HKSM

A structured goal-setting approach that aligns teams around clear objectives and quantifiable results.

Key Points

• Objectives state what you aim to achieve and are concise, qualitative, and inspiring.
• Key Results define how success will be measured and are specific, measurable, and time-bound.
• OKRs are typically set on a regular cadence (e.g., quarterly) and are transparent across the organization to drive alignment.
• The framework emphasizes outcomes over activities and encourages stretch goals with regular check-ins and scoring.

Example

Objective: Improve customer retention for the mobile app this quarter. Key Results: (1) Increase 30-day retention from 25% to 40%; (2) Reduce crash rate from 1.5% to 0.5%; (3) Ship a new onboarding flow with median time-to-first-value under 2 minutes; (4) Run at least 5 A/B experiments focused on activation.

PMP Example Question

Which statement best reflects how OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) should be used by an agile project team?

1. Define a broad mission and let teams pick tasks without success metrics.
2. Create a qualitative objective supported by 3-5 measurable results to track progress over a set time frame.
3. List operational KPIs to monitor indefinitely with no target end state.
4. Break down all work packages in a detailed WBS and assign to individuals.

Correct Answer: B — Define a qualitative objective with measurable key results over a time period

Explanation: OKRs align teams on outcomes by pairing an inspiring objective with specific, time-bound metrics that indicate success, rather than listing tasks or open-ended KPIs.