A Key Result is a quantitative measure attached to an Objective that shows whether you reached it. It states a metric, a starting value, and a target, so success is unambiguous. Key Results measure outcomes, not activity: "published 10 blog posts" is a task, while "grew organic signups from 200 to 500" is a Key Result.
The strongest Key Results are outcome metrics: they move because the customer or the market changed, not because a team finished a to-do. Each should have a clear baseline and target so its score (0.0 to 1.0) is calculable rather than argued. Three to five per Objective keeps focus.
Where Key Results commonly fail is the link to delivery. A Key Result with no work mapped beneath it is a wish; the work that quietly stalls is invisible until the score comes in low at the end of the quarter.
Key Result: Reduce average first-response time in support from 8 hours to 2 hours by quarter end.
Vindaris runs OKRs, KPIs, EOS, OGSM, SMART goals, the Balanced Scorecard, and Hoshin Kanri in one place, each goal linked to the traceable work moving it. Start free, no credit card.
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