What is OKR Management?
OKR (Objectives and Key Results) Management is a goal-setting framework that helps organizations define, track, and achieve their strategic objectives. It involves setting clear, measurable objectives and aligning them with key results that indicate progress. OKR Management ensures transparency, accountability, and alignment across teams, driving focus and execution toward business success.
Advantages of OKRs
OKRs provide a structured framework for goal-setting, helping organizations drive focus, alignment, and measurable outcomes. Here are some key advantages of implementing OKRs:
- Clarity and Focus – OKRs help teams prioritize key objectives and work toward measurable outcomes.
- Alignment and Transparency – Ensures everyone in the organization is aligned with the overall strategy.
- Agility and Adaptability – Allows businesses to adjust goals based on changing priorities.
- Accountability and Ownership – Encourages employees to take responsibility for their key results.
- Continuous Improvement – Regular check-ins and reviews drive progress and encourage growth.
Who can benefit from OKRs?
Stakeholders | Benefits |
---|---|
Executives & Leadership | Ensures strategic alignment and visibility into company goals. |
Managers | Helps track team progress, improve accountability, and drive performance. |
All Employees | Provides clarity on priorities, fosters engagement, and enhances productivity. |
HR & People Teams | Supports performance management, employee development, and goal alignment. |
Roles & Responsibilities
Privileges | Description |
---|---|
OKR Admin | Users in this role can manage OKRs and create KPIs, ensuring full oversight of performance metrics. Recommended for: Chief Executive Officers (CEOs), Chief Operating Officers (COOs). |
OKR Captain | Users can create, manage Corporate OKRs, and monitor progress in the cockpit. Recommended for: Strategy Leaders, Department Heads, and Program Managers. |
OKR Champion | Users with this role can create, edit, and manage the department’s OKRs. Recommended for: Department Heads, Team Leads, and Functional Managers. |
OKR User | Users with this role can create, manage, and track their OKRs independently, ensuring full control over their goals. Recommended for: Managers and Team Leaders responsible for setting team goals. |
How to enable OKRs in Profit.co?
The first step in using an OKR module in Profit.co is to enable OKR Management from the settings.
Navigate to Settings → General → Apps from the left navigation panel. On the Apps page, enable the OKR Management toggle.
Note: Only Superusers can enable or disable the OKR Modules via Settings.
Once you enable the toggle, OKRs will appear in the left panel.
Introduction to the PEEL approach
The PEEL approach walks you through each step of the OKR journey:
- Plan your OKRs
- Execute your OKRs
- Engage your employees
- Learn from your successes and failures in an institutionalized way
Planning
Planning is the first thing that you have to do before creating and executing successful OKRs. Your objectives and key results are conceptualized during this stage, whether you’re developing new OKRs or improving existing ones.
Execution
Following the completion of planning, you must proceed to the execution stage. Once OKRs have been created, you can start checking in your key results. Profit.co has a check-in feature that sends you a notification to progress your OKRs and update the status of your key results.
Engagement
Profit.co supports employee engagement by rewarding them for their performance and the success of their OKR progress. You can reward managers, peers, and subordinates. These awards, which are set by superusers, are a points-based rewarding system.
Learning
In Profit.co, you can use hashtags, tags, and @ mentions to note and communicate issues or successes that you’ve had during your OKR experience. Keeping a record of problems can really be beneficial in figuring out a solution and helping in learning your OKR management better. It’s important to remember that this PEEL approach of Profit.co isn’t a finite process; instead, it’s a cycle that requires engagement and practice in order to truly learn from experience
1. Plan
The use of OKRs as a system for setting goals has proven to be extremely successful for businesses like Google, LinkedIn, and Netflix. They keep pushing themselves and rising to every challenge by working tirelessly to succeed. Even though they had to start somewhere, planning for OKRs from scratch can seem like a daunting task.
In this section, we will discuss creating objectives, creating key results, aligning/assigning OKRs, and creating dependencies.
Note: You can use the Customize option to personalize your left menu and pin frequently used menus.
