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Objectives and Key Results... What's the Difference?
Objectives and key results are the dynamic duo at the heart of any OKR strategy… which is why both are in the acronym! 😅 So, what's the difference? Think of an objective as your destination—a shiny goal you want to reach. Key results? Those are the stepping stones you’ll hop on to get there.
If your goal is to climb a mountain—say, Kilimanjaro, the highest in Africa—you’ll need serious dedication and a plan, both for prep and for the climb itself. Reaching various key results will help you track your progress along the way. For example, you might track different milestones by Percentage or Numeric scores, or even a Yes/No method.
Your OKR strategy for this goal may look something like this:
Objective | Key Results |
Prepare to summit Mount Kilimanjaro. 🌋 |
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Now, let’s climb back down and apply this reasoning to an office scenario! Your team’s built a fantastic app, but you’re low on users and brand awareness. The following OKR strategy will help break down the task for your savvy marketer:
Objective | Key Results |
Increase app user engagement and brand awareness. 📈
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That’s the gist of how objectives and key results work together! Naturally, the Objectives feature in Performance Management is designed to maximise effectiveness with this dynamic in mind. Now, let’s leap into the process of creating objectives and key results in Indigo!
📚 Documentation tip: The upcoming sections will mention the Objectives Grid and certain permissions, which impact user access and visibility of the feature. Both topics were covered extensively in this article.
Do you already know everything there is to know on creating OKRs, and wish to move on to some interaction? This guide is primed to assist you! 😉
The Create Objective Screen
Creating an objective will add it to the Objectives grid, and it can be viewed in the corresponding view by users that have the relevant permissions. As demonstrated above, objectives work hand-in-hand with key results and need to contain at least one.
Both are created from the Create Objective screen.
Accessing the Screen
There are multiple ways to access this screen, which can be grouped into two main workflows:
The first workflow is for creating an independent objective not linked to any existing performance review.
The second creates a new objective that is linked to an existing review.
🏆 That's right! The Objectives section fully complements 🤝 the appraisal process of Performance Management, giving you the option to link objectives to ongoing appraisals.
Independent Objective Method
The most straightforward way to start creating unlinked objectives is by clicking the + New Objective button located in the bottom right corner of the main Objectives screen, just under the grid.
📋 Note: The blue + (Add) button—available in any of the subsidiary Objectives grids across Performance Management for users with the right permissions—will also open the Create Objective screen for setting up an independent objective. The assignee will automatically be set to yourself if accessed from the Personal section, or to the selected employee if accessed from the Team or Employees sections.
Linked Objective Method
From the Reviews section, click the required review in the grid and click the Review Overview wand button, next to the search bar.
Go to the Linked Objective tab.
Click Link new Objective. Note: The objective created at the end of this modal will be automatically assigned to the review's target employee.
📔 Note: If you can't see the Link new Objective button, you may be viewing a review which has been closed or cancelled. Objectives can only be linked to ongoing reviews.
💡 Tip: Once the Create Objective screen is open, the creation process remains the same, regardless of whether the objective is linked to a review or which button you clicked to start. The only difference is in the employee assignment step, as detailed below.
Creating an Objective
To create an objective, you'll need to fill in the following details in the Create Objective modal:
Objective Name: This is the name that will remind your employees about this objective.
Think of something simple, clear and inspiring!
Subject Type (independent objectives only): Default set to Employee.
Assigned Employee (independent objectives only): The employee that will be seeing this objective through.
Note: You won't be able to edit this field if the objective being created will be linked to a review, or the Create Objective screen has been accessed from any section other than Objectives.
Objective Description: In this field, detail the objective’s purpose and significance, offering context and rationale for its importance.
Everyone occasionally questions the purpose of their goals; let this section provide the guidance and motivation needed to ace this task efficiently.
Start / Due Date: Specify general dates for the commencement and completion of the objective.
This should reflect the expected time commitment for the employee, taking into account the scope and complexity of the key results associated with the objective.
💡Tip: If you’re struggling to find the right name or description for the objective, proceed with the key results and revisit the objective fields later. The order in which you configure an objective's fields is flexible. Also remember that once you submit the objective, you'll be able to edit these details until the objective is started.
🎖️ Great! You're almost there with your objective! But hold your horses, 🐴 don't hit Submit just yet! It's time to add some key results to the objective.
Adding Key Results
To create this objective's first key result, scroll down to the Key Results section and click + New Key Result. You can click this button multiple times to add as many key results as needed. 😉
Set a name for your key result.
Just like the objective's name, this title should be clear, but also specific, and measurable. A title such as 'Reduce Bugs from 15 to 5' is significantly more effective than a vague 'Improve code'.
Choose the most effective measurement style from three options that best tracks progress for this specific key result.
The options are Percentage, Numeric and Yes/No, and each require specific configuration, as described in the collapsible sections below.
Establish a start and due date that is specific to the key result and falls within the time frame of the overarching objective.
These are the three main characteristics of any key result. The window also allows you to rearrange the order of key results by clicking on their coloured and numbered labels and dragging them up or down. You can also remove any key result by clicking the trash icon.
Percentage vs Numeric Key Results
Percentage vs Numeric Key Results
Choosing between percentage and numeric measurements for key results can be challenging. It is a good idea to pick Percentage when tracking progress towards a goal is difficult to quantify in whole numbers (1, 2, 10, 100, 1000), such as:
Achieve an 85% attendee satisfaction rate based on post-event surveys.
Increase social media engagement by 50% during the event promotion period.
Pick Numeric for quantifiable targets that require a specific number to be reached, like:
Sell 6,000 tickets by the event date.
Generate €100,000 in revenue from ticket sales.
To configure one of either type:
Pick a Start Value. For example, if the goal is to sell 5,000 tickets but you have already sold 2,000, the Start Value is 2,000.
Determine a Target Value, such as 5,000 or 50%.
Set a Prefix / Suffix (Numeric only). Prefixes are often used for currencies (e.g., €100,000), while suffixes can refer to any measurable object or concept (e.g., tickets, revenue, attendees). Both are optional, and you can use one of each.
Yes/No Key Results
Yes/No Key Results
This measuring style is ideal for binary outcomes where the result is either achieved or not. A few examples are:
Get a big-name brand to sponsor our event.
Secure a venue with a capacity of at least 7,000 attendees.
Yes/No results require no further configuration.
🏆 Congratulations! You have drafted your objective! Ensure that the objective is thoroughly detailed and that all key results are configured as desired, then press Submit to save and publish the objective onto the grid.
From here on out, you or your employee can head to the grid and start the objective when needed. Then, whoever has the permission to leave check-ins on the key results can update progress as regularly as required.
Keep in mind that once an objective is started, its details and key results can’t be edited or deleted. However, key results can still be modified until the first check-in is made.
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