15 customisable OKR examples for Research & Development
What are Research & Development 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 Research & Development 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 our OKR guide online.
Building your own Research & Development 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 Research & Development OKRs examples
You'll find below a list of Objectives and Key Results templates for Research & Development. We also included strategic projects for each template to make it easier to understand the difference between key results and projects.
Hope you'll find this helpful!
1. OKRs to elevate productivity in academic research
Elevate productivity in academic research
Implement and maintain a research schedule, ensuring minimum 5 hours of effective work daily
Draft a dedicated 5-hour daily research schedule- Regularly evaluate and adjust schedule for effectiveness
- Implement routine to follow the established research schedule
- Submit two high-quality research pieces for publication review
- Conduct comprehensive research on chosen topics
- Submit papers for publication review
- Write and edit two research papers
- Attend at least 3 professional development workshops related to research methods or practices
- Ensure participation in each workshop attended
- Register for the chosen professional development workshops
- Identify suitable workshops focused on research methods
2. OKRs to hire top-level Senior UX Researcher
- Hire top-level Senior UX Researcher
- Screen and shortlist at least 10 suitable candidates by week 4
- Launch a comprehensive job ad campaign immediately
- Shortlist 10 suitable candidates by week 4
- Review all received applications daily
- Conduct interviews and make an offer to the selected candidate by week 8
- Compile a list of potential interview candidates
- Schedule and conduct interviews
- Select and make offer to chosen candidate
- Define clear job description and requirements for the UX Researcher role by week 2
- Detail daily responsibilities and tasks for role
- Outline necessary qualifications and skills for UX Researcher role
- Include long-term goals and expectations for position
3. OKRs to enhance knowledge and understanding through qualitative research
- Enhance knowledge and understanding through qualitative research
- Review and analyze 10 relevant scholarly articles per week
- Systematically read and make notes on each article
- Analyze each article's content, context, and conclusions
- Select 10 scholarly articles related to the research topic
- Conduct 3 interviews with industry experts
- Identify and reach out to three industry experts for interviews
- Prepare comprehensive interview questions relevant to their expertise
- Schedule and conduct the three interviews
- Submit one comprehensive research report for peer review
- Conduct thorough research on chosen topic
- Write comprehensive report incorporating research
- Submit report for peer review
4. OKRs to develop innovative pharmaceutical products
- Develop innovative pharmaceutical products
- Develop and test 2 prototypes with satisfactory patient outcomes
- Conduct patient outcome tests on prototypes
- Identify key components for prototype based on patient needs
- Build and refine two prototype designs
- Conduct research to identify 3 potential active pharmaceutical ingredients
- Identify key drugs suitable for pharmaceutical component research
- Conduct thorough research on potential active ingredients
- Document findings for each potential ingredient
- Secure regulatory approval for 1 new pharmaceutical product
- Respond promptly to regulatory feedback and additional information requests
- Conduct rigorous clinical trials for safety and efficacy
- Develop and submit detailed dossier to regulatory authority
5. OKRs to secure local channels and gain market insights
- Secure local channels and gain market insights
- Conduct regular market research to gather local market data and information
- Conduct surveys or interviews to gather insights and preferences of local customers
- Identify key competitors and their market share in the local market
- Monitor industry trends and analyze data to identify emerging opportunities in the local market
- Establish partnerships with local stakeholders to enhance channel security
- Collaborate with stakeholders to develop and implement strategies for enhancing channel security
- Identify key local stakeholders with expertise in channel security
- Initiate meetings with stakeholders to discuss potential partnership opportunities
- Increase security measures on local channels to reduce unauthorized access
- Implement two-factor authentication for all user accounts on local channels
- Conduct regular security audits and penetration testing on local channels to identify and resolve vulnerabilities
- Regularly update and patch software on local channels to address security vulnerabilities
- Implement data analytics tools to analyze market trends and consumer behavior