Objectives
Creating an Objective
Using Form
The Form option provides you with another quick way to create an objective in a single window to select KPI, change visibility, select target dates, and create alignments.
OKR Visibility
OKR visibility ensures everyone in the organization can track progress, align efforts, and stay focused on shared goals. It fosters transparency, accountability, and collaboration across teams. While creating an objective at the department, team, or individual level, you need to select Visibility.
Adding Weightage to Objectives
Adding weights to the Objective helps the Team, Department or Individual prioritize and focus on the OKRs. Consequently aids the users in tracking the progress of their OKRs based on the weightage calculation.
Key Results
Creating Key Results
Key Result types in Profit.co are categorized into two main groups: KPIs and Initiatives.
KPIs
KPIs focus on measurable values that track improvements or reductions in a specific metric. The three KPI types are:
- Increase KPI
Used when you aim to increase the value of a specific KPI, such as revenue, retail outlets, or any measurable metric. You can track changes in the number, percentage, amount, or time of the KPI. - Decrease KPI
This type is used when the goal is to reduce a specific metric, such as employee attrition rate, customer churn rate, or product issues. You can track decreases in the numeric value, percentage, currency, or time. - At least: Ensures the metric meets a minimum threshold (e.g., website visits must be at least 10,000 per week).
- At most: Ensures the metric does not exceed a maximum value (e.g., API response time should be at most 400 milliseconds).
- In between: Ensures the metric remains within a specific range (e.g., employee training hours should be between 20 and 40 hours per month)
Control KPI
Control KPIs are used when the goal is to keep a specific metric within a defined range. You can use three types of control ranges:
Initiatives
Initiatives focus on the activities or tasks that need to be completed to achieve a specific outcome. The four initiative types are:
- Percentage Tracked
This option allows you to track progress based on percentages. For example, “Publish 10 Blog Posts” can be tracked as a percentage of completion. If five blog posts are published, the progress is 50%. - Milestone Tracked
Milestone Tracked is ideal for key results that are completed in steps. This type is used when the progress can’t be quantified numerically. Key results are tracked by achieving specific milestones or steps. - Project Tracked
Project Tracked key results are used for tracking the progress of a specific project within an OKR. This type allows you to monitor the completion of a project based on project milestones, tasks, and overall project progress. You can set measurable project milestones that align with the overall objective, making it ideal for projects that have multiple deliverables or phases.
Task Tracked
With Task Tracked key results, you can directly link tasks with key results. This allows you to track the progress of tasks that contribute to the achievement of key results, providing a clear connection between tasks and outcomes.
Child Objectives
A Child Objective is a new way to cascade an Objective from a higher-level OKR. To the “Assign as Objective” option, you can now use the Child Objective method to ensure clarity, alignment, and accurate progress tracking.
This feature is part of the new alignment approach that separates Key Results into three clear categories:
- KPIs – For measurable KRs (metrics).
- Initiatives – For non-measurable KRs (tasks/projects).
- Child Objectives – For cascading Objectives (strategic alignment across levels).
Use the Child Objective option when:
- You want a team, department, or individual to define their own OKRs aligned to a parent objective.
- You want to cascade an Objective down, but let the receiver own and track progress independently.
- The Child Objective will appear as aligned under the parent, and its progress will be independently tracked.
Create KPIs
KPIs are quantifiable metrics that track progress toward specific outcomes. It can be associated with key results to track and measure the achievement of your objectives. You can define and maintain a library of KPIs that are unique to your business, and allow users to reuse KPIs for better tracking and reporting.
By default, Profit.co has 400+ inbuilt KPIs with 10+ KPI categories, which will help users easily create OKRs with KPIs.
Note: You simply need to enter the KPI name, along with the From and To values. The KPI will be created automatically and categorized under the appropriate department based on the context.
Distribute weightage for key results
Weighted Key Results allows you to set weights and define importance for every key result. The sum of weights should be equal to 1. The weighted average of each key result will be used to calculate the overall objective progress. It can be updated in the Objective overview page.
