What are OKRs and how to write them (with templates and examples)

Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) are a strategic framework developed by John Doerr in the early 1990s at Intel, designed to help organizations and product managers focus their efforts, enhance performance, and ensure alignment with company goals. OKRs consist of clearly defined objectives and measurable key results, and they are widely used in product management to track progress, communicate objectives, and align with company strategies. Effective OKR implementation involves aligning objectives with company goals, collaborating with other functions, and ensuring objectives are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART). Product managers use OKRs to maintain focus on priorities, measure progress, and communicate updates, while avoiding common pitfalls such as treating key results as a to-do list. Successful OKR practices include setting a limited number of objectives, aligning with business capacity, and employing tools like templates and review sessions to monitor progress and facilitate communication.