The OKR Framework is a way for teams to work together to create big, quantifiable goals and keep track of how well they are doing. It stands for “Objectives and Key Results,” and it connects high-level strategy with daily work. This system keeps your product roadmap on track and useful by helping you figure out what you want to accomplish and how you’ll know when you’ve done it.
The OKR Framework Explained: Bridging Strategy and Action
You need to look at the two parts to understand the OKR framework meaning. The Objective is the “What.” It’s a qualitative, motivational statement that tells you what you want to do in a certain amount of time. The Key Results show you “how.” These are numbers that show you’ve reached your goal in a certain amount of time.
The OKR Framework serves as a filter when you use it on a product roadmap. A lot of the time, product managers have to deal with the “feature factory” problem, which is when they make stuff just to keep busy. You don’t have to look at a big list of random requests. Instead, you glance at your Objectives. If a feature doesn’t immediately help you reach a Key Result, it shouldn’t be in the immediate roadmap. That’s all there is to it.
This method became popular thanks to Google because it makes everything very clear. People know what the North Star is. An OKR framework roadmap isn’t just a list of features with dates next to them; it’s a way to talk about why those things are being produced. The question changes from “When will this be done?” to “How much will this hurt our growth?”
Why Use OKRs for Product Roadmap Prioritization?
Product roadmapping is notoriously difficult. Stakeholders often have competing interests, and your development resources are always limited. Using the OKR framework provides a neutral, data-driven way to make hard decisions.
- Focus on Outcomes, Not Outputs: Traditional roadmaps focus on shipping features (outputs). OKRs focus on the value those features create (outcomes).
- Increased Agility: If a specific feature on your roadmap isn’t helping you hit your Key Results, you can pivot. You aren’t tied to a static plan made six months ago.
- Cross-Team Alignment: When marketing, sales, and engineering all understand the same Objectives, friction disappears. You’re all pulling in the same direction.
- Measurable Progress: Since Key Results are quantitative, there’s no room for “gut feelings.” You either hit the number or you don’t.
Step-by-Step: Building an OKR-Driven Roadmap
How do you actually move from a messy backlog to a prioritized, OKR-driven roadmap? It requires a disciplined approach to evaluation. You can’t just slap a few metrics onto existing ideas; you need to build the roadmap around the goals.
Step 1: Set Your Main Goals
Begin with the larger picture. What is the one thing the business needs to do this quarter? It may be “Dominating the Mid-Market Segment” or “Revolutionising User Onboarding.” These should be hard but not impossible. Don’t worry about the “how” yet. Just think about the “what.”
Step 2: Set Key Results that Can Be Measured
Choose two to three Key Results for each Objective. If you want to make onboarding better, one of your Key Results may be “Cut the time it takes to get your first value from 5 days to 2 days.” Make sure these can be measured. It’s not a Key Result if you can’t give it a number; it’s simply another task.
Step 3: Connect Features to Key Results
Look at your present backlog. Ask yourself, “Which Key Result does this help?” for each item. A feature is a high-priority contender if it supports more than one KR. Put it in the “Icebox” if it doesn’t support any. This is where the OKR framework explained comes into play. You’re using the goals to pick out the most important work.
Step 4: Scoring and Weighting
Sometimes more than one characteristic helps the same Key Result. If this is the case, you should employ a scoring model like RICE (Reach, Impact, Confidence, Effort) with your OKRs. A trait that has a big effect on a Key Result and low effort are at the top of the roadmap.
OKR Framework Example and Templates
Seeing a real-world OKR framework example helps bridge the gap between theory and practice. Below is a breakdown of how a SaaS product team might structure their goals for a single quarter.
Example: SaaS Growth OKR
- Objective: Become the most user-friendly project management tool for creative agencies.
- Key Result 1: Increase NPS (Net Promoter Score) from 40 to 55.
- Key Result 2: Reduce churn rate among agency accounts by 15%.
- Key Result 3: Achieve 30% month-over-month growth in “Project Templates” usage.
Roadmap Items derived from these OKRs:
- To hit KR1: Redesign the dashboard UI for better clarity.
- To hit KR2: Build an automated “at-risk account” notification system for Customer Success.
- To hit KR3: Launch 10 new pre-made templates specifically for video production workflows.
OKR Framework Template
If you’re starting from scratch, use this simple OKR framework template structure:
| Objective (The Goal) | Key Result (The Metric) | Roadmap Feature (The Action) |
| [Inspirational Statement] | [Baseline] -> [Target] | [Feature A] |
| [Metric 2] | [Feature B] |
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FAQs
- What are the differences between KPIs and OKRs?
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are used to check on the continuing health of a business or product. OKRs are for big, detailed goals that need a change in behaviour or a new project to reach them. You might think of KPIs as the dashboard of your car and OKRs as the place you want to go.
- How often do we need to change our OKR roadmap?
Usually, people set OKRs every three months. But you should look over your roadmap every two weeks or once a month to make sure that the things you’re building are still the best method to attain your Key Results.
- Can I learn how to use these frameworks in a professional way?
Yes, the PW SKILLS Product Management curriculum goes into detail about how to define goals and carry them out with OKRs. The training is meant to help you connect the dots between theoretical frameworks and the practical, day-to-day management of a roadmap in a professional situation.
- How do I fit “keep the lights on” work into an OKR roadmap?
An OKR doesn’t include everything. “Business as usual” (BAU) usually includes fixing bugs and doing maintenance. To keep the product stable as they work on growth, most teams give 60–70% of their roadmap to OKRs and 30–40% to BAU and technical debt.
- How many Key Results do I need for each Objective?
You should have about three to five Key Results for each Objective. Every Key Result should be clear, quantifiable, and have a deadline. Too many can make it hard to stay focused, while too few can not provide you enough information to keep track of your progress.