5 customisable OKR examples for Expense Reduction

What are Expense Reduction OKRs?

The OKR acronym stands for Objectives and Key Results. It's a goal-setting framework that was introduced at Intel by Andy Grove in the 70s, and it became popular after John Doerr introduced it to Google in the 90s. OKRs helps teams has a shared language to set ambitious goals and track progress towards them.

Formulating strong OKRs can be a complex endeavor, particularly for first-timers. Prioritizing outcomes over projects is crucial when developing your plans.

We've tailored a list of OKRs examples for Expense Reduction to help you. You can look at any of the templates below to get some inspiration for your own goals.

If you want to learn more about the framework, you can read our OKR guide online.

Building your own Expense Reduction 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 Expense Reduction OKRs examples

We've added many examples of Expense Reduction 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 optimize IT costs by reducing expenses by 20%

Reduce IT expenses by 20%
Analyze previous quarter expenses and identify areas for cost reduction
Determine cost-saving opportunities
Identify spending patterns
Review expenses
Implement cost reduction measures
Educate employees on cost-saving practices and enforce IT policies
Regularly remind staff of cost-cutting policies
Contain training sessions for IT policy adoption
Monitor employee compliance with IT policies and address non-compliance
Hold information sessions about cost-saving practices
Negotiate with vendors for better pricing
Research vendor's competitors and their rates
Highlight your previous purchasing history with them
Offer to sign a long-term contract for a discount
Ask for a volume discount based on the forecasted quantity
Implement solutions and track savings
Identify opportunities for cost reduction
Implement cost-saving solutions
Track and report realized savings
Prioritize solutions based on potential savings

Implement this OKR

2. OKRs to reduce delivery service expenses

Reduce delivery service expenses
Lower staff overtime costs by 15% by improving shift scheduling
Conduct periodic reviews to identify scheduling inefficiencies or issues
Train managers on workload distribution and staff utilization techniques
Implement a digital shift scheduling system for efficient workforce management
Implement an efficient parcel tracking system to reduce lost package costs by 5%
Train staff on new system usage
Research and adopt an advanced tracking solution
Identify current weaknesses in existing parcel tracking system
Decrease fuel expenditure by 10% through optimizing delivery routes
Train drivers on fuel-efficient driving techniques
Implement GPS-based routing software for efficient trip planning
Regularly maintain delivery vehicles for optimal performance

cost-reduction delivery-efficiency fleet-manager operations-manager delivery-team management-team

Implement this OKR

3. OKRs to streamline corporate general and administrative expenses

Streamline corporate general and administrative expenses
Slash administrative costs by 15% through process improvements
Implement automation technology for routine tasks
Conduct training on new streamlined processes
Identify inefficiencies in current administrative processes
Increase revenue to cost ratio by 20% via strategic resource allocation
Continually monitor and adjust resource allocation
Redistribute resources to maximize efficiency
Identify profitable and underutilized resources
Implement cost control mechanisms reducing overspending by 10%
Identify areas of excessive spending within current budget
Develop and implement cost control policies
Monitor and record savings from implemented policies

administrative-cost-reduction strategic-resource-allocation resource-manager business-process-analyst administrative-planning-team corporate-operations-team

Implement this OKR

4. OKRs to drastically decrease operational expenses

Drastically decrease operational expenses
Decrease supply chain costs by 10% through vendor negotiations and solutions
Develop strategies for productive pricing discussions
Implement cost-effective vendor management solutions
Identify vital vendors for price renegotiation
Reduce energy consumption by 15% with sustainable initiatives
Implement company-wide training on energy-saving practices
Regularly audit and maintain equipment for optimal efficiency
Install energy-efficient appliances and light fixtures
Implement effective automation tools, boosting productivity by 25%
Monitor and adjust processes to achieve 25% productivity increase
Implement and integrate chosen automation tools into daily operations
Research and identify suitable automation tools for business processes

operational-efficiency expense-reduction operations-manager energy-manager operations-team energy-management-team

Implement this OKR

5. OKRs to boost profitability via disciplined revenue and expense management

Boost profitability via disciplined revenue and expense management
Increase quarterly revenue by 10% through strategic sales initiatives
Develop and implement a comprehensive sales training program
Optimize pricing strategy for improved profitability
Identify and target high-revenue potential clients
Decrease operating costs by 15% via efficiency improvements
Streamline supply chain to reduce excess waste
Identify non-essential operations that can be terminated or outsourced
Implement energy efficient technology in the office
Achieve a consistent 20% profit margin throughout the upcoming quarter
Upsell and cross-sell to increase profits
Analyze previous quarters to identify profitable strategies
Streamline business operations to reduce expenses

revenue-growth cost-reduction sales-manager operations-manager sales-team operations-team

Implement this OKR

Expense Reduction 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's audit dashboard will highlight opportunities to improve OKRs

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's check-ins will save you hours and increase transparency

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 Expense Reduction 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.

Tability's Strategy Map makes it easy to see all your org's OKRs

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 Expense Reduction OKR templates

We have more templates to help you draft your team goals and OKRs.

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.

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