Key results

What are key results?

Key results are metrics that are used to measure the success of an objective. They are quantitative, time-bound, and measurable, and may be committed goals or aspirational goals. Key results are checked on a regular schedule to determine success and whether they need to be reassessed in planning and delivery. You can use key results as the top priority metrics for a period of time to help steer the direction of an objective.

You use key results to capture and track progress toward different elements of an objective​. When creating a key result, you can specify the following information:

You can also change the target dates and parent objective to be different from the parent objective.

           

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Because key results can be aspirational rather than concrete, it's okay if some key results do not reach 100% completion. If every key results reaches 100%, they may have little to no impact on processes, whereas if all key results are 20%, the targets are likely not practical and need to be reevaluated.

           

Key results are displayed on the Objectives and Key Results screen under their respective OKR levels when in card view ( card view ) or in a hierarchical table in list view ( list view ). Depending on whether you are in card view or list view, the screen can show information for each key result such as the percentage of the key result that has been completed, based on the progress updates, the number of activities/work items (Key Results Icon.png) connected to the key result, and the target end date for the key result. For more details, see Objectives and Key Results screen basics.

Examples of key results

  • Objective: Validate interest and MVP of OKR solution scope
  • Numeric: Conduct interviews with 10 customer accounts by EOY 2026
  • Boolean: Launch Beta release of OKRs by EOY 2020
  • Percentage: Get a usability score of 80% across customer interviews
  • Financial: $250,000 in new Agile program management deals by end of Q1 2027

The Key Result screen

You can hover over a key result for additional details or click a key result to open its Key Result screen, which includes the following tabs:

  • Details: Shows information that you can modify, such as the key result name, owner, and current progress; a link to update progress; and the following subtabs:
    • Target(s): Shows the start and end dates for each key result's target as well as the target value and ID for each target.
    • Progress Entries: Lists the entered progress values for the key result. Also allows you to edit or delete progress values.
    • Time Chart: Shows the key result's trajectory from the progress updates relative to the specified dates and target value.
  • Activities: Shows all activities/work items connected to the key result. You can click an activities/work items to open it or remove the connection. You can also connect more activities/work items.
  • History: View the activity stream for the key result, which contains the history of modifications made to the key result, including data for multiple targets.

For more information about working with key results, see Working with OKRs and Managing relationships for OKRs.

           

Positive direction vs. negative direction key results

           

NOTE

Positive and negative refer to the direction that the key result progresses in, not whether the progress numbers themselves are positive or negative.

           

Depending on the needs of the metrics being tracked, the direction of a key result can be either positive or negative, as described in the following table.

Key result direction Description Example
Positive

Higher numbers are better.

final Target Value > Start Value

Tracking a goal of increasing revenue from $80 million to $100 million.
Negative

Lower numbers are better.

final Target Value < Start Value

 Tracking a goal of reducing the cost of consumer acquisitions from $80 to $50.

           

           

Working with multiple targets in a key result

Multiple targets for a single key result can facilitate more thorough progress tracking, such as when users need to monitor progress across various timeframes or durations within a single key result. Target date ranges are sequential and cannot overlap. Examples of how you can use start and target values include the following scenarios:

  • For a new project where you want to measure by percent, you could enter 0 as the Start Value and 100 as the Target Value for Target 1.
  • For an existing metric where you want to move acceptance from 10% to 15%, you could enter 10 as the Start Value and 15 as the Target Value for Target 1.
  • For a project where you want to measure progress by percent in multiple stages, you could enter 0 as the Start Value, 50 for the Target Value for Target 1, 90 as the Target Value for Target 2, and 100 as the Target Value for Target 3. 

               

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    The Start Value and Target Values can also go in a negative direction. For example, if you want to reduce customer acquisition cost from $80 to $50 in the next year, you could enter 80 as the Start Value and 50 as the Target Value.

               

               

    NOTES

    • You must always have at least one target.
    • Each key result can have up to 12 targets.
    • For targets after Target 1, the Start Date for the target is automatically set to one day after the previous target's End Date.
    • The End Date for the last target cannot exceed the End Date for the parent objective.
    • You can view the progress percentage for each target, which is based on the formula described in OKR Calculations.

