2 OKR examples for Professional Skills

What are Professional Skills 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've tailored a list of OKRs examples for Professional Skills to help you. You can look at any of the templates below to get some inspiration for 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 Professional Skills 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.

Tability's audit dashboard will highlight opportunities to improve OKRs

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.

Tability's check-ins will save you hours and increase transparency

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 Professional Skills 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 Professional Skills OKRs

Quarterly OKRs should have weekly updates to get all the 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

We recommend using a spreadsheet for your first OKRs cycle. You'll need to get familiar with the scoring and tracking first. Then, you can scale your OKRs process by using a proper OKR-tracking tool for it.

Tability's Strategy Map makes it easy to see all your org's OKRs

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.

Professional Skills 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 Professional Skills 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 improve team members' performance and productivity

Improve team members' performance and productivity
Improve team members' professional skills through participation in at least two relevant training courses
Identify and research relevant training courses that align with team members' professional goals
Facilitate team members' registration and participation in chosen training courses
Communicate the available training courses to team members and gather their preferences
Achieve a 90% completion rate on team projects by consistently meeting deadlines and delivering high-quality work
Enhance team collaboration by conducting monthly cross-functional knowledge sharing sessions
Schedule monthly cross-functional knowledge sharing sessions
Invite team members from different departments to share their expertise
Provide a platform for participants to collaborate, ask questions, and exchange ideas
Increase individual productivity by 10% through time management and task prioritization

Track these OKRs

OKRs to acquire GCP certification with strong knowledge and skills

Acquire GCP certification with strong knowledge and skills
Receive positive feedback from a GCP certified professional on the project implementation
Implement any suggested improvements or modifications based on the feedback received
Prepare a detailed presentation showcasing the positive outcomes and key milestones achieved
Collect essential data and testimonials from team members about their experience with the project
Request a meeting with the GCP certified professional to discuss the project implementation
Complete all GCP training modules and hands-on exercises with a passing score
Complete all hands-on exercises by following the provided instructions
Take and pass all assessments with a passing score to successfully finish the training
Study the training material thoroughly to understand the concepts and procedures
Enroll in all GCP training modules and access hands-on exercises
Successfully pass the GCP practice exams with a score above 90%
Review GCP documentation and whitepapers to supplement study materials
Create a study schedule with dedicated time each day
Identify weak areas and focus on studying those topics more thoroughly
Take timed practice exams to improve speed and build endurance
Implement a practical GCP project showcasing proficiency in relevant technologies
Research and select relevant GCP technologies and tools to be utilized
Define project scope, objectives, and requirements
Develop and implement the GCP project, ensuring proficiency in all selected technologies
Plan and design the architecture and workflow of the GCP project

google-cloud-platform-(gcp)certification gcp-certified-professional project-implementer cloud-infrastructure-team production-team

Track these OKRs

More Professional Skills OKR templates

We have more templates to help you draft your team goals and OKRs.

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