- Train and educate the team on how to effectively use the selected data analytics tools
- Research and compare various data analytics tools available in the market
- Determine key metrics and indicators to track market trends and consumer behavior
6. OKRs to enhance product-market fit by conducting customer research and implementing user feedback
- Improve product-market fit by leveraging customer research and user feedback
- Measure the impact of the improvements on product-market fit by tracking user metrics
- Conduct in-depth interviews with 50 potential and existing customers
- Implement the top 3 product improvements within 3 weeks
- Analyze user feedback and identify the top 3 product improvements
7. OKRs to enhance understanding and application of copyright laws
- Enhance understanding and application of copyright laws
- Complete a certified online course on copyright laws by securing at least 85%
- Review thoroughly to achieve a minimum score of 85%
- Register for a certified online course on copyright laws
- Dedicate regular study hours to comprehend course material effectively
- Attend 3 copyright-related webinars or workshops to deepen contextual understanding
- Attend and participate in all chosen activities
- Register for selected webinars or workshops
- Research and identify 3 copyright-related webinars or workshops
- Apply learned theories by reviewing and updating 5 copyright agreements per week
- Review weekly assigned copyright agreements
- Submit revised agreements for approval
- Apply learned theories to update agreements
8. OKRs to develop a compelling game that engages and captivates players
- Develop a compelling game that engages and captivates players
- Develop a functional prototype of the game with polished graphics and intuitive controls
- Implement and refine intuitive controls based on user experience and usability testing
- Iterate on the game design based on user feedback and playtesting results
- Conduct user testing to identify any issues with the game controls
- Collaborate with an artist to create high-quality graphics for the game prototype
- Conduct user research to identify target audience preferences and game themes
- Develop a survey to gather user feedback on preferred game themes
- Use findings to inform game theme selection and prioritize target audience preferences
- Conduct interviews with target audience members to understand their preferences
- Analyze user research data to identify common themes and preferences
- Conduct playtesting sessions to gather feedback and iterate on the game design
- Create a detailed game design document outlining gameplay mechanics, levels, and objectives
- Outline basic gameplay mechanics that will define the core experience of the game
- Create clear and specific objectives for each level, ensuring they align with gameplay mechanics
- Design a series of diverse levels that challenge and engage players
- Research popular gameplay mechanics, level design techniques, and objective structures
9. OKRs to broaden understanding of agent's role in business operations
- Broaden understanding of agent's role in business operations
- Attend two professional seminars or webinars focused on the agent's role in the business
- Register for two chosen professional seminars or webinars
- Attend and actively participate in these webinars
- Research upcoming webinars focused on the agent's role in business
- Conduct informational interviews with five business agents to gain first-hand information
- Schedule and conduct interviews with selected agents
- Identify five business agents relevant to the project
- Draft insightful questions to ask during interviews
- Complete three agent case studies with cross-industry analysis by quarter-end
- Identify three agent cases from diverse industries for study
- Compile findings and complete final report by quarter-end
- Perform a detailed cross-industry analysis on chosen case studies
10. OKRs to enhance understanding of royalty structures in business contexts
- Enhance understanding of royalty structures in business contexts
- Interview 3 professionals in the field of royalties in businesses
- Draft relevant interview questions tailored for each professional
- Identify three professionals in the royalties business field
- Schedule and conduct the three interviews
- Read and summarise 5 books related to business royalties
- Write a concise summary for each book
- Select and procure 5 relevant books about business royalties
- Carefully read and interpret each book
- Develop and present a detailed report on the role of royalties in business
- Prepare a presentation highlighting report findings
- Research the significance and mechanism of royalties in business
- Compile gathered data into a comprehensive report
11. OKRs to integrate UX testing insights into decision-making
- Improve decision-making with UX testing insights
- Increase user satisfaction rating by 10%
- Train 3 non-UX team members on conducting and interpreting UX tests
- Implement changes based on user feedback in 100% of cases
