15 customisable OKR examples for Research And Development
What are Research And 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 And 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 And 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.
Feel free to explore our tools:
- Use our free OKR generator
- Use Tability, a complete platform to set and track OKRs and initiatives, including a GPT-4 powered goal generator
Our customisable Research And Development OKRs examples
You'll find below a list of Objectives and Key Results templates for Research And 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 enhance service delivery through innovation and benchmarking
- Enhance service delivery through innovation and benchmarking
- Create and implement 2 innovative solutions to transform existing services
- Develop prototypes of the 2 selected solutions
- Implement and test these innovative solutions in live services
- Brainstorm new, innovative ways to enhance current services
- Benchmark against 5 industry leaders to identify and implement best practices
- Analyze their best practices and methodologies
- Identify top 5 industry leaders for benchmark comparison
- Incorporate identified best practices into our operations
- Increase service delivery efficiency by 30% using new technological advancements
- Investigate latest technology advancements in service delivery
- Monitor and evaluate tech system effectiveness regularly
- Implement new tech systems to streamline service processes
2. OKRs to drive business expansion through innovative strategies
- Drive business expansion through innovative strategies
- Secure two strategic partnerships for innovation collaboration
- Reach out initiating discussions for collaboration
- Negotiate and finalize partnership agreements
- Identify potential partners aligned with our innovation goals
- Increase innovation portfolio returns by at least 20%
- Expand business partnerships for diverse insights
- Invest in research and employee training programs
- Implement new technologies to optimize processes
- Develop and initiate 3 new high-impact innovative projects
- Formulate project plans detailing the execution strategy
- Initiate the projects by gathering necessary resources
- Identify potential areas for high-impact innovative projects
3. OKRs to improve understanding of OKRs
- Improve understanding of OKRs
- Read at least two books or articles about OKRs to deepen understanding
- Research top books on OKRs and make a list of two to read
- Set aside dedicated time every week to read and focus on OKR materials
- Discuss key takeaways with colleagues or mentors to enhance comprehension
- Take notes while reading to summarize main concepts and ideas
- Attend a training session on OKRs to gain foundational knowledge
- Attend and actively participate in the OKR training session
- Prepare a notebook or document to take notes during the training session
- Research online for a reputable training session on OKRs
- Register for the chosen training session on OKRs
- Create and successfully implement a personal OKR to apply knowledge gained
- Discuss OKRs with at least three colleagues to gather different perspectives
- Engage actively in conversations with colleagues to understand their perspectives
- Take notes during discussions to capture different insights on OKRs
- Schedule a meeting with colleagues to discuss OKRs
- Prepare a list of questions to prompt discussion on OKRs
4. OKRs to evaluate ozonation's effect on biofiltration process
- Evaluate ozonation's effect on biofiltration process
- Establish a link between ozonation levels and biofiltration effectiveness in 75% of tests
- Develop a standardized testing method
- Conduct and analyze tests on biofiltration effectiveness
- Study previous research on ozonation and biofiltration
- Conduct 10 experiments to identify specific ozonation impacts on biofilter microbiomes
- Define parameters for specific ozonation impacts
- Analyze and record the results after ozonation
- Set up 10 different biofilter microbiome experiments
- Publish a comprehensive report analyzing and proposing enhancements to the ozonation-biofiltration setup
- Conduct research on existing ozonation-biofiltration technologies
- Analyze and draft improvements for current setup
- Compile and publish comprehensive final report
5. 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
6. OKRs to enhance service efficiency and transformation via innovation and benchmarking
- Enhance service efficiency and transformation via innovation and benchmarking
- Benchmark our services against 3 industry-leading competitors to identify improvement opportunities
- Identify 3 industry-leading competitors relevant to our services
- Analyze and benchmark our services against these competitors
- Identify and document possible improvement opportunities
- Increase service process efficiency by 25% through the use of lean techniques
- Monitor, review and adjust new processes regularly
- Analyze and eliminate inefficiencies in current processes
- Implement lean techniques training for service process teams
- Implement 2 new innovative solutions that transform our services and add value
- Research and identify two innovative solutions for services
- Evaluate and measure added value post-implementation
- Develop implementation plans for chosen innovations
7. OKRs to elevate understanding in Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E)
- Elevate understanding in Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E)
- Complete an advanced M&E online certification course with a final score of 85+%
- Dedicate time daily for course content and study
- Enroll in an advanced M&E online certification course
- Score 85%+ on all assessments and the final exam
- Organize and lead a knowledge-sharing session in M&E for colleagues
- Identify relevant M&E topics to cover in the session
- Schedule a meeting date, time, and location
- Prepare and distribute informative materials for the session
- Conduct two insightful case studies related to M&E methods by end of quarter
- Conduct research and data collection for both case studies
- Analyze data and write up both case studies
- Identify relevant research topics for M&E methods case studies
8. OKRs to become an expert in large language models
- Become an expert in large language models
- Demonstrate proficiency in implementing and fine-tuning large language models through practical projects
- Continuously update and optimize large language models based on feedback and results obtained
- Complete practical projects that showcase your proficiency in working with large language models
- Create a large language model implementation plan and execute it efficiently
