4 OKR examples for Accounting
What are Accounting 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.
Creating impactful OKRs can be a daunting task, especially for newcomers. Shifting your focus from projects to outcomes is key to successful planning.
We have curated a selection of OKR examples specifically for Accounting 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 more about the OKR meaning online.
Best practices for managing your Accounting OKRs
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.
Tip #2: Commit to the weekly 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.
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 below). 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.
Building your own Accounting OKRs with AI
While we have some examples below, it's likely that you'll have specific scenarios that aren't covered here. There are 2 options available to you.
- Use our free OKRs generator
- Use Tability, a complete platform to set and track OKRs and initiatives
- including a GPT-4 powered goal generator
Best way to track your Accounting OKRs
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.
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.
Accounting OKRs templates
We've covered most of the things that you need to know about setting good OKRs and tracking them effectively. It's now time to give you a series of templates that you can use for inspiration!
We've added many examples of Accounting 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!
OKRs to enhance precision and productivity of tax and accounting operations
- Enhance precision and productivity of tax and accounting operations
- Reduce bookkeeping errors by 20% through the introduction of automation software
- Train employees to use the new software efficiently
- Research and select suitable bookkeeping automation software
- Implement chosen automation system into daily operations
- Condense tax computation time by 30% via process optimization
- Implement efficient tax software to streamline computations
- Regularly update tax computation best practices
- Allocate more resources to data compilation
- Achieve 15% rise in overall productivity by training staff in new methodologies
- Identify relevant training programs for new methodologies
- Arrange and schedule training for staff members
- Monitor and assess improvements in productivity post-training
OKRs to enhance the accounting, financial, and tax processes architecture
- Enhance the accounting, financial, and tax processes architecture
- Implement a new accounting system, improving data accuracy by 30%
- Implement regular data accuracy checks
- Train staff on new software operations
- Research and choose an advanced accounting system
- Decrease tax-related errors by 20% through updated software integration
- Train staff effectively on new software usage
- Research and identify advanced tax software solutions
- Implement selected software into company systems
- Increase process automation by 25% reducing manual efforts in financial tasks
- Train all finance team members on new automated systems
- Review and adjust automation protocols regularly for efficiency
- Implement advanced accounting software for streamlined financial operations
OKRs to improve the accuracy and efficiency of our tax and accounting processes
- Improve the accuracy and efficiency of our tax and accounting processes
- Reduce errors in tax and accounting processes by 5%
- Increase accuracy of tax and accounting tasks by 5%
- Improve customer satisfaction with tax and accounting services by A%
- Increase speed of tax and accounting tasks by 12%
OKRs to enhance the architecture of accounting, financial, and tax processes
- Enhance the architecture of accounting, financial, and tax processes
- Achieve at least a 15% increased in efficacy in financial reporting
- Provide thorough training for staff on financial reporting
- Standardize reporting templates and process
- Implement advanced financial management software
- Implement a new, streamlined accounting system capable of reducing process time by 30%
- Train staff on the new accounting system
- Identify inefficiencies in the current accounting system
- Procure or design a streamlined accounting software
- Successfully complete 100% of financial and tax process updates without disrupting business operations
- Test updates during low-impact business hours
- Regularly review existing financial and tax processes
- Develop and implement necessary process updates
More Accounting OKR templates
We have more templates to help you draft your team goals and OKRs.
OKRs to develop and launch the MVP for a real estate application OKRs to ensure successful application and data migration with improved system stability and availability OKRs to boost the billability rate of employees to 95% OKRs to streamline graphic design processes OKRs to secure the buy-in from the leadership of the 5 MAYD clusters on our strategy OKRs to reduce turnover rate through retention strategies
OKRs resources
Here are a list of resources to help you adopt the Objectives and Key Results framework.
- To learn: Complete 2024 OKR cheat sheet
- Blog posts: ODT Blog
- Success metrics: KPIs examples