but we did not stop there. Understanding the difference between OKRs and projects is important, so we also added examples of strategic initiatives that relate to the OKRs.

Hope you'll find this helpful!

1. OKRs to achieve optimal efficiency in engineering operations

2. OKRs to enhance workflow efficiency and productivity

3. OKRs to improve system availability to achieve 999% uptime

4. OKRs to enhance the reliability and efficiency of our infrastructure

Engineering Operations OKR best practices

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.

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.

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 track your Engineering Operations OKRs

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 Engineering Operations OKR templates

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

• OKRs to enhance quality assurance protocols and effectiveness
  quality-assuranceemployee-trainingquality-assurance-officercustomer-service-representativequality-assurance-teamproduct-development-team
• OKRs to improve front-end functionalities of the ship monitoring system
  system-optimizationuser-experiencedebugging-teamproduct-development-teamship-monitoring-system-teamsoftware-maintenance-team
• OKRs to establish comprehensive brand guidelines
  brand-guidelinesstakeholder-approvaldepartment-headsstakeholdersmarketing-teammanagement-team
• OKRs to successfully launch a new B2B voice over IP platform
  voice-over-ip-platform-launchb2b-partnershipsplatform-debuggerpartnership-managersystem-testing-teamuser-acquisition-team
• OKRs to successfully launch the payment splitting product
  payment-splitting-productbeta-testingproduct-developermarketing-managerdevelopment-teammarketing-team
• OKRs to enhance effectiveness of ITSM help desk operations
  customer-serviceefficiencycustomer-service-representativeitsm-operations-manageritsm-help-desk-teamcustomer-service-team