Product 101: How to Write a Great Objective in OKRs: A Guide for Product Managers

OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) are a powerful goal-setting framework that helps teams focus on bold, measurable goals.

👉 The Objective is qualitative and inspirational—it sets a big, exciting goal.
👉 The Key Results (usually three) are quantitative—they tell you if you’ve met the objective.

OKRs are used by teams and individuals to align efforts and drive impact within a set time frame, typically a quarter.

What Makes a Strong Objective?

A great Objective should be:

✔ Inspirational – It should motivate your team to jump out of bed in the morning.
✔ Time-bound – It should be achievable within a quarter.
✔ Actionable – Your team should be able to work on it independently without relying entirely on others.

Think of an Objective as a mission statement—but shorter. If a mission statement defines a 5-year vision, an Objective captures what success looks like in 3 months.

Examples of Good and Bad Objectives

✅ Good Objectives:

• “Own the direct-to-business coffee retail market in the South Bay.”
• “Launch an awesome MVP that delights product managers.”
• “Transform Palo Alto’s coupon-using habits.”

These are clear, inspiring, and action-driven. They give the team a sense of purpose and challenge them to think big.

❌ Poor Objectives:

• “Sales numbers up 30%.”
• “Double our user base.”
• “$2 million in revenue.”

These lack inspiration and are too metric-driven to be Objectives. They sound more like Key Results than Objectives.

Ask Yourself: Is Your Objective Good?

If you’re a Product Manager, challenge yourself:
🔥 Does your Objective excite your team?
⏳ Can you achieve it within a quarter?
🚀 Is it something your team can own independently?

If not, rethink your Objective—make it clearer, bolder, and more inspiring!

What are some of the best Objectives you’ve worked on? Share in the comments! 👇