- Identify areas of improvement in large language models and implement necessary fine-tuning
- Complete online courses on large language models with a score of 90% or above
- Engage in weekly discussions or collaborations with experts in the field of large language models
- Schedule a weekly video conference with language model experts
- Document key insights and lessons learned from each discussion or collaboration
- Share the findings and new knowledge with the team after each engagement
- Prepare a list of discussion topics to cover during the collaborations
- Publish two blog posts sharing insights and lessons learned about large language models
9. OKRs to enhance strategic decision-making skills
- Enhance strategic decision-making skills
- Gather and analyze feedback on decision efficiency from 5 colleagues
- Collect and analyze the returned surveys
- Identify five colleagues to provide feedback
- Develop and distribute an efficiency feedback survey
- Implement learned strategies in 3 real-life scenarios successfully
- Utilize learned strategy in first identified scenario
- Identify 3 real-life scenarios where strategies can be applied
- Document the success of each strategy implementation
- Complete a decision-making course with at least 85% score
- Consistently attend classes and complete all assignments
- Register for a reputable decision-making course
- Study regularly to achieve at least 85% score
10. OKRs to craft a compelling and successful business case
- Craft a compelling and successful business case
- Conduct detailed market and competitor analysis by end of Week 4
- Analyze market trends and customer preferences
- Gather data on competitor strategy and performance
- Identify key competitors in the market
- Gather and incorporate feedback from 5 industry experts by end of Week 12
- Collect and analyze received feedback
- Implement relevant feedback into operations
- Identify and reach out to 5 industry experts for feedback
- Develop a clear, attainable business case prototype by end of Week 8
- Review and finalize the prototype by end of Week 8
- Assemble these elements into a clear structure
- Identify key elements of the business case prototype
11. 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
12. OKRs to strengthen and broaden critical thinking skills
- Strengthen and broaden critical thinking skills
- Complete 3 distinct, comprehensive problem-solving exercises per week
- Allocate specific time for each exercise's completion
- Evaluate and review the problem-solving process weekly
- Choose three unique, complex problems to solve each week
- Read and critically analyze 2 new academic or scientific articles per month
- Thoroughly read each article
- Write a critical analysis of each article
- Select two academic or scientific articles
- Attend 1 workshop or seminar on logic or reasoning each month
- Research upcoming workshops or seminars on logic or reasoning
- Schedule the event into your personal calendar
- Register for one event of interest each month
13. OKRs to identify and assess new growth opportunities
- Identify and assess new growth opportunities
- Conduct detailed feasibility studies for identified opportunities to determine viability
- Evaluate viability based on research outcomes
- Identify opportunities for feasibility study
- Perform detailed review of business prospects
- Research and pinpoint 10 potential new market areas for business expansion
- Analyse findings to determine viability for business expansion
- Identify sectors and industries where our business can potentially expand
- Conduct detailed market research on the 10 identified areas
- Develop and present 5 comprehensive business proposals for promising opportunities
- Develop comprehensive proposals for each opportunity
- Prepare presentations for each business proposal
- Identify 5 promising business opportunities for proposal
14. OKRs to boost customer loyalty and extend business footprint
- Boost customer loyalty and extend business footprint
- Launch 2 brand-new offerings for current customers
- Conduct market research to test and validate the ideas
- Develop creative and unique ideas for new product offerings
- Initiate marketing campaigns to promote new offerings
- Increase customer retention rate by 15%
- Implement a customer loyalty rewards program
- Improve after-sale follow-up and customer service interactions
- Create personalized re-engagement strategies for inactive customers
- Achieve a 20% growth in cross-selling opportunities with existing clients
- Develop targeted cross-selling strategies and tactics
- Analyze existing customers' purchase patterns and needs
- Train team on effective cross-selling techniques
15. OKRs to file patent for medical device and enhance prototype functionality
- File patent for medical device and enhance prototype functionality
- Thoroughly research patents in the related field to ensure uniqueness by end of Week 4
- Identify relevant fields for patent search
- Analyze findings for potential uniqueness conflicts
- Conduct comprehensive patent search through online databases
- Implement three major improvements in the prototype based on testing feedback by Week 12
- Complete drafting a unique and detailed patent application by Week 8
- Finalize application, including all diagrams and claims
- Write a comprehensive description of the invention
- Research and analyze existing patents relevant to the invention
Research And 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
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.
Tip #2: Commit to weekly OKR 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.
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 Research And Development OKRs in a strategy map
Quarterly OKRs should have weekly updates to get all the benefits from the 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
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.
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 Research And Development OKR templates
We have more templates to help you draft your team goals and OKRs.
OKRs to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of legal service delivery OKRs to secure partnerships with strategic industry leaders to drive business growth OKRs to complete the Financial Statement promptly OKRs to improve Access control, management, and automation efforts OKRs to conduct thorough analysis of two main competitors OKRs to successfully execute SEO projects for improved online visibility
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
Create more examples in our app
You can use Tability to create OKRs with AI – and keep yourself accountable 👀
Tability is a unique goal-tracking platform built to save hours at work and help teams stay on top of their goals.