3 customisable OKR examples for Workforce Upskilling

What are Workforce Upskilling 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.

How you write your OKRs can make a huge difference on the impact that your team will have at the end of the quarter. But, it's not always easy to write a quarterly plan that focuses on outcomes instead of projects.

We have curated a selection of OKR examples specifically for Workforce Upskilling to assist you. Feel free to explore the templates below for inspiration in setting your own goals.

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

Building your own Workforce Upskilling 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 Workforce Upskilling OKRs examples

We've added many examples of Workforce Upskilling 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 enhance skill set of existing workforce to address talent scarcity

Enhance skill set of existing workforce to address talent scarcity
Achieve 80% successful completion rate for upskilling initiatives
Implement engaging, efficient upskilling programs
Identify essential skills needed for optimum job performance
Monitor progress and provide encouragement and resources
Increase enrollments in training programs by 75%
Implement aggressive marketing campaigns targeting potential trainees
Enhance program structure to make it more attractive
Provide special discounts or offers for new enrollees
Improve post-training productivity metrics by 30%
Develop personalized post-training productivity goals for each employee
Implement regular check-ins for progress monitoring and feedback
Design refresher courses to reinforce training materials

workforce-upskilling talent-scarcity training-program-manager workforce-development-specialist human-resources-team employee-training-team

Implement this OKR

2. OKRs to enhance workforce competence through continuous development and upskilling

Enhance workforce competence through continuous development and upskilling
Increase employee participation in development programs by 30%
Promote programs through multiple, accessible channels
Provide incentives for employee participation
Develop engaging, relevant content for development programs
Implement 2 new training modules for skill enhancement by the quarter end
Identify the skills that need enhancement
Develop two new training modules
Incorporate new modules into current training system
Achieve a 20% improvement in skill assessment scores quarter-over-quarter
Pursue regular constructive feedback sessions
Develop a comprehensive daily study schedule
Utilize relevant resources for additional learning

continuous-development upskilling training-manager employee-performance-assessor human-resources training-&-development

Implement this OKR

3. OKRs to enhance individual skill set through learning and development

Enhance individual skill set through learning and development
Complete four online courses relevant to my field
Submit all required coursework and successfully pass each course
Identify and enroll in four online courses related to my field
Regularly attend all scheduled virtual classes and tutorials
Achieve 85% or higher on post-training quizzes
Dedicate daily study time specifically for learning content
Seek clarification on any topics that appear confusing
Review all training materials before attempting quizzes
Implement learned skills in one live project successfully
Plan the process incorporating these skills into the project
Identify a live project where newly acquired skills apply
Execute the plan, monitoring progress and adjusting as necessary

upskilling continued-learning individual-contributor project-manager workforce-development e-learning-team

Implement this OKR

Workforce Upskilling 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 Workforce Upskilling 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 Workforce Upskilling 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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