1 OKR examples for Expenses Reduction

What are Expenses Reduction 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.

We've tailored a list of OKRs examples for Expenses Reduction to help you. You can look at any of the templates below to get some inspiration for your own goals.

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

Best practices for managing your Expenses Reduction OKRs

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

The #1 role of OKRs is to help you and your team focus on what really matters. Business-as-usual activities will still be happening, but you do not need to track your entire roadmap in the OKRs.

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 Insights DashboardTability's audit dashboard will highlight opportunities to improve OKRs

Tip #2: Commit to the weekly check-ins

Don't fall into the set-and-forget trap. It is important to adopt a weekly check-in process to get the full value of your OKRs and make your strategy agile – otherwise this is nothing more than a reporting exercise.

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

Tability Insights DashboardTability'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 below). 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.

Building your own Expenses Reduction 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.

Best way to track your Expenses Reduction 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

Spreadsheets are enough to get started. Then, once you need to scale you can use a proper OKR platform to make things easier.

A strategy map in TabilityTability'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.

Expenses Reduction OKRs templates

We've covered most of the things that you need to know about setting good OKRs and tracking them effectively. It's now time to give you a series of templates that you can use for inspiration!

You will find in the next section many different Expenses Reduction 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!

OKRs to optimize IT costs by reducing expenses by 20%

  • ObjectiveReduce IT expenses by 20%
  • Key ResultAnalyze previous quarter expenses and identify areas for cost reduction
  • TaskDetermine cost-saving opportunities
  • TaskIdentify spending patterns
  • TaskReview expenses
  • TaskImplement cost reduction measures
  • Key ResultEducate employees on cost-saving practices and enforce IT policies
  • TaskRegularly remind staff of cost-cutting policies
  • TaskContain training sessions for IT policy adoption
  • TaskMonitor employee compliance with IT policies and address non-compliance
  • TaskHold information sessions about cost-saving practices
  • Key ResultNegotiate with vendors for better pricing
  • TaskResearch vendor's competitors and their rates
  • TaskHighlight your previous purchasing history with them
  • TaskOffer to sign a long-term contract for a discount
  • TaskAsk for a volume discount based on the forecasted quantity
  • Key ResultImplement solutions and track savings
  • TaskIdentify opportunities for cost reduction
  • TaskImplement cost-saving solutions
  • TaskTrack and report realized savings
  • TaskPrioritize solutions based on potential savings

More Expenses Reduction 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.