What are Test Automation 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.
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 Test Automation. 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.
How to write your own Test Automation 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.
Test Automation OKRs examples
You'll find below a list of Objectives and Key Results templates for Test Automation. We also included strategic projects for each template to make it easier to understand the difference between key results and projects.
Hope you'll find this helpful!
OKRs to increase test automation percentage to 80%
ObjectiveIncrease test automation percentage to 80%
KRImplement 60% of test automation by the end of the first month
Develop script for selected automated tests- Identify key tests suitable for automation
- Implement and validate the automated tests
- KRFinalize and establish 80% test automation by the end of the objective's period
- Identify key functionalities requiring automated testing
- Develop and implement desired automated tests
- Review and troubleshoot test results regularly
- KRImprove test coverage with automation to 70% by end of the second month
- Develop and implement automated testing strategies
- Consistently review and adjust strategies to reach 70% coverage
- Identify crucial areas lacking sufficient test coverage
OKRs to accelerate process efficiency by achieving 80% test automation
- ObjectiveAccelerate process efficiency by achieving 80% test automation
- KRDevelop and implement two new automation tools
- Research potential automation tools relevant to business needs
- Train team on tool usage and proceed with implementation
- Build and beta test two selected automation tools
- KRIncrease current test automation coverage by 20%
- Develop and implement additional automation tests
- Monitor and evaluate progress regularly
- Identify areas where test automation is currently lacking
- KRReduce manual testing time by 30%
- Train staff in efficient, effective testing strategies
- Implement automated testing tools for repeated tasks
- Prioritize test cases based on importance
OKRs to increase automation coverage of manual test cases to 50%
- ObjectiveIncrease automation coverage of manual test cases to 50%
- KRIdentify and prioritize 100% of manual test cases suitable for automation by week 4
- Catalog all existing manual test cases
- Evaluate each test case's automation potential
- Prioritize automation of high-potential cases
- KRDevelop and implement automation scripts for 25% of identified test cases by week 6
- Implement the developed automation scripts
- Identify test cases suitable for automation
- Develop scripts for 25% of identified tests
- KRAchieve 50% automation coverage by successfully testing and deploying new scripts by week 12
- Develop and implement a detailed automation script plan
- Deploy tested scripts by week 12
- Run comprehensive tests on new automation scripts
OKRs to increase test automation coverage to 80%
- ObjectiveIncrease test automation coverage to 80%
- KRDevelop and implement 20% more automated tests every month
- Identify areas needing additional automated tests
- Integrate tests into existing system
- Write and validate new automations
- KRMaintain less than 5% failure rate in our automated tests
- Provide ongoing team training on test creation
- Implement rigorous quality assurance processes
- Regularly review and update the automated tests
- KRImprove average test execution time by 15%
- Implement more effective test optimization strategies
- Upgrade server hardware to boost processing power
- Train staff in efficient testing procedures
OKRs to improve test coverage and automation for proactive debt remediation
- ObjectiveIncrease test coverage and automation to enhance proactive debt remediation
- KRImplement end-to-end testing to validate entire debt remediation process
- KRAchieve 100% coverage for high-risk debt remediation scenarios
- KRReduce manual effort by 50% through automation of debt remediation tasks
- KRIncrease debt remediation efficacy by 25% through data-driven testing and analysis
OKRs to implement efficient test automation processes
- ObjectiveImplement efficient test automation processes
- KRReduce manual testing work by 40% through customized automated scripts
- Implement and monitor the automated scripts’ efficacy regularly
- Develop customized automated scripts for these processes
- Identify repeated manual testing processes suitable for automation
- KRSuccessfully automate 70% of all repetitive tests while maintaining accuracy
- Research suitable automation tools or software
- Implement, monitor, and adjust automated processes accordingly
- Identify and catalog all existing repetitive tests
- KRAchieve a 30% decrease in software bugs and glitches through automated testing enhancement
- Regularly evaluate and refine our testing processes
- Train developers in advanced automated testing
- Implement enhanced and rigorous automated testing protocols
OKRs to implement automation testing across development platform and code
- ObjectiveImplement automation testing across development platform and code
- KRIdentify and list 100% of testable features within the existing code base
- Review entire code base to identify testable features
- Create a comprehensive list of these features
- Confirm all identified features are indeed testable
- KRCreate and document comprehensive automated test scripts for 70% of identified features
- Develop comprehensive automated test scripts
- Identify key features requiring automated test scripts
- Document tested features and script process
- KRAchieve a 95% success rate in detecting and reporting bugs through automation tests
- Implement automated testing tools to highlight software errors
- Train team members on analyzing automated test results
- Regularly update and refine automated test scripts
OKRs to improve proficiency in manual and automation testing
- ObjectiveImprove proficiency in manual and automation testing
- KRSuccessfully identify and report 90% of bugs in 5 assigned projects
- Conduct thorough bug detection in each assigned project
- Generate comprehensive bug reports for management
- Document and categorize each identified bug
- KRComplete three advanced courses in manual and automation testing with at least 85% score
- Research and enroll in manual and automation testing courses
- Consistently study course materials for understanding
- Achieve 85% or more on all course exams
- KRIncrease testing speed by 30% without sacrificing quality of test results
- Streamline test procedures to eliminate redundancies
- Train staff on efficiency and time management tactics
- Implement automation for repetitive test procedures
OKRs to enhance Quality Assurance automation capacity
- ObjectiveEnhance Quality Assurance automation capacity
- KRImplement automation for at least 70% of previously manually tested scenarios
- Identify primary scenarios for automated testing
- Evaluate automation coverage and effectiveness
- Develop and implement automation scripts
- KRAchieve 80% pass rate for all new automated test scripts
- Implement rigorous script debugging and revision process
- Develop comprehensive and effective automated test scripts
- Train team members on standard script writing
- KRIncrease automation coverage by 30% across all project modules
- Develop and implement automation scripts for these areas
- Monitor and assess the increase in automation coverage
- Identify areas with low automation within project modules
OKRs to increase quality assurance effectiveness and efficiency
- ObjectiveIncrease quality assurance effectiveness and efficiency
- KRImplement automation in 70% of QA testing processes
- Train QA team in automation tool use
- Identify the QA testing processes that can be automated
- Research and acquire suitable automation tools
- KRDecrease false positive reports by 30%
- Train staff on identifying and handling false positives
- Enhance data quality and accuracy checks
- Implement stricter parameters in reporting algorithms
- KRIncrease the QA test pass rate to 95%
- Enhance the bug detection and reporting system
- Develop a comprehensive training program for QA testers
- Implement rigorous test case reviews before execution
Test Automation 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
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 weekly OKR 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 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 Test Automation 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 Test Automation OKR templates
We have more templates to help you draft your team goals and OKRs.
- OKRs to bolster Finance Department's role in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) drives
- OKRs to develop comprehensive KPIs for service design enhancement
- OKRs to ensure adequate development of a proficient Project Executive in AI tech
- OKRs to elevate the quality and impact of design solutions
- OKRs to launch a successful mobile application
- OKRs to boost academic rigor for improved college readiness