10 OKR examples for Engineers

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 Engineers. Take a look at the templates below for inspiration and guidance.

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

Best practices for OKR

Your objectives should be ambitious, but achievable. Your key results should be measurable and time-bound. It can also be helfpul to list strategic initiatives under your key results, as it'll help you avoid the common mistake of listing projects in your KRs.

Building your own OKRs with AI

While we have some examples below, it's likely that you'll have specific scenarios that aren't covered here. There are 2 options available to you.

- Use our free OKRs generator
- Use Tability, a complete platform to set and track OKRs and initiatives – including a GPT-4 powered goal generator

How to track OKRs

OKRs without regular progress updates are just KPIs. You'll need to update progress on your OKRs every week to get the full benefits from the framework.

We recommend using a spreadsheet for your first OKRs cycle. You'll need to get familiar with the scoring and tracking first. Then, you can scale your OKRs process by using a proper OKRs-tracking tool for it.

We recommend Tability for an easy way to set and track OKRs with your team.

Check out the 5 best OKR tracking templates to find the best way to monitor progress during the quarter.

Engineers OKRs templates

You'll find below a list of Objectives and Key Results for Engineers.

OKRs to improve engineering performance and reliability

  • ObjectiveBuild a world-class infrastructure
  • Key ResultIncrease Apdex above 0.95
  • TaskCache requests wherever possible
  • TaskIdentify and resolve to 5 application bottlenecks
  • Key ResultReduce build time to be under 5 minutes
  • TaskAudit test suite to reduce duplicates
  • TaskSwitch to a more performing build infrastructure
  • Key ResultOur stress tests show that we can support 10,000 concurrent users
Turn OKRs into a Strategy Map

OKRs to achieve promotion to software engineer 3

  • ObjectiveAchieve promotion to software engineer 3
  • Key ResultComplete advanced software development certification
  • Key ResultMentor and provide guidance to junior software engineers
  • TaskSchedule regular one-on-one meetings to discuss progress, challenges, and career goals
  • TaskOffer constructive feedback and actionable suggestions for improvement on their code
  • TaskActively involve them in meaningful projects to gain real-world experience and build confidence
  • TaskProvide resources and recommend learning opportunities to enhance their technical skills
  • Key ResultReceive positive performance reviews from team members and supervisors
  • TaskRegularly check in with team members and supervisors to receive feedback and updates
  • TaskActively listen to team members and supervisors, and address any concerns or suggestions
  • TaskSet clear and measurable goals with team members and supervisors
  • TaskContinuously improve skills and knowledge through training and professional development opportunities
  • Key ResultDeliver three high-impact software projects successfully
  • TaskImplement effective project management methodologies to ensure efficient coordination and communication
  • TaskDefine clear project goals, timelines, and deliverables for each software project
  • TaskAssemble a skilled and dedicated team with the necessary expertise for each project
  • TaskRegularly monitor and evaluate progress, making adjustments as needed to meet project objectives

OKRs to improve the quality of the data

  • ObjectiveSignificantly improve the quality of the data
  • Key ResultReduce the number of data capture errors by 30%
  • Key ResultReduce delay for data availability from 24h to 4h
  • Key ResultClose top 10 issues relating to data accuracy

OKRs to reduce the cost of integrating data sources

  • ObjectiveReduce the cost of data integration
  • Key ResultDecrease the time to integrate new data sources from 2 days to 4h
  • TaskMigrate data sources to Segment
  • TaskCreate a shared library to streamline integrations
  • Key ResultReduce the time to create new dashboards from 4 days to <1h
  • TaskAdopt BI tool to allow users to create their own dashboards
  • Key Result10 teams have used successfully a self-serve dashboard creation system

OKRs to tackle technical debt

  • ObjectiveTackle technical debt generated by feature rush
  • Key ResultMigrate 80% of projects to new UI library to reduce UI debt
  • Key ResultReduce percentage of issues tagged as debt by 30%
  • Key ResultReduce debt-related contact rate by 50%

OKRs to accelerate development via automation

  • ObjectiveAccelerate development through automation
  • Key Result100% of repos have a Continuous Delivery pipeline
  • TaskUse Github Actions/Bitbucket Pipelines to automate deployments on every commit
  • TaskCreate automated deployment scripts for all repos
  • Key ResultIncrease code coverage from 30% to 60%
  • Key ResultReduce cycle time from 8 days to 8h
  • Key ResultReduce build time from 20min to 5min
  • TaskAudit tests to find areas of improvements
  • TaskSplit tests to run in parallel when possible

OKRs to improve engineering release cycles

  • ObjectiveSignificantly increase the speed of our development cycle
  • Key ResultImprove developer NPS from 20 to 60
  • Key ResultReduce build times from 25 to under 5 mins
  • Key ResultReduce cycle time from 28 days to 6 days
  • TaskImplement CD pipeline for the staging environment
  • TaskAutomate all deployment steps

OKRs to achieve great performance and reliability

  • ObjectiveAchieve amazing performance with a world-class infrastructure
  • Key ResultIncrease Apdex from 0.7 to 0.98
  • TaskAdd a CDN in front of resources
  • TaskImplement caching wherever possible
  • TaskMinify scripts and CSS
  • Key ResultImprove crash free sessions from 75% to 95%
  • Key ResultReduce core pages load time to be under 3s
  • Key ResultReduce the number of paged issues by 40%
  • TaskIdentify and fix top 10 recurring issues

OKRs to increase code quality

  • ObjectiveDemonstrate incredible standards in code quality
  • Key Result100% of pull requests are reviewed by 2 developers
  • Key Result75% of the developers have gone through QA training
  • Key Result100% of repositories are using code linting and static code analysis
  • Key ResultReduce the percentage of QA-related broken builds by 60%

OKRs to deliver great user experience

  • ObjectiveSignificantly improve the user experience through better performance
  • Key ResultDecrease the number of production exceptions by 45%
  • Key ResultAccelerate customer instance cold start time from 2min to 10s
  • Key ResultReduce API response time from 900ms to 450ms
  • Key ResultImprove NPS from 15 to 35

More OKR templates

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

OKRs resources

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