2 customisable OKR examples for Operational Expenses

What are Operational Expenses 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 Expenses 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 Operational Expenses 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 Operational Expenses OKRs examples

We've added many examples of Operational Expenses 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 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

Implement this OKR

2. OKRs to boost benefits while maintaining current cost outlay

Boost benefits while maintaining current cost outlay
Identify and implement 3 cost-neutral benefit enhancements in operations
Implement the selected benefit enhancements in operations
Finalize suggestions for cost-neutral benefit enhancements
Evaluate current operational processes to identify potential benefit enhancements
Achieve a 10% increase in perceived value of benefits within the next quarter
Develop and implement an enhanced communication strategy about benefits
Organize training sessions to elaborate on the benefits' values
Coordinate a feedback campaign to gauge perception changes
Maintain operational expenses within current cost boundaries without any increase
Implement strict budget management for all departments
Analyze current operations for potential cost-saving opportunities
Regularly review vendor contracts for renegotiation possibilities

cost-neutral-benefit-enhancements operational-expenses operation-manager financial-manager operation-team finance-team

Implement this OKR

Operational Expenses 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

Focus can only be achieve by limiting the number of competing priorities. It is crucial that you take the time to identify where you need to move the needle, and avoid adding business-as-usual activities to your 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.

Tability's audit dashboard will highlight opportunities to improve OKRs

Tip #2: Commit to weekly OKR check-ins

Having good goals is only half the effort. You'll get significant more value from your OKRs if you commit to a weekly check-in process.

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 Operational Expenses OKRs in a strategy map

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

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.

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 Operational Expenses 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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