13 customisable OKR examples for Engineering Team
What are Engineering Team 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.
OKRs are quickly gaining popularity as a goal-setting framework. But, it's not always easy to know how to write your goals, especially if it's your first time using OKRs.
To aid you in setting your goals, we have compiled a collection of OKR examples customized for Engineering Team. Take a look at the templates below for inspiration and guidance.
If you want to learn more about the framework, you can read our OKR guide online.
Building your own Engineering Team OKRs with AI
While we have some examples available, it's likely that you'll have specific scenarios that aren't covered here. You can use our free AI generator below or our more complete goal-setting system to generate your own OKRs.
Our customisable Engineering Team OKRs examples
We've added many examples of Engineering Team 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!
1. OKRs to foster continuous improvement on Engineering metrics
Foster continuous improvement on Engineering metrics
Achieve a 10% increase in team's average productivity metrics
Introduce incentives for meeting or surpassing productivity goals
Implement training sessions to improve skills and efficiency
Optimize workflow by eliminating unnecessary procedures
Implement weekly trend analysis reports for every team member
Schedule and distribute weekly trend analysis to each team member
Establish report templates to track weekly trends for each team
Automate data collection and trend analysis processes
Reduce error rates in engineering processes by 15%
Enhance quality control and testing procedures
Regularly review and improve existing engineering processes
Implement training programs to update engineering knowledge and skills
2. OKRs to enhance engineering team's productivity
Enhance engineering team's productivity
Increase project completion rate by 20%
Conduct weekly project progress and status checks
Implement a detailed project schedule for better tracking
Provide timely training and resources to team members
Implement a new efficiency-enhancing tool with full adoption by team
Develop comprehensive training for tool usage for the team
Select efficiency-enhancing tool based on team's tasks and workflows
Regularly monitor, assess, and provide feedback on tool usage
Reduce engineering errors by 15%
Enhance collaboration and communication within engineering teams
Implement regular skill improvement workshops for engineers
Introduce stringent quality control and testing processes
3. OKRs to improve interoperability between data engineering teams
Improve interoperability between data engineering teams
Offer biweekly data interoperability training to 90% of data engineering teams
Identify 90% of data engineering teams for training
Develop a biweekly interoperability training schedule
Implement and monitor the data interoperability training
Reduce cross-team data discrepancies by 50%, ensuring increased data consistency
Regularly audit and correct data discrepancies across all teams
Implement a standardized data entry and management process for all teams
Utilize data synchronization tools for seamless data integration
Implement standardized data protocols across all teams increasing cross-collaboration by 30%
Train teams on new standardized protocols
Identify current data protocols in each team
Draft and propose unified data protocols
4. OKRs to enhance workflow efficiency and productivity
Enhance workflow efficiency and productivity
Implement at least 3 significant improvements identified from the workflow analysis
Develop strategies to implement these improvements efficiently
Evaluate success of implemented improvements periodically
Prioritize the 3 top improvements identified from workflow analysis
Reduce workflow steps or stages by 10% to streamline operations
Implement new workflow and analyze for efficiency improvement
Review and analyze current processes for unnecessary stages
Develop a revised workflow eliminating redundant steps
Increase process efficiency by 20% through process re-engineering
Identify bottlenecks in the current process
Train staff on newly engineered process
Develop a streamlined process blueprint
5. OKRs to enhance the reliability and efficiency of our infrastructure
Enhance the reliability and efficiency of our infrastructure
Increase server response time by 20% for faster processing
Optimize application code to reduce processing time
Upgrade server hardware for improved performance
Implement effective load balancing techniques
Implement an upgrade to the latest networking technology, improving speed by 25%
Achieve a 15% decrease in system downtime incidents
Implement a robust incident response plan
Provide routine maintenance and updates to system software
Assess system regularly for potential vulnerabilities and areas of improvement
6. OKRs to implement a robust chaos testing system in our production environment
Implement a robust chaos testing system in our production environment
Achieve 90% system resilience score post chaos testing and fixing identified vulnerabilities
Develop resolutions for identified system weaknesses
