How Many OKRs are Too Many? Finding the Right Balance

TL;DR

Let’s be honest most companies set way too many OKRs. It happens all the time. You sit down for planning, and everyone brings their “must-haves” to the table. Before you know it, you’ve got a laundry list of objectives that stretches longer than a grocery receipt after a Costco run.

Then what happens? Execution fatigue.

Teams get overwhelmed, priorities blur, and OKRs become an administrative exercise rather than a strategy execution engine.

Ben Lamorte, OKR coach to over 2,000 leaders, has seen this pattern play out again and again. And his advice? Less is more.

“So many of my clients say, ‘Ben, we need your help. We have too many OKRs.’ My first response? We need to narrow the focus.”

So, how do you know if you’ve got too many OKRs? And more importantly, how do you fix it?

Let’s look at a step-by-step process.

A decade ago, the common guidance for OKRs was to set 3-7 objectives per team, each with 3-5 key results. That meant you could end up with as many as 35 key results per team. Sounds manageable on paper. But in reality? It’s a nightmare.

“The meetings will just be better if you have fewer OKRs. You’ll get clarity, alignment, and actual progress instead of just OKR updates.” – Ben Lamorte.

Today, the best-performing companies set 1-3 objectives per team, each with a maximum of 3-4 key results. Why? Because having fewer OKRs forces teams to focus.

“I like to see companies have a single-digit number of key results at each level in the organization. If you’re at the company level, maybe you have three objectives, each with three key results. That’s nine. That’s focused.” – Ben Lamorte.

Less is More. Ben has a simple rule: If you can’t have a meaningful conversation about each OKR in a meeting, you have too many. Too many OKRs = Teams stretching themselves too thin, losing sight of what really moves the needle. A small number of high-impact OKRs = Clear priorities, better execution, and measurable progress.

How to Trim Your OKRs Without Losing Impact

So, your company has too many OKRs. What now? Ben recommends a ruthless prioritization process to filter out the noise and focus on what truly matters.

1. Set a Hard Limit

Decide upfront: No more than 3 objectives per team. No more than 3-4 key results per objective. “I worked with one company with 11 objectives at the company level. ELEVEN. That meant around 40 key results. We spent hours reviewing them and no one could remember them all! We cut it down to 7 objectives, then 5, and finally 3. The difference? Night and day.” – Ben Lamorte

2. Categorize: Internal vs. External OKRs

Some objectives are about moving the business forward (external), while others are about improving internal processes (internal).

Ben suggests a simple framework:

• 1 external objective: Impacting customers, market growth, or revenue.
• 1 internal objective: Improving efficiency, systems, or employee experience.

That’s it. One of each. Focus. Execute. Win.

“If you’re going to have just one objective, it should be external. But if you need two, make one internal and one external.” – Ben Lamorte.

Another reason companies end up with too many OKRs? They confuse key results with a to-do list.

• Bad key result: Publish 5 blog posts
• Better key result: Increase demo signups from blog traffic from 30% to 40%

Ben’s advice? Always ask, “What is the intended outcome?”

“If your key result sounds like a task, you’re doing it wrong. The goal isn’t to do more things. The goal is to create impact.” – Ben Lamorte.

The Real Takeaway: Fewer, Well-Crafted OKRs = Better Execution

The best teams aren’t setting more OKRs they’re setting fewer, better ones.

• Focus on outcomes, not activity.
• Set a hard limit no more than 3 objectives per team.
• Be ruthless in trimming the fat if it’s not essential, cut it.

At the end of the day, OKRs should help you focus, not overwhelm you.