Creating Subkey Results
In Profit.co, sub-key results can be created just below the parent key result, and users can assign them to their subordinates. Users can also create subkey results by distributing a key result and assigning it to multiple assignees using the distribute option.
Distribute weightage for sub-key results
Profit.co provides an option to distribute weights among the subkey results. By doing so, you can create subkey results, assign multiple assignees, and distribute weightage to each key result.
Stretch targets for Key Results
Profit.co allows users to set stretch targets. They are often set to challenge individuals, teams, or organizations to achieve ambitious goals that may initially seem beyond their reach.
Weight Roll-Up Approach
A roll-up approach named KPI Based will set the progress calculation based on the KPI value. While choosing this option, we can sync the subkey result progress changes when the subkey result type and KPI are matched with the parent key result.
Convert KPI to Initiative – and Vice Versa
The Convert KPI to Initiative and Convert Initiative to KPI option allows users to instantly switch between a KPI and an Initiative. By choosing this option from the More menu, a KPI can be converted into an Initiative or an Initiative can be converted into a KPI with a single click. This ensures flexibility during planning, supports strategy shifts without recreating items, saves time during setup, and keeps the data organized and relevant.
Filter OKRs by Periods
OKRs are based on Periods. Profit.co provides an option to filter your OKRs based on periods.
Clone/Copy OKRs
This feature enables users to create duplicate copies of OKRs. By cloning OKRs, you can edit and make changes to cloned OKRs and use them without creating any new OKRs.
Note:The progress from the original KR will be reset to the cloned OKRs. You can also clone the associated tasks along with the key result.
Alignments
What are OKR Alignments?
Alignment is one of the most powerful features of objectives and key results (OKRs). By aligning your objectives at an individual, team, and organization level, strategically aligned OKRs rapidly get everyone on the same page, working toward results that matter.
First, higher-level management or the CEO of your company outlines the company’s OKRs for the quarter. From there, department managers would come up with their own department objectives based on how they plan to contribute to the company’s objectives. You can also cascade down the OKRs at the individual level, and if you want to use those, you can align them.
The purpose of alignment is to unify the goals of your company.
Profit.co allows you to align your OKRs in two different approaches,
- Top-Down Alignment
- Bottom-Up Alignment
Top Down Alignment
Strategic alignment is important for business outcomes. Profit.co’s OKR platform allows C-level executives to assign critical goals as objectives, key results, or sub-key results to specific departments, teams, or individuals. For example, if a top executive plans to improve reputation management through social media, this can be cascaded down as a primary objective for the Marketing team. This method, called the Cascading Approach or Top-down alignment, ensures that every level’s goals support and derive from the overarching company objective. Such a top-down alignment or Cascade Approach facilitates a harmonized organizational path with 360-degree alignment.
Additionally, Profit.co emphasizes the importance of managing interdependencies and navigating intricate objectives. The platform promotes structured, comprehensive alignment by allowing users to either assign a Key Result as a standalone Objective or within another Key Result as a Sub-key Result. This not only helps in prioritizing but also ensures that focus remains undeterred on achieving the desired outcomes.
Bottom-Up Alignment in Profit.co
While top-down cascading ensures strategic objectives are aligned with the top management, bottom-up alignment is critical in promoting organic growth and connectivity within the organization. This feature permits individuals or teams to align their key results, either as another key result or a sub-key result, to a broader OKR. In doing so, they contribute directly to the progression of overarching goals.
It’s about transitioning from the granular, ground-up initiatives and ensuring they align with the larger organizational vision. This boosts employee engagement and fosters ownership, and everyone is clear about how their contributions fit into the bigger picture. In Profit.co, when you assign a KR to an individual/ department/team or when you assign a higher-level organization sub-KR as KR to an individual/ department/team, it is called a Bottom-up Alignment.
2. EXECUTE
In the Execute phase, the focus shifts to action. Once your OKRs are set, it’s time to make progress towards achieving them. One of the key aspects of execution is check-ins. Check-ins are regular updates that allow teams to track their progress, identify blockers, and stay aligned.