Measure system resilience post-fix, aiming for 90% score
Implement chaos testing to identify system vulnerabilities
Identify and document 10 potential points of system failure by month-end
Compile findings into comprehensive document
Review system for possible vulnerabilities or weaknesses
Record 10 potential failure points
Develop and deploy chaos experiments to simulate 50% of identified points of failure
Implement and execute the chaos experiments
Design chaos experiments to simulate these failures
Identify the key potential failure points in the system
7. OKRs to become proficient in Cisco switches configuration and the Headsup app project
Become proficient in Cisco switches configuration and the Headsup app project
Master 100% of training controls and instruments for effective control handling
Regularly review manual for training controls
Attend workshops for continuous learning
Practice using instruments in simulated scenarios
Complete Cisco certification coursework with a grade of 85% or higher
Set a daily study schedule for coursework
Enroll in Cisco certification course
Regularly review and practice course material
Successfully run a test project utilizing the Headsup app with zero major errors
Monitor, find and instantly resolve minor issues, if any
Plan and execute a simple project using the Headsup app
Understand the functionality and features of the Headsup app completely
8. OKRs to deploy robust reporting platform
Deploy robust reporting platform
Identify and integrate relevant data sources into the platform by 50%
Monitor and adjust integration to achieve 50% completion
Implement data integration strategies for identified sources
Identify relevant sources of data for platform integration
Ensure 95% of platform uptime with efficient maintenance and quick bug resolution
Develop fast and effective bug resolution processes
Implement regular system checks and predictive maintenance
Monitor platform uptime continuously for efficiency
Achieve user satisfaction rate of 85% through user-friendly design
Collect user feedback for necessary improvements
Implement intuitive site navigation and user interface
Regularly update design based on user feedback
9. OKRs to improve software system design and logging framework expertise
Improve software system design and logging framework expertise
Collaborate with senior engineers on at least two software design reviews and provide valuable insights
Prepare for software design reviews by doing research and gathering relevant information
Actively participate in software design reviews by asking questions and offering suggestions
Schedule meetings with senior engineers to discuss software design reviews
Document and share valuable insights and suggestions with senior engineers after the reviews
Conduct research on best practices and emerging trends in software system design
Engage in discussions with industry experts and peers to gather insights on software system design best practices
Review industry publications and online resources for current best practices in software system design
Attend relevant conferences and webinars to stay updated on emerging trends in software system design
Set up alerts and notifications for research papers and articles on software system design
Implement logging framework in one project and analyze its effectiveness
Define and implement the desired log messages and their respective levels
Integrate the chosen logging framework into the project's codebase
Research and choose a suitable logging framework for the project
Analyze and measure the impact of the logging framework on project performance and debugging processes
Successfully complete online course on software system design with a passing grade
10. OKRs to build a robust data pipeline utilizing existing tools
Build a robust data pipeline utilizing existing tools
Successfully test and deploy the data pipeline with zero critical defects by the end of week 10
Deploy the final pipeline by week 10
Thoroughly debug and test the data pipeline
Fix identified issues before end of week 9
Identify and document 100% of necessary features and tools by the end of week 2
Review product requirements and existing toolsets
Conduct brainstorming sessions for necessary features
Document all identified features and tools
Achieve 75% completion of the data pipeline design and construction by week 6
Continually review and improve design stages for efficiency
Allocate resources for swift pipeline design and construction
Establish milestones and monitor progress each week
11. OKRs to achieve optimal efficiency in engineering operations
Achieve optimal efficiency in engineering operations
Lower engineering error rates by 10% through enhanced quality control measures
Regularly monitor and review error reports
Conduct regular training for quality control measures
Implement rigorous testing protocols for every engineering process
Reduce operation downtime by 20% through improved preventative maintenance procedures
Implement strict equipment servicing and inspection schedules
Develop detailed preventative maintenance protocols
Train personnel in efficient troubleshooting techniques
Increase operational efficiency by 15% via process improvement initiatives
