Alexis Kestler
Objectives and key results (OKRs) have become a popular framework for helping businesses set and achieve strategic goals. OKRs enable organizations to align around measurable objectives that ladder up to broader company goals. Defining concrete key results and tracking progress is a proven way to maintain focus and drive growth.
While OKRs can deliver major benefits, implementing them requires thoughtfully setting objectives, gaining alignment, and tracking ongoing progress. This is where OKR templates come in handy! Rather than creating OKRs from scratch each quarter, templates allow you to hit the ground running.
In this comprehensive guide, we will explore the top OKR template options to kickstart goal-setting for your next business quarter.
What are OKR Templates and Why Use Them?
OKR templates provide a predefined structure for capturing your objectives and key results. They serve as a starting point that can be customized each quarter with your company‘s specific goals.
The benefits of using an OKR template include:
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Speeds up setup – Skipping manual template creation saves precious time in the hectic goal-setting process.
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Provides helpful structure – Templates guide you through drafting objectives and defining quantitative key results.
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Encourages alignment – Shared templates keep everyone on the same page and working towards the same goals.
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Enables tracking – Built-in tracking features help monitor progress and see how key results are trending.
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Increases transparency – Centrally accessible OKR templates improve visibility across the organization.
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Boosts motivation – Public goals and progress tracking motivate employees to push themselves.
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Improves accountability – OKRs create clarity around individual and team responsibilities.
The right OKR template makes it easier than ever to cascade goals across your company and hit the ground running each quarter. Let‘s look at some excellent options.
8 Best OKR Template Options
1. Atlassian Templates
Atlassian is a leading provider of collaboration and productivity software for technical and non-technical teams. Their popular tools like Jira, Confluence, and Trello all integrate nicely with OKR templates.
With Atlassian, you can create an OKR template page within Confluence and then embed Jira or Trello boards to track objectives. This provides a centralized place to house objectives while leveraging other Atlassian tools to manage key results and tasks.
Key features:
- Create Confluence page for each objective
- Embed Jira or Trello boards to track progress
- Assign OKR tasks and subtasks
- Atlassian integration
Ideal for: Technical teams using Atlassian tools
Pricing: Free with Confluence license ($10/user/month)
Pros
- Tight integration across Atlassian products
- Feature-rich tracking with Jira and Trello
- Works well for agile software teams
Cons
- Atlassian licensing required
- Steeper learning curve if not already using platform
2. Smartsheet Templates
Smartsheet offers a robust work execution platform with dynamic sheets, reports, and automated workflows. They provide a full suite of OKR template options included with all paid plans.
Smartsheet breaks down template options by the OKR planning and tracking lifecycle. This includes templates for setting objectives, tracking progress, reviewing and reporting, and more.
Key features:
- Microsoft Excel, Word, and Google Sheet versions
- Templates for planning, tracking, reporting
- Highly customizable
- Collaboration features
Ideal for: Teams with structured planning processes
Pricing: Free with paid plans ($15/user/month)
Pros
- Comprehensive template options
- Optimized for collaboration
- Advanced features like dependencies and reminders
Cons
- Must pay for access
- More complex than basic OKR templates
3. Miro OKR Templates
Miro is a popular digital whiteboard platform for visual collaboration. They provide a library of ready-made templates, including options for OKR planning.
Miro‘s highly visual OKR templates allow teams to map out objectives and key results in a flexible, creative format. The visual nature makes it easy to track progress and see connections.
Key features:
- Visual OKR templates
- Sticky notes, shapes, icons, and images
- Real-time collaboration
- Customizable boards
- Free access to templates
Ideal for: Remote teams who want a visual interface
Pricing: Free template access, $8-$20/user/month for premium plans
Pros
- Interactive visual interface
- Great for brainstorming and ideation
- Fosters team alignment
- Free template access
Cons
- Less structure than traditional templates
- No progress tracking capabilities
4. HubSpot OKR Template
HubSpot offers free downloadable OKR templates in various formats like PDF, Excel, and Google Sheets. The templates provide a basic framework to define company objectives and key results.
While HubSpot‘s templates are simple, they offer a nice starting point for teams with limited OKR experience. The templates are quick to set up and easy for anyone to use.
Key features:
- Ready-made PDF, Excel, and Google Sheet templates
- Fields for objectives, key results, owners, and progress
- Free access and downloads
Ideal for: Teams new to OKRs looking for basic templates
Pricing: Free template downloads
Pros
- Simple and intuitive format
- Easy to set up and use
- No licensing or fees required
Cons
- Very basic functionality
- No collaboration features
- Manual progress tracking
5. Asana OKR Templates
Asana is a leading work management platform with 90% of the Fortune 500 as customers. While not specifically OKR software, Asana does provide a straightforward OKR template.
