Solving the Biggest OKR Challenge: Writing Effective Key Results
A practical guide to Customer-Centric OKR Impact Mapping
Solving the Biggest OKR Challenge: Writing Effective Key Results
The Problem: Why Do Teams Struggle with Key Results?
Recent studies highlight a significant gap between the widespread adoption of Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) and their effective implementation. According to the OKR Impact Report 2022, 90% of companies introduce OKRs through their leadership teams to enhance corporate governance. However, only 60% of these companies use OKRs effectively as part of a change or transformation initiative (Mooncamp OKR Impact Report 2022).
This discrepancy often stems from challenges in defining Key Results (KRs) effectively. One of the root causes of ineffective OKRs is poorly defined Key Results, which lead to:
Focus on outputs rather than outcomes (e.g., "Launch a new feature" instead of "Increase feature adoption from 30% to 70%").
Tracking activity rather than impact (e.g., "Train 50 employees on OKRs" instead of "Improve the percentage of teams setting measurable OKRs from 40% to 80%").
Lack of clarity on who is responsible for achieving them.
Missing the customer perspective, making them disconnected from actual value creation.
Without well-defined KRs, OKRs become just another tracking tool, rather than a framework for strategic alignment and impact.
Why Does This Happen? The Missing Ecosystem View
The root cause of poor KR definition is a lack of understanding of the broader ecosystem in which the OKR operates. Many teams focus only on their own activities, without considering:
Who benefits from achieving this Objective? (The end user or customer)
Who enables its success? (Internal teams, leadership, partners)
What dependencies exist between levels of the organization? (Top-down alignment & bottom-up execution)
How will we measure success in a way that truly reflects customer value?
When teams fail to map these elements, they end up defaulting to measuring internal efforts rather than customer impact.
The Solution: A Customer-Centric Approach to Key Results
To solve this, we need a structured approach that ensures Key Results are tied to meaningful behavior change. This is where Customer-Centric OKR Impact Mapping comes in.
Worked Example: Accelerating the Adoption of OKRs for Strategic Alignment
Let’s take a real-world scenario: A company wants to improve the adoption of OKRs across teams to drive strategic alignment.
Step 1: Start with the Customer & Define Success
🎯 Objective: Accelerate the adoption of OKRs across teams for strategic alignment.
✅ Who is the primary customer or end user?
Team leaders and employees responsible for executing OKRs.
✅ What job are they trying to get done?
Ensure that OKRs are understood, applied effectively, and used for strategic alignment.
✅ What struggle do they face?
Lack of clarity on writing outcome-driven Key Results, inconsistent OKR reviews, and weak alignment across teams.
✅ How will we measure success?
Behavior change indicators: Increased adoption of OKRs, improved quality of Key Results, and more frequent OKR reviews.
Step 2: Identify the Key Actors
Step 3: Write Key Results That Drive Customer Outcomes
✅ Good KR: "Increase the percentage of teams setting quarterly OKRs from 40% to 80%."
❌ Bad KR: "Conduct 10 OKR training sessions." (Output-focused, not outcome-driven)
✅ Good KR: "Ensure 90% of managers actively review OKRs in performance check-ins."
❌ Bad KR: "Create an OKR review document." (Doesn’t measure adoption impact)
✅ Good KR: "Train at least 70% of teams through structured workshops and peer coaching."
❌ Bad KR: "Send teams an OKR training video." (Doesn’t ensure learning adoption)
Step 4: Align Dependencies
Execution teams need structured OKR check-ins and feedback loops.
Managers need visibility into OKR adoption and impact.
Coaches need resources to train and guide teams.
Leadership needs reporting on OKR adoption trends to justify further investment.
Download the Full Customer-Centric OKR Checklist
Want to transform the way your organization defines Key Results? We’ve created a detailed, step-by-step Customer-Centric OKR Checklist to help teams:
✅ Write Key Results that measure outcomes, not just outputs.
✅ Align OKRs across leadership, teams, and customers.
✅ Ensure every OKR drives real impact.
📥 Download the checklist for free by subscribing to our newsletter