Implement new strategies to streamline processes
Regularly assess and adjust improvements for optimal efficiency
Identify inefficiencies in current operational procedures
12. OKRs to enhance data engineering capabilities to drive software innovation
Enhance data engineering capabilities to drive software innovation
Improve data quality by implementing automated data validation and monitoring processes
Implement chosen data validation tool
Research various automated data validation tools
Regularly monitor and assess data quality
Enhance software scalability by optimizing data storage and retrieval mechanisms for large datasets
Optimize SQL queries for faster data retrieval
Adopt a scalable distributed storage system
Implement a more efficient database indexing system
Increase data processing efficiency by optimizing data ingestion pipelines and reducing processing time
Develop optimization strategies for lagging pipelines
Implement solutions to reduce data processing time
Analyze current data ingestion pipelines for efficiency gaps
13. OKRs to improve software engineering skills through effective time management
Improve software engineering skills through effective time management
Increase the number of completed coding tasks by 20% each week
Identify and address any obstacles or challenges that may hinder coding task completion
Enhance collaboration and communication among team members for efficient task completion
Provide regular feedback and support to assist in completing coding tasks
Set clear and achievable coding task goals for each team member
Improve adherence to project deadlines by delivering work on time in 90% of cases
Implement effective communication strategies to address obstacles and ensure timely completion
Set clear and realistic deadlines for each project task
Prioritize tasks and create a detailed schedule to ensure timely delivery
Regularly track progress and provide updates to stakeholders to maintain accountability
Reduce time spent on non-essential activities by 15% during work hours
Set specific time limits for non-essential tasks to ensure efficient completion
Prioritize and eliminate non-essential activities based on their impact and importance
Identify non-essential activities taking up significant time during work hours
Regularly assess and adjust the allocation of time to non-essential activities as needed
Attend and actively participate in at least 2 time management workshops or webinars
Research and identify 2 time management workshops or webinars
Apply the learned time management techniques in daily activities for improved efficiency
Take thorough notes during the workshops or webinars for future reference
Register for the selected workshops or webinars to secure a spot
Engineering Team OKR best practices to boost success
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
Having too many OKRs is the #1 mistake that teams make when adopting the framework. The problem with tracking too many competing goals is that it will be hard for your team to know what really matters.
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.
![Tability Insights Dashboard](https://tability-templates-v2.vercel.app/_next/static/media/tability-insights-board.e70f9466.png)
Tip #2: Commit to weekly OKR check-ins
Setting good goals can be challenging, but without regular check-ins, your team will struggle to make progress. We recommend that you track your OKRs weekly to get the full benefits from the framework.
Being able to see trends for your key results will also keep yourself honest.
![Tability Insights Dashboard](https://tability-templates-v2.vercel.app/_next/static/media/checkins-graph.b2aec458.png)
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 above). 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.
How to turn your Engineering Team OKRs in a strategy map
Your quarterly OKRs should be tracked weekly in order to get all the benefits of the OKRs framework. 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
Spreadsheets are enough to get started. Then, once you need to scale you can use a proper OKR platform to make things easier.
![A strategy map in Tability](https://tability-templates-v2.vercel.app/_next/static/media/tability_strategy_map.2ad25843.png)
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.
More Engineering Team OKR templates
We have more templates to help you draft your team goals and OKRs.
OKRs to enhance operational efficiency across all workflows
OKRs to develop a deep and meaningful relationship with her
OKRs to improve promotion and sponsorship package development
OKRs to cultivate a dynamic environment promoting innovation and strategic decision-making
OKRs to boost employee skills development by 20% with minimal budget
OKRs to maximize revenue from current business operations
OKRs resources
Here are a list of resources to help you adopt the Objectives and Key Results framework.
- To learn: What is the meaning of OKRs
- Blog posts: ODT Blog
- Success metrics: KPIs examples
What's next? Try Tability's goal-setting AI
You can create an iterate on your OKRs using Tability's unique goal-setting AI.
Watch the demo below, then hop on the platform for a free trial.