These updates help ensure everyone is on the same page and enable leaders to provide support where needed. By maintaining continuous communication and tracking, teams can course-correct as necessary and stay on track towards achieving their objectives.
Check-in for Key Results
Check-ins allow you to input a metric-related value to measure your Key Result progress. It also gives you the chance to indicate your Key Results status (or, how confident you are that you’ll be able to complete it).
Additionally, you can add comments to provide context for those tracking your KRs.
Profit.co allows you to report your progress on your key results at different OKR levels.
Contribution Tagging
The Contribution Tagging feature separates items into Contributing and Non-Contributing groups, enabling users to clearly identify which key results or initiatives are directly driving objective outcomes. This distinction helps teams focus on meaningful progress and deprioritize items that have little or no impact.
The quick view panel displays contributing items with their progress metrics, while non-contributing items are listed separately. This improves clarity during reviews, making it easier for leadership and teams to assess which efforts are effectively moving the needle.
By highlighting true contributors, Contribution Tagging supports outcome-oriented planning and execution, ensuring energy is directed toward high-impact activities.
Say:Do Ratio for Delivery Effectiveness
A roll-up metric named Say:Do Ratio sets progress by comparing what was committed (“Say”) to what is delivered (“Do”). The metric can be viewed at the company, department, or individual level, and also from the OKR list page.
The Say:Do Ratio Results panel inside the OKR view displays the calculated ratio in real time, showing the percentage of committed OKRs that are currently On Track.
By comparing committed OKRs with those on track, teams can quickly assess whether they are keeping their commitments. This helps identify execution gaps, silent underperformance, or inflated goal-setting early in the cycle. The Say:Do Ratio results also allow leadership to understand delivery discipline and forecast reliability, ensuring that planning consistently translates into measurable execution.
Progress Calculation:
Formula:
Progress = (# of On track OKRs / # of OKRs) * 100
For example:
In an organization (Evergreen Solutions), there are a total of 4 committed OKRs, and among them, 3 are in On Track status.
So, the Say:Do Ratio progress is calculated as:
So, Progress = (3/4)* 100 = 75
3. ENGAGE
The Engage phase is about active participation and communication throughout the OKR cycle. During this phase, three important elements play a key role:
- PPP Review
- Dashboard
- Presentations
- Hashtagged Conversations
PPP Review
As part of your check-in, Profit.co allows you to review your OKRs using the OKR Reviews feature.
The PPP (Plan, Progress, Problem) methodology in OKR reviews helps ensure clear communication and alignment throughout the goal-setting process. It allows teams to discuss their Plan for achieving objectives, track their Progress toward the key results, and identify any Problems or obstacles hindering success. This structured approach encourages transparency and accountability. It enables teams to course-correct in real-time, ensuring continuous momentum toward goals. Ultimately, PPP enhances focus, collaboration, and problem-solving within teams.
Dashboard
Dashboard in the OKR view menu
Users can view the progress and the status of objectives and key results in the Dashboard in the OKR view menu.
You can also view the Canvas View, Alignments View, and Heatmap View.
Cockpit Dashboard
The OKR Cockpit consolidates all OKR data in one place, streamlining progress tracking and making it easier to monitor organizational goals across departments.
Note: Only the Super User, OKR Champion, and OKR Captain can view the cockpit dashboard. Only some charts will be visible to the End Users.
Custom Dashboard
The Custom Dashboard feature enables users to build personalized dashboards with widgets and charts tailored to their specific priorities. This allows teams and individuals to monitor key metrics in a single, consolidated view.
KPI Summary
The KPI Summary is a visual tool for tracking Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), offering a straightforward way to compare actual metrics with organizational goals and targets.
It simplifies data presentation, aids in identifying trends, and helps visualize data distribution with clarity and precision.
Profit.co provides an option to effortlessly view the performance of your KPIs, simplifying performance tracking and monitoring for enhanced efficiency.
The KPI Summary displays Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), Key Results (KRs) at any selected level (Corporate, Department, and Employee) using a filter.