               

           

           

Creating a key result

To create a key result:

  1. Navigate to the Objectives and Key Results screen from AgilePlace or Planview Portfolios.

  2. Find the objective you want to create a key result for and take one of the following actions:
    • In the objective, click action menu > Add Key Result.
    • Click the objective or click action menu > Open in the objective. In the left pane of the Objective screen, click Key Results. Then click Add Key Result in the main pane.
  3. On the Key Result screen, in the Key Result box, enter details about how you want to measure the progress toward reaching the parent objective, such as reducing customer acquisition cost.
  4. (Optional) In the Description box, enter a description with any additional details you want to provide for the key result.
  5. (Optional) In the Owner list, select an owner.
  6. Enter a Start Value for the value you are measuring. You must manually enter a value, even if it is 0.
  7. In the Target(s) tab, specify the Start Date and End Date for Target 1.

               

    NOTE

    The End Date for Target 1 cannot exceed the End Date of the parent objective.

               

  8. Enter the Target Value for Target 1​​​​​.​ You must manually enter a value, even if it is 0. 

               

    NOTE

    Start Value is used as the starting value for Target 1. The Target Value for Target 1 is then used as the Start Value for Target 2, and so on.

               

  9. If you want a second target for the Key Result, click Add more targets. Then enter the Start Date, End Date, and Target Value for Target 2.

               

    NOTES

    • To add a second target, the Target Date for Target 1 must be before the parent objective's End Date.
    • The Start Date for Target 2 is automatically set to one day after the Target Date for Target 1.
    • The End Date for Target 2 cannot exceed the End Date of the parent objective.

               

  10. Repeat the previous step if you want to add more targets.
  11. Click Data Source and enter the location the data is coming from.
  12. Click Parent Objective to change the key result's parent objective.
  13. In the Custom Attributes section, click each custom attribute you want to set and select an option. Some attributes may be required. For more information about custom attributes, see Getting started with objectives and key results (OKRs).

               

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    If an attribute has a question_mark_in_circle_dk_gray.png icon, you can hover over the icon for a description.

               

  14. Click Save, Save & Close, or Save & Create Another.

The new key result appears in the Key Results row in the appropriate OKR level (such as Enterprise or Team) on the screen. If you also selected a parent objective that was not already on the screen, that parent appears in the Objectives row in the appropriate section.

           

           

Modifying key result details

The following procedure explain how to modify key result details such as the name or dates. To update, modify, or delete progress for a key result, see Managing progress for OKRs.

To edit details for a key result:

  1. Navigate to the Objectives and Key Results screen from AgilePlace or Planview Portfolios.

  2. Take one of the following actions:
    • Click the key result you want. You can also click action menu > Open in the key result.
    • In the parent objective for the key result, click Key Results in the left pane. Then, in the key result you want, click action menu > Open.
  3. Modify settings such as the key result name, owner, or dates in the Details tab as needed.
  4. Click Save, Save & Close, or Save & Create Another.

           

           

Deleting a key result

To delete a key result:

  1. Navigate to the Objectives and Key Results screen from AgilePlace or Planview Portfolios.

  2. In the key result you want to delete, clickaction menu > Delete Key Result. You can also clickaction menu > Delete Key Result from the Key Results tab in the parent objective.
  3. Click OK to confirm.

           

           

Best practices for key results

Try to avoid using percentages in the names of key results that could be confused with the progress percentage. The following example is a key result with a potentially confusing name:

Grow unrestricted donations by 25% with a baseline of $2,700,000 and a target of $3,375,000.

In this example, if a progress point is entered with a value of 3,000,000, the progress percentage for the key result would become 23%. With 25% in the name of the key result, seeing two different and unrelated percentages can get confusing, as the progress percentage of 23% means you are 23% of the way to increasing donations by 25%. Renaming the key result to avoid percentages removes that potential point of confusion.