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3 Best Free OKR Templates: Objectives and Key Results
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If you’ve had working experiences, you probably know the KPI, which stands for Key Performance Indicator and helps organizations determine how effectively they are achieving their business objectives. However, it is a bit lagged behind considering KPI can be too narrowly focused and may not capture the full picture of an organization’s performance.
Unlike KPIs, OKRs focus on outcomes rather than performance and it is designed to be more flexible and adaptable to changing business environments, whereas KPIs tend to be more static. That’s also a reason why most of internet big names like Google, Intel, Tiktok have already taken OKR as their main goal setting tool to break down goal, and help them adapt to such a fast changing business world.
Unfortunately, most businesses have very little understanding or no clue in relation to the OKR framework.
What is an OKR Template?
If you are new to business, probably not be that familiar with OKR, you may wanna read Everything you need to know about okr first before you go through this article.
So what is an OKR Template? OKR (Objectives and Key Results) template plays the role as performance management system to not only setting goals for team but also measuring if any teams within organization perform well or not. For example, let’s say if you objective is to reaching 100 active users, you may assume there might need a set of phases to have potential users becoming users and further evolve to active users. So in here, you may wanna break your goal into different key results like:
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Access to like 10000 potential users inthe first two months;
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Have more than 1000 users with operational ways in the thrid month;
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Get 100 active users with any other actions in the first year;
In here you may find that not only should Obejective needs to be measurable, concrete, and clearly defined, the key results should be measurable as well with explicit metrics and required number so as to facilitate decision maker or managers to judge you achieve your goal as what they expected.
However, one thing that should be noticed of is that OKR is agile and radical, 70% of completion is expected to realize. If your goal setting has been 100% completed, that normally hints only two things, which are either your goal is too easy to be done or your did your job extremely well, and mostly is the first case.
Benefits of tracking OKR Template
Greater Transparency
By setting clear objectives and key results, and tracking progress against them, everyone in the organization can have a better understanding of what is expected of them and how they can contribute to the company’s overall success. This transparency can lead to better communication and collaboration across teams, as everyone is working towards a shared set of goals and outcomes. Additionally, by tracking progress with evidence, team members can have a clear understanding of how they are contributing to the overall success of the organization.
Accountability
Tracking OKRs with points and evidence creates a system of accountability, where team members are responsible for achieving specific outcomes and can demonstrate their progress with concrete evidence. This can motivate team members to take ownership of their work and ensure that they are delivering results.
Focus
OKRs help teams stay focused on the most important goals and outcomes, which can increase productivity and prevent distractions from less critical tasks. By focusing on specific objectives and key results, teams can prioritize their work and ensure that they are delivering value to the organization.
Alignment
By setting OKRs that align with the company’s overall strategy, teams can ensure that everyone is working towards the same goals and outcomes. This alignment can help to ensure that everyone in the organization is working together to achieve a shared vision for the company’s future.
Motivation
By tracking progress against OKRs, team members can see the impact of their work and feel motivated to continue pushing towards achieving their goals. The ability to demonstrate progress with evidence can also help team members feel recognized and appreciated for their efforts, which can lead to increased job satisfaction and engagement.
3 Free OKR Templates in AFFiNE, Excel, &Google
AFFiNE OKR Template
AFFiNE is a nice goal-setting app that emphasizes the importance of setting clear objectives and key results to achieve success in an organization. The framework promotes transparency by ensuring that everyone understands what is expected of them and how they can contribute to the organization’s overall success.
As you can see from the above picture, AFFiNE offers the paper mode incorporating dashboard with progress tracking feature. By tracking progress against specific outcomes with evidence, team members are held accountable for their work, which can motivate them to take ownership of their responsibilities and deliver results. The focus is on prioritizing the most important objectives to increase productivity and prevent distractions from less critical tasks. Alignment is achieved by ensuring that goals and outcomes align with the company’s overall strategy.
The progress tracking aspect of the AFFiNE framework helps to motivate team members by demonstrating the impact of their work and recognizing their efforts, which can lead to increased job satisfaction and engagement.
Google Spreadsheet Template
When it comes to goal-setting and implementing an OKR framework, Google Spreadsheet has some limitations that may hinder its effectiveness. While it can be used to track progress and manage tasks, it lacks the advanced features and functionalities required for effective OKR implementation. For example, Google Spreadsheet may not have the ability to automatically track progress against OKRs or provide real-time updates, which can be essential for successful goal-setting.
Additionally, it may not have the ability to cascade objectives across different teams or departments, which is necessary for aligning everyone with the company’s overall strategy. Moreover, goal-setting requires a strategic approach, involving defining clear objectives and key results, establishing a system of accountability, and aligning goals with the company’s overall strategy.
While Google Spreadsheet can help track progress against these goals, it may not have the tools necessary for setting and implementing goals effectively. Finally, effective goal-setting also requires communication and collaboration across teams, and while Google Spreadsheet allows for collaboration, it may not be the most effective tool for facilitating communication and collaboration around goals and OKRs. Overall, while Google Spreadsheet can be a useful tool for managing data and tasks, it may not be the best choice for implementing a robust goal-setting framework or OKR system due to its limited functionalities and lack of advanced features.
Excel OKR Template
While Excel can be a powerful tool for managing data and calculations, it may not be the best choice for implementing a goal-setting framework like OKRs. One of the main downsides of using Excel for goal-setting and OKR implementation is its user interface, which can be overwhelming and confusing for some users.
Excel’s interface can be difficult to navigate, especially for those who are not familiar with the software. The sheer number of options and settings available can make it hard to know where to start when setting up goals and objectives, which can be frustrating and time-consuming. Additionally, while Excel can handle large datasets and complex calculations, it may not be the most efficient tool for tracking progress against OKRs. Users may need to manually input data or use complex formulas to calculate progress, which can be time-consuming and prone to errors.
Moreover, Excel lacks some of the advanced features that are specifically designed for OKR implementation, such as automated progress tracking, alignment across teams, and cascading objectives. These features can be essential for successful goal-setting and OKR implementation, and their absence in Excel can make it harder to implement an effective goal-setting framework.
Which App offers the best solution?
While each of the apps discussed offers its own unique and appealing features, we encourage users to choose the ideal option based on their specific needs and pain points. However, with a humble perspective, we still propose that AFFiNE emerges as the ultimate winner in this evaluation, providing a comprehensive and versatile solution for managing daily tasks and goals, catering to a wide range of user requirements.
If you wanna give a try of AFFiNE new version, click here: https://affine.pro/download
AFFiNE is still in alpha, but we are continuing to build to a more feature-rich and stable build. Come and join us on our journey over on our media platforms.
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Official Website: https://affine.pro/
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Discord: https://discord.gg/Arn7TqJBvG
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Telegram: https://t.me/affineworkos