- Conduct 10 user tests for at least 2 features
12. OKRs to acquire comprehensive understanding of various companies' missions
- Acquire comprehensive understanding of various companies' missions
- Read and analyze mission statements from 50 different industries each week
- Obtain mission statements from each industry
- Compile a list of 50 different industries
- Schedule weekly sessions to read and analyze statements
- Conduct four in-depth case studies on companies with unique missions monthly
- Identify four companies with unique missions
- Research company background and specifics
- Compile findings into comprehensive case studies
- Participate in two webinars or relevant industry events every month
- Schedule and register for two relevant events
- Attend and actively participate in webinars/events
- Research upcoming webinars or industry events in your field
13. OKRs to improve business acumen through literature
- Improve business acumen through literature
- Write a succinct summary after each read to cement learning
- Immediately after reading, jot down key points from the material
- Create a concise summary using the jotted points
- Review your summary to ensure it's accurate
- Consume 20 industry-specific articles weekly
- Locate and bookmark 20 industry-related articles each week
- Summarize key insights gleaned from each article
- Devote daily time to read four articles
- Read at least 3 business-related books completely
- Select three business-related books to read
- Finish reading all three books
- Schedule regular time slots to focus on reading
14. OKRs to capture new tech trends in education and learning
- Capture new tech trends in education and learning
- Publish 5 articles analyzing the impact of these trends in relevant education forums
- Write 5 detailed articles on analyzed trends
- Identify and post articles on relevant education forums
- Research and analyze 5 current trends in education
- Attend two industry related, reputable webinars or conferences monthly
- Research and note down industry-related, reputable webinars or conferences
- Attend and participate in selected events
- Register for chosen webinars or conferences
- Identify and document 15 emerging tech trends in education by end of quarter
- Document each tech trend in detail
- Analyze and shortlist 15 emerging tech trends
- Research current trends in educational technology field
15. OKRs to increase AliExpress purchases
- Increase AliExpress purchases
- Research trending products weekly
- Browse popular e-commerce sites for current top-selling items
- Analyze Google Trends data for rising product searches
- Follow relevant industry influencers and note product recommendations
- Place orders for at least 5 items per week
- Review product availability and pricing from suppliers
- Submit at least 5 orders to suppliers each week
- Compile a list of desired products for purchase weekly
- Track delivery times and customer satisfaction
- Set up a system to record and monitor delivery times
- Analyze collected data and develop improvement strategies
- Create customer satisfaction surveys after product delivery
Research & Development 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
Focus can only be achieve by limiting the number of competing priorities. It is crucial that you take the time to identify where you need to move the needle, and avoid adding business-as-usual activities to your 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's audit dashboard will highlight opportunities to improve OKRsTip #2: Commit to weekly OKR check-ins
Having good goals is only half the effort. You'll get significant more value from your OKRs if you commit to a weekly check-in process.
Being able to see trends for your key results will also keep yourself honest.
Tability's check-ins will save you hours and increase transparencyTip #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 Research & Development OKRs in a strategy map
The rules of OKRs are simple. Quarterly OKRs should be tracked weekly, and yearly OKRs should be tracked monthly. 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
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 OKR-tracking tool for it.
Tability's Strategy Map makes it easy to see all your org's OKRsIf 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 Research & Development OKR templates
We have more templates to help you draft your team goals and OKRs.
- OKRs to implement ad-tracking with Google
- OKRs to enhance fraud detection and prevention in the payment system
- OKRs to enhance maturity and adoption of lean/scaled Agile delivery practices
- OKRs to boost profitability of innovative projects
- OKRs to successfully migrate all applications to a secure DevOps pipeline
- OKRs to increase design competency and productivity for high-quality outputs
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
What's next? Try Tability's goal-setting AI
You can create an iterate on your OKRs using Tability's unique goal-setting AI.
Watch the demo below, then hop on the platform for a free trial.