In Asana, OKR templates take the form of "Goals." Team goals cascade down from executive company goals. Individuals can view their own key results and projects within the Asana interface.
Key features:
- Create aligned company and team goals
- Assign owners and due dates
- Track progress on key results
- Easy status tracking
Ideal for: Teams already using Asana for work management
Pricing: Free with Premium plan, $10.99/user/month
Pros
- Seamless integration if already an Asana user
- Simple tracking of progress
- Straightforward goal hierarchy
Cons
- Lightweight OKR functionality
- Manual progress tracking
- No structured reviews or reporting
6. Mooncamp Excel Template
Mooncamp offers a free downloadable Excel template for OKR planning. This gives teams a zero-cost way to organize objectives and key results.
The easy-to-use template provides an OKR dashboard, separate tabs for objectives, weekly check-ins, and more. Instructions help guide you through the goal-setting process.
Key features:
- Free Excel template
- Pre-built OKR dashboard
- Sections for objectives, key results, check-ins
- Getting started instructions
Ideal for: Teams with no prior OKR process
Pricing: Free Excel template download
Pros
- Simple Excel format anyone can use
- Guides you through OKR process
- Free, no licensing required
Cons
- Manual progress tracking
- Limited features compared to software platforms
- Excel not ideal for collaboration
7. Mural OKR Templates
Like Miro, Mural offers a visual collaboration space with digital whiteboards. Mural provides an OKR template to create engaging visual objectives and results.
The highly dynamic template drives productive OKR planning sessions. Easily add sticky notes, sections, and comments to create collaborative OKRs in Mural.
Key features:
- Visual OKR template
- Real-time collaboration
- Brainstorm objectives and key results
- Customizable with colors, sections, and images
Ideal for: Teams who want engaging visual OKR planning
Pricing: Free with Business plan, $12/user/month
Pros
- Interactive visual interface
- Remote team collaboration
- Creative brainstorming and discussion
- Easy to customize
Cons
- Requires Business plan or higher
- No progress tracking features
8. Figma OKR Templates
Figma offers free OKR templates within its visual collaboration platform FigJam. The templates provide a canvas to define objectives and key results.
Figma‘s highly flexible templates allow teams to add sticky notes, sections, comments, and more during planning. The visual nature keeps everyone engaged.
Key features:
- Visual OKR templates
- FigJam whiteboard environment
- Virtual sticky notes
- Real-time team collaboration
- Free template access
Ideal for: Design, product, and marketing teams
Pricing: Free template access, $12/user/month for Pro plan
Pros
- Visually engaging templates
- Easily customizable
- Fosters alignment through collaboration
- Free access to templates
Cons
- No tracking features
- FigJam Pro required for full access
- Less structured format
Tips for Choosing the Right OKR Template
With many excellent OKR template options available, how do you determine what will work best for your business? Here are a few factors to consider:
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Your teams and existing tools – If your team already uses a particular platform (like Asana or Smartsheet), leverage built-in capabilities.
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Desired structure – More structured templates guide you through drafting objectives and results. Flexible visual templates allow creativity.
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Ease of setup – Some options require extensive configuration while others can be used in minutes.
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Tracking abilities – Built-in tracking helps monitor progress. Manual options require updating the template.
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Collaboration needs – Real-time sharing and comments enable alignment.
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Customization – The ability to tweak templates is key for adjusting quarterly objectives.
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Pricing – Some offer free access while others require paid plans. factor this into your decision.
Take time to evaluate your specific environment, needs, and budget to narrow down the best OKR template fit.
Best Practices for Implementing OKR Templates
Once you‘ve selected an OKR template, what‘s next? Here are some best practices to set your teams up for success:
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Get leadership buy-in – Executives must be on board for company-wide adoption.
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Train your teams – Ensure everyone understands the OKR process and tools.
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Cultivate transparency – Public goals create accountability and peer motivation.
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Define cadence for updates – Set expectations for maintaining the templates (e.g. weekly, monthly).
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Conduct regular reviews – Analyze progress and learnings at least quarterly.
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Celebrate wins – Recognize teams that achieve ambitious key results.
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Learn from misses – Be agile and course correct objectives that are off track.
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Continuously improve – Gather feedback to enhance your OKR process over time.
Following best practices will ensure you fully leverage the power of OKR templates for your business.
Take the Next Step with OKR Templates
An OKR template sets the foundation for impactful goal-setting across your organization. Whether you want structured tracking or flexible visuals, there is a template to meet your needs.
As you kick off your next quarter of planning, leverage one of these excellent OKR templates to drive strategic alignment and execution. The ability to cascade clear objectives down to measurable key results is a game-changer.
Choose the template that best fits your teams‘ workflows and needs. Rally your employees around shared OKRs and watch how clearly defined goals lead to meaningful progress quarter after quarter.