In the KPI Summary, you can view KPIs, and Key Results by switching between the KPIs, Key Results tab.
Presentations
In the context of OKRs, a Presentation is a formal, structured way to share updates and insights regarding the progress of your objectives and key results. Presentations are crucial for communicating performance, aligning teams, and ensuring stakeholders are informed about the current state of goals.
These presentations serve as an opportunity to:
- Review Progress: Highlight how close your team or organization is to meeting its objectives and key results. It provides a snapshot of current performance.
- Showcase Achievements: Emphasize successes, completed milestones, and progress toward key results.
- Identify Obstacles: Point out any challenges or blockers that are preventing progress and discuss potential solutions.
- Align Stakeholders: Ensure everyone is on the same page regarding the OKRs and understands what steps need to be taken next.
Presentations can be tailored to different levels, whether you are sharing a high-level summary with leadership or a detailed analysis with the team. They typically include data visualizations, progress metrics, and key takeaways to support decision-making.
Presentation Types
The type of presentations available in Profit.co are as follows:
- End of Quarter Presentation
- OKR Progress Presentation
- KRs Progress Presentation
- KRs Progress Presentation – Hierarchical View
End of Quarter Presentation
The End of Quarter Presentation is a comprehensive summary that highlights the progress made over the entire quarter. It provides an overview of all the OKRs set at the beginning of the quarter and how well the team has progressed toward achieving them. This presentation typically includes a final evaluation of objectives and key results, any challenges encountered, and plans for the next quarter.
OKR Progress Presentation
The OKR Progress Presentation focuses on tracking the progress of objectives and key results (OKRs) during the cycle. It allows teams to share updates on their key results, how close they are to meeting their targets, and any adjustments made along the way. This presentation is usually conducted at regular intervals to ensure all stakeholders are aligned with the progress being made.
KRs Progress Presentation
The KRs Progress Presentation dives deeper into the progress of individual key results (KRs). It details the status of each key result and provides insights into the performance metrics, milestones achieved, and any blockers that have been encountered. This type of presentation can help identify areas that need more attention and discuss strategies for improvement.
KRs Progress Presentation – Hierarchical View
The KRs Progress Presentation – Hierarchical View offers a more detailed and structured view of key results within a hierarchical framework. It breaks down key results into smaller components, showing how each part contributes to the overall goal. This view helps to see the relationships between various key results and their alignment with higher-level objectives, giving a clear picture of how all efforts fit together.
Hashtagged Conversations
Hashtags used in OKR reviews streamline feedback, simplifies tracking, and enhances organization. It boosts clarity, aids in goal alignment, and ensures efficient communication.
Profit.co allows you to use hashtags comfortably in the comments sections when you review and reflect/Reset your OKRs.
After enabling the Hashtagged Conversations, enter the # symbol in the text area, it will show all the created hashtags in the dropdown. By using hashtags, you can also add conversation to the review.
4. LEARN
The Learn phase is focused on reflection and resetting. After completing an OKR cycle, teams need to reflect on their journey, what they have learned, and where they can improve moving forward. The Reflect/Reset option is a critical tool in this phase. It allows teams to assess their performance, identify areas for improvement, and reset their goals for the next cycle. This phase is not just about reviewing outcomes, but also about learning from the process, adjusting strategies, and setting new challenges to keep growing.
Reflect/Reset
To reflect on your OKRs at the end of the quarter based on your experience, you may want to carry forward some OKRs and eliminate some. The Reflect/Reset feature enables you to reflect on the achievements for the current quarter (celebrate!!!) and apply the learnings to reset them for the next quarter.
Profit.co provides a Reflect/Reset option for you to review and adjust your goals every quarter.
Reflect
Reflect on your OKRs at the end of the quarter based on your experience. The reflection process is pretty simple. You have a standard set of questions that you answer as part of your assessment.
Reset
Before you start thinking about resetting your OKR, you should really look at the objective itself. Is the objective relevant enough to be continued into the next quarter. If the answer is yes, then you start looking at the key results.