2 customisable OKR examples for Software Developers

What are Software Developers 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.

Creating impactful OKRs can be a daunting task, especially for newcomers. Shifting your focus from projects to outcomes is key to successful planning.

We have curated a selection of OKR examples specifically for Software Developers to assist you. Feel free to explore the templates below for inspiration in setting your own goals.

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

Building your own Software Developers 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 Software Developers OKRs examples

We've added many examples of Software Developers 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 implement efficient test automation processes

Implement efficient test automation processes
Reduce manual testing work by 40% through customized automated scripts
Implement and monitor the automated scripts’ efficacy regularly
Develop customized automated scripts for these processes
Identify repeated manual testing processes suitable for automation
Successfully automate 70% of all repetitive tests while maintaining accuracy
Research suitable automation tools or software
Implement, monitor, and adjust automated processes accordingly
Identify and catalog all existing repetitive tests
Achieve a 30% decrease in software bugs and glitches through automated testing enhancement
Regularly evaluate and refine our testing processes
Train developers in advanced automated testing
Implement enhanced and rigorous automated testing protocols

Implement this OKR

2. OKRs to improve AI security requirements operationalization for developers’ comprehension

Improve AI security requirements operationalization for developers’ comprehension
Develop and deploy a standardized AI security guideline by 25%
Draft a comprehensive AI security guideline
Reduce guideline by 25% focusing on core elements
Implement the streamlined AI security guideline across all systems
Reduce misunderstandings in AI security requirements by 30% through improved documentation
Conduct regular staff trainings highlighting documentation procedures
Establish clear, concise writing guidelines for technical content
Implement a standardized format for all AI security requirement documents
Conduct bi-weekly developer trainings on new AI security protocols resulting in 80% adherence

ai-security-protocols developer-training security-analyst developer software-development security-team

Implement this OKR

Software Developers 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

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.

Tability's audit dashboard will highlight opportunities to improve OKRs

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.

Tability'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 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 Software Developers 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 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 Software Developers 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.

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.

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3Track your progress

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