OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) provide a structured way for organisations to align strategy with execution. When anchored to a long-term vision and broken into clear, measurable layers, OKRs help business leaders drive focus, accountability, and strategic clarity across teams.
This article outlines a three-level OKR structure that connects long-term vision to quarterly execution, ensuring your organisation moves in one aligned direction.
What are OKRs?
OKRs are a goal-setting framework that helps organisations:
Define priorities clearly
Measure progress effectively
Align teams around shared outcomes
Translate strategy into execution
An Objective defines what you want to achieve. Key Results define how success will be measured.
When structured well, OKRs create a shared language for performance and strategy across the organisation.
Why OKR structure matters for leaders
Without a clear OKR structure:
Teams drift into siloed priorities
Strategy becomes disconnected from execution
Leaders struggle to maintain focus and alignment
A strong OKR structure ensures:
Strategic intent flows through every level of the business
Teams understand how their work contributes to outcomes
Leaders can track progress, course-correct, and scale impact
Start by defining the long-term vision
A clear 3–5 year strategic vision is the foundation of any effective OKR system. This vision should describe how your organisation intends to evolve
For example:
Entering new markets
Becoming an industry leader
Scaling operations
Improving customer experience at scale
Define your “Big Moves”
At the heart of your vision are big moves, major strategic shifts required to deliver long-term success.
Big moves:
Span multiple years
Are reviewed regularly
Signal where leadership focus and resources should go
Examples:
“Expand into Asia-Pacific markets”
“Transition to a subscription business model”
“Become the most trusted brand in our category”
Step 2: Build your OKR structure in three Levels
We recommend a three-tier OKR structure that connects long-term strategy to day-to-day execution.
1. Company-Wide Objectives (Annual)
Purpose: Set the organisation’s top priorities for the year.
Reflect progress against your big moves
Reviewed quarterly for agility
Align the entire business around shared outcomes
Example Objective:
“Increase market share in Region X.”
Example Key Results:
Acquire 10,000 new customers in Region X
Launch two region-specific products
Achieve 30% brand awareness in target market
2. Transformational Objectives (Quarterly)
Purpose: Drive major cross-functional change.
Set quarterly
Focus on strategic initiatives
Often require collaboration across teams
Translate annual goals into execution
Example Objective:
“Improve lead conversion through better onboarding.”
Example Key Results:
Redesign onboarding journey
Reduce onboarding drop-off rate by 25%
Increase trial-to-paid conversion by 15%
3. Local Objectives (Quarterly, Team-Level)