Good vs. bad Key Results: 10 real examples
The difference between OKR that works and OKR that turns into a task list comes down to Key Results. A good KR drives action and measures progress. A bad one confuses and demotivates.
There's only one rule: a Key Result measures outcomes, not activities.
10 examples side by side:
| # | BAD (activity) | GOOD (outcome) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Launch the new website | Increase website conversion from 1.5% to 4% | |
| 2 | Post 30 times on Instagram | Generate 500 qualified leads via social media | |
| 3 | Hire 2 salespeople | Grow sales pipeline from $50k to $200k | |
| 4 | Create an onboarding program | Reduce churn in the first 30 days from 40% to 10% | |
| 5 | Implement CRM | Reduce average follow-up time from 72h to 24h | |
| 6 | Run a satisfaction survey | Raise NPS from 25 to 50 | |
| 7 | Redesign the sales proposal | Increase closing rate from 15% to 30% | |
| 8 | Train the support team | Reduce complaints from 20/month to 5/month | |
| 9 | Create a content blog | Reach 10,000 monthly organic visits | |
| 10 | Renegotiate supplier contracts | Reduce delivery cost from 45% to 30% of revenue |
The pattern:
Notice? The bad side describes what you're going to do. The good side describes what's going to change.
The activity is the HOW. The outcome is the WHAT. OKR cares about the WHAT. Activities belong in the action plan, in weekly tasks, in the day-to-day. Not in the OKR.
The Key Result test:
Ask: "If I do everything I planned and this number doesn't change, was the OKR achieved?"
If the answer is no — good KR. The number is what matters, regardless of how many tasks you completed.
If the answer is yes — bad KR. It means the KR is measuring activity, not impact. Replace it with the number that actually shows progress.
If you did everything you planned and the number didn't move, the OKR was not achieved. That's the difference between activity and outcome.
Create Key Results with numbers. The tool structures objectives + measurable KRs. No sign-up required.
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