Check the draft before you share it
A generated set of OKRs is a first draft. It knows your goal, not your numbers. Before anyone sees it, read each key result against four questions.
- Is it a result or a task? Google's playbook says key results must describe outcomes, not activities. Words like "help," "analyze" or "participate" give a task away1.
- Does it say from where to where? "Raise activation" has no finish line. "Raise activation from 48% to 65%" does. If the draft guessed your starting number, replace it with the real one.
- Can you check it? Google's guide asks for evidence of completion that is "available, credible, and easily discoverable"2. If no report or system tracks the number today, pick one that is tracked, or set up the tracking first.
- Together, are they enough? If every key result hits 1.0, the objective should be done. The playbook lists key results that are needed but not sufficient as a common trap1. If something is missing, add it.
A weak key result and a stronger one
These rewrites use the onboarding example shown above. The team and its numbers are invented for illustration.
| Weak | Why it fails | Stronger |
|---|---|---|
| Launch a new welcome email sequence | A task. It can be done while activation stays flat. | Raise 30-day activation rate from 48% to 65% |
| Improve time to value | No start, no target. | Cut median time to first value from 9 days to 3 |
| Customers are happier with onboarding | No measure anyone could check. | Lift onboarding satisfaction score from 30 to 50 |
Specific, hard targets matter. Edwin Locke and Gary Latham, summing up 35 years of research in the American Psychologist in 2002, found they lead to better performance than a vague "do your best," as long as people get feedback along the way3.
Mark each one committed or aspirational
The draft does not know which goals are promises and which are stretches. Only you do. Google's playbook splits OKRs in two1:
- Committed: the team will deliver it in full and move time and people to do so. The expected score is 1.0, and a miss needs an explanation1.
- Aspirational: a stretch with no sure path. The expected average score is about 0.71.
Label each objective before you share it. A team that reads a stretch goal as a promise will play it safe next quarter. Keep scores out of pay and reviews. Andy Grove called OKRs "not a legal document upon which to base a performance review"4, and Google says they are not the same as performance evaluation2.
How many OKRs to keep
The generator drafts two or three objectives for the one goal you give it. Across a whole team's quarter, Google's guide suggests three to five objectives, each with about three key results2. If you run the tool for several goals, you will likely end up with more than that. Cut until what is left is what the team would defend first.
Then check what the cut leaves out. Narrow goals can crowd out work nobody measures, such as quality or customer care5. Name one number you will watch so it does not slip.
What to do next
Give each key result one owner and a date to check in, every week or every other week. Score each one from 0 to 1.0 at the end of the quarter and share the scores openly2.
For where OKRs came from, what the research says, and how to run your first cycle, read the OKR framework guide.
Frequently asked questions
- What is an OKR?
- OKR stands for Objectives and Key Results. The Objective is a qualitative, ambitious goal: where you want to go. The Key Results are about three measurable outcomes that prove you got there. It is a goal-setting framework popularized by Intel and Google.
- How do you write a good OKR?
- Write the Objective as a short, inspiring statement with no numbers in it. Then write 3 Key Results that are each measurable: a number, a percentage, or a clear done/not-done finish line. Key results describe outcomes, never tasks or activities.
- Is this OKR generator free?
- Yes. The OKR generator is completely free and requires no signup. Enter your goal and get a draft set of OKRs. Throughline is the strategy execution platform behind it.
- How many OKRs should a team have?
- Google's re:Work guide suggests three to five objectives for a period, each with about three key results2. Fewer is better than more, because the point of OKRs is focus. This generator drafts two or three objectives for the one goal you enter, so if you run it for several goals, cut the combined list back to the ones the team would defend first.
- What is an example of a good key result?
- One that describes an outcome, with a start, a target and a number someone can check. "Launch a new welcome email sequence" is a task. "Raise 30-day activation rate from 48% to 65%" is a key result. Google's playbook says key results must describe outcomes, not activities1.
- What is the difference between committed and aspirational OKRs?
- Committed OKRs are promises: the team is expected to score 1.0, and a miss needs an explanation. Aspirational OKRs are stretch goals with no sure path, expected to average about 0.7. Google's playbook sets out both types and lists mixing them up as a common trap1. Label each objective before the quarter starts.
Sources
- Google, "Google's OKR Playbook," reprinted with Google's permission on whatmatters.com. whatmatters.com
- Google, "Set goals with OKRs," re:Work guide. rework.withgoogle.com
- Edwin A. Locke and Gary P. Latham, "Building a practically useful theory of goal setting and task motivation: A 35-year odyssey," American Psychologist 57(9), 2002, pp. 705 to 717. doi.org
- Andrew S. Grove, High Output Management, Random House, 1983. Vintage paperback edition, 1995. penguinrandomhouse.com
- Lisa D. Ordóñez, Maurice E. Schweitzer, Adam D. Galinsky and Max H. Bazerman, "Goals Gone Wild: The Systematic Side Effects of Overprescribing Goal Setting," Academy of Management Perspectives 23(1), 2009, pp. 6 to 16. doi.org
Written by Tom Olajide, Founder. Last reviewed September 24, 2026.