4 OKR examples for Systems Administrator
What are Systems Administrator OKRs?
The Objective and Key Results (OKR) framework is a simple goal-setting methodology that was introduced at Intel by Andy Grove in the 70s. It became popular after John Doerr introduced it to Google in the 90s, and it's now used by teams of all sizes to set and track ambitious goals at scale.
How you write your OKRs can make a huge difference on the impact that your team will have at the end of the quarter. But, it's not always easy to write a quarterly plan that focuses on outcomes instead of projects.
That's why we have created a list of OKRs examples for Systems Administrator to help. You can use any of the templates below as a starting point to write your own goals.
If you want to learn more about the framework, you can read more about the OKR meaning online.
Best practices for managing your Systems Administrator OKRs
Generally speaking, your objectives should be ambitious yet achievable, and your key results should be measurable and time-bound (using the SMART framework can be helpful). It is also recommended to list strategic initiatives under your key results, as it'll help you avoid the common mistake of listing projects in your KRs.
Here are a couple of best practices extracted from our OKR implementation guide 👇
Tip #1: Limit the number of key results
The #1 role of OKRs is to help you and your team focus on what really matters. Business-as-usual activities will still be happening, but you do not need to track your entire roadmap in the OKRs.
We recommend having 3-4 objectives, and 3-4 key results per objective. A platform like Tability can run audits on your data to help you identify the plans that have too many goals.
Tip #2: Commit to the weekly check-ins
Don't fall into the set-and-forget trap. It is important to adopt a weekly check-in process to get the full value of your OKRs and make your strategy agile – otherwise this is nothing more than a reporting exercise.
Being able to see trends for your key results will also keep yourself honest.
Tip #3: No more than 2 yellow statuses in a row
Yes, this is another tip for goal-tracking instead of goal-setting (but you'll get plenty of OKR examples below). But, once you have your goals defined, it will be your ability to keep the right sense of urgency that will make the difference.
As a rule of thumb, it's best to avoid having more than 2 yellow/at risk statuses in a row.
Make a call on the 3rd update. You should be either back on track, or off track. This sounds harsh but it's the best way to signal risks early enough to fix things.
Building your own Systems Administrator OKRs with AI
While we have some examples below, it's likely that you'll have specific scenarios that aren't covered here. There are 2 options available to you.
- Use our free OKRs generator
- Use Tability, a complete platform to set and track OKRs and initiatives
- including a GPT-4 powered goal generator
Best way to track your Systems Administrator OKRs
The rules of OKRs are simple. Quarterly OKRs should be tracked weekly, and yearly OKRs should be tracked monthly. Reviewing progress periodically has several advantages:
- It brings the goals back to the top of the mind
- It will highlight poorly set OKRs
- It will surface execution risks
- It improves transparency and accountability
Most teams should start with a spreadsheet if they're using OKRs for the first time. Then, once you get comfortable you can graduate to a proper OKRs-tracking tool.
If you're not yet set on a tool, you can check out the 5 best OKR tracking templates guide to find the best way to monitor progress during the quarter.
Systems Administrator OKRs templates
We've covered most of the things that you need to know about setting good OKRs and tracking them effectively. It's now time to give you a series of templates that you can use for inspiration!
We've added many examples of Systems Administrator Objectives and Key Results, but we did not stop there. Understanding the difference between OKRs and projects is important, so we also added examples of strategic initiatives that relate to the OKRs.
Hope you'll find this helpful!
OKRs to successful Exchange and Migration of Server Systems
- Successful Exchange and Migration of Server Systems
- Conduct a thorough inventory and categorize all existing servers by end of Week 1
- Complete inventory by end of Week 1
- Compile a comprehensive list of all existing servers
- Categorize servers based on their function
- Migrate 50% of identified servers without causing any system downtime by Week 6
- Execute migration plan during off-peak hours to avoid downtime
- Identify non-essential servers for initial migration to minimize potential impact
- Develop and test migration strategy for selected servers
- Complete the migration and ensure all systems are fully functional and optimized by Week 12
- Conduct thorough testing on all systems
- Optimize system functionality by Week 12
- Finish the migration process by Week 12
OKRs to improve Access control, management, and automation efforts
- Improve Access control, management, and automation efforts
- Decrease access control approval cycle time by 15% with efficient automation application
- Measure and adjust automation efficiency to hit the 15% reduction target
- Identify bottlenecks in the current access control approval process
- Implement an automation software to streamline approval tasks
- Implement automation in 2 new critical systems, preparing for 1 click deployment
- Test one-click deployment and resolve issues
- Develop automation scripts for the identified systems
- Identify two critical systems suitable for automation
- Reduce manual intervention in access management processes by 20% using automation
- Monitor system regularly to ensure automated processes are working efficiently
- Train staff on utilizing automation features for access management
- Implement automated access management software in the system
OKRs to decommission all identified systems by 2024
- Decommission all identified systems by 2024
- Conduct final review to ensure all decommissioned systems are properly shut down
- Document final review findings
- Confirm cessation of systems via verification protocols
- Identify all systems slated for decommission
- Successfully decommission 50% of identified systems by end of quarter
- Execute decommissioning safely and efficiently
- Identify essential vs. non-essential systems for business operations
- Develop a detailed decommissioning plan and schedule
- Complete inventory of all systems slated for decommission by end of quarter
- Finalize and document inventory report
- Conduct thorough inventory of these systems
- Identify all systems scheduled for decommissioning
OKRs to successfully migrate admin application to existing platform
- Successfully migrate admin application to existing platform
- Train all users on the new platform to ensure smooth transition
- Monitor user experience for further improvements
- Develop comprehensive training materials on the new platform
- Organize training sessions for all users
- Complete data migration without any loss or errors
- Perform a full backup of all existing data
- Verify and validate migrated data
- Use reliable software to conduct data migration
- Update all functionalities to align with existing platform requirements
- Identify and note necessary updates for functionalities
- Review current platform requirements thoroughly
- Implement and test functionality updates
More Systems Administrator OKR templates
We have more templates to help you draft your team goals and OKRs.
OKRs to enhance efficiency and effectiveness of internal communications OKRs to enhance maturity and capabilities of Product Owners OKRs to enhance user experience for increased software engagement OKRs to improve documentation utilization OKRs to enhance application performance in data center and cloud environments OKRs to enhance IT infrastructure and optimize helpdesk processes for improved efficiency
OKRs resources
Here are a list of resources to help you adopt the Objectives and Key Results framework.
- To learn: Complete 2024 OKR cheat sheet
- Blog posts: ODT Blog
- Success metrics: KPIs examples