Types of Key Results
There are at least two types of key results: Metric and milestone. Let’s use the example below to illustrate the two.
Objective: Reduce mobile app crashes in order to improve the user experience.
Key Results:
- Create a list of the most frequent categories of app crashes by February 1 (Milestone)
- Provide patches for top 5 identified crash categories by February 28 (Milestone)
- Reduce number of mobile app crashes from 400 to 200 (Metric)
- Increase user satisfaction with the app from 80% to 90% (Metric)
The first two key results are what we call “milestones.” These are binary – you either did it or you didn’t – key results. You’ll often require milestone key results as “drivers” or “leading indicators” of your metric key results. Milestone key results are perfectly acceptable assuming you include a date (that’s how you stretch yourself) and accompany them with metric key results showing business impact. Speaking of which, key results 3 and 4 are metric key results. These are what we think of when we typically consider key results. Here we’ve using actual numbers – whether percentages, dollar amounts, or raw numbers – to demonstrate achievement of the objective.
Carry Forward Your Key Result – Keep Your Eye on the Prize!
Did you notice we said “at least two types” of key results above? There are times when you won’t be able to measure the business impact of your objective in the current period. Maybe it will take 4 months to see results, maybe longer. In that case you may want to “carry forward” the business impact key result(s) to a subsequent period. That’s okay because you always want to go back and ensure you’ve measured the business impact of your objective, regardless of when that happens.
Key Results Made Easier
Writing good key results can be tricky, so follow this simple formula as your build your key results: Verb + What you are going to track or count + X (baseline) to Y (target). So, in the example above you see: Verb – reduce. Counting – app crashes. Baseline – 400. Target – 200.
Good luck!
Paul Niven is the founder and president of OKRsTraining.com, the author of Objectives and Key Results, Driving Focus, Alignment and Engagement with OKRs, and a global OKRs Consultant with clients around the world. You can follow Paul at OKRsTraining.com.