What are Operational Excellence 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.
We've tailored a list of OKRs examples for Operational Excellence 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.
How to write your own Operational Excellence OKRs
Option 1. Turn ideas into OKRs with Tability AI
While we have some examples available, it's likely that you'll have specific scenarios that aren't covered here.
You can use Tability's AI generator to create tailored OKRs based on your specific context. Tability can turn your objective description into a fully editable OKR template -- including tips to help you refine your goals.
- 1. Go to Tability's plan editor
- 2. Click on the "Generate goals using AI" button
- 3. Use natural language to describe your goals
Tability will then use your prompt to generate a fully editable OKR template.
Watch the video below to see it in action 👇
Option 2. Optimise existing OKRs with Tability Feedback tool
If you already have existing goals, and you want to improve them. You can use Tability's AI feedback to help you.
- 1. Go to Tability's plan editor
- 2. Add your existing OKRs (you can import them from a spreadsheet)
- 3. Click on "Generate analysis"
Tability's Strategy Map makes it easy to see all your org's OKRsTability will scan your OKRs and offer different suggestions to improve them. This can range from a small rewrite of a statement to make it clearer to a complete rewrite of the entire OKR.
You can then decide to accept the suggestions or dismiss them if you don't agree.
Option 3. Use the free OKR generator
If you're just looking for some quick inspiration, you can also use our free OKR generator to get a template.
Unlike with Tability, you won't be able to iterate on the templates, but this is still a great way to get started.
Operational Excellence OKRs examples
We've added many examples of Operational Excellence 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 establish a high-performance Operational Excellence Office
ObjectiveEstablish a high-performance Operational Excellence Office
KRImplement 2 office operational frameworks to streamline processes and improve efficiency
Train staff on new operational frameworks usage- Research suitable operational frameworks for implementation
- Identify current inefficiencies within office processes
- KRAchieve a team satisfaction rate of 85% in the initial performance review
- Address feedback and implement suggested improvements
- Foster a positive work environment through team building
- Conduct anonymous satisfaction surveys among team members
- KRHire and train 3 qualified office personnel, ensuring adept role-fit competency
- Develop and implement comprehensive training for new hires
- Assess applicants' skills to ensure role-fit competency
- Advertise available office positions through relevant channels
OKRs to implement operational excellence in product development
- ObjectiveImplement operational excellence in product development
- KRTrain 100% of development team on Lean Six Sigma tools by quarter end
- Provide training material to all team members
- Schedule Lean Six Sigma training sessions for the team
- Confirm all team members complete the training
- KRReduce product development cycle time by 20%
- Provide employee training on rapid prototyping techniques
- Implement efficient project management methodologies
- Streamline approval processes and eliminate unnecessary steps
- KRIntroduce 3 new metrics to monitor operational efficiency in product development process
- Implement tracking systems for chosen metrics
- Identify potential metrics for tracking operational efficiency
- Train team on understanding and utilizing new metrics
OKRs to achieve operational excellence across all business areas
- ObjectiveAchieve operational excellence across all business areas
- KRImprove process output by accelerating workflow speed by 20%
- Implement automated systems to streamline operations
- Analyze current workflow to identify bottlenecks and delays
- Train staff on efficiency improving strategies
- KREnhance employee productivity by providing training, aiming for 90% completion
- Monitor and report the training completion rate continuously
- Conduct regular training sessions for all levels of employees
- Identify necessary training programs for different job roles
- KRIncrease efficiency by reducing operational errors by 15%
- Introduce automated systems for high-error processes
- Continually review and improve current procedures
- Implement training programs focusing on reducing operational mistakes
OKRs to establish a comprehensive Operational Excellence Program
- ObjectiveEstablish a comprehensive Operational Excellence Program
- KRAchieve a 15% increase in overall operational efficiency metrics by quarter end
- Train workforce in lean management for optimized performance
- Implement technological upgrades to optimize production processes
- Regularly review and streamline workflow processes
- KRIdentify and document 20 potential business processes for optimization
- Prioritize processes for potential optimization
- Review existing operations and identify 20 optimization possibilities
- Document each process in detail, noting inefficiencies
- KRImplement operational improvements in at least 5 identified business processes
- Develop strategies for operational enhancements
- Identify 5 business processes needing improvement
- Implement improved processes in those identified areas
OKRs to enhance customer satisfaction and operational excellence in sales operations
- ObjectiveEnhance customer satisfaction and operational excellence in sales operations
- KRImplement at least two new initiatives for improving operational efficiency
- Implement and evaluate selected initiatives
- Identify areas of operations that need improvement
- Research and design potential efficiency initiatives
- KRReduce operational errors in sales processes by 15%
- Develop real-time monitoring system for sales operations
- Implement comprehensive training for sales team on best practices
- Perform routine audits to identify possible mistakes
- KRAchieve a 10% increase in positive customer satisfaction survey responses
- Implement regular customer service training for all staff
- Develop an incentive program for positive survey completion
- Introduce a post-service follow-up system to address issues
OKRs to elevate operational excellence and customer experience
- ObjectiveElevate operational excellence and customer experience
- KRIncrease customer satisfaction scores by a minimum of 15%
- Implement thorough, user-friendly customer service training for all staff members
- Information gathering - Survey customers to identify common satisfaction issues
- Develop an effective customer loyalty program with exclusive benefits
- KRImplement at least 2 new process improvements, increasing efficiency by 10%
- Identify areas in the workflow that require improvements
- Create and implement 2 new efficient strategies
- Monitor and measure efficiency increases
- KRReduce product delivery time by 20% within the quarter
- Implement more efficient packaging methods
- Streamline the order fulfillment process
- Enhance courier partnerships for expedited delivery
OKRs to implement automation and simplify processes through expertise
- ObjectiveImplement automation and simplify processes through expertise
- KRIdentify and design simplification of 3 key operational processes by quarter end
- Select three key processes for simplification
- Assess current operational processes to identify complexity
- Craft simplification plan for these processes
- KRShare knowledge through conducting 2 workshops on automation to the team to enhance expertise
- Schedule and conduct the two automation workshops
- Prepare comprehensive and engaging workshop materials
- Determine relevant automation topics to cover in workshops
- KRDevelop and integrate automation into 2 identified processes to increase efficiency by 30%
- Design and develop automation for these processes
- Identify suitable processes which will benefit from automation
- Implement and integrate developed automation
OKRs to boost sales operations by advancing customer satisfaction, innovation, and operational excellence
- ObjectiveBoost sales operations by advancing customer satisfaction, innovation, and operational excellence
- KRImplement 2 new innovative strategies to optimize sales procedures
- Research emerging sales strategies in our industry
- Develop and document two new optimized sales procedures
- Train the sales team on newly implemented strategies
- KRReduce operational inefficiencies by 10% through data-driven action plans
- Analyze current operational data to identify inefficiencies
- Develop data-driven action plans targeting identified areas
- Implement action plans and monitor progress regularly
- KRAttain a 15% increase in positive customer feedback on sales service
- Initiate a customer feedback improvement plan
- Enhance the post-sale follow-up process
- Implement comprehensive sales representative training program
Operational Excellence OKR best practices
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.
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.
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 track your Operational Excellence OKRs
OKRs without regular progress updates are just KPIs. You'll need to update progress on your OKRs every week to get the full benefits from the 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.
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 Operational Excellence OKR templates
We have more templates to help you draft your team goals and OKRs.
- OKRs to improve invoice processing and payment efficiency
- OKRs to enhance customer-centric approach in service delivery
- OKRs to implement robust third-party risk management system
- OKRs to secure substantial donations from major givers
- OKRs to enhance my soft skills competency
- OKRs to improve CI infrastructure by migrating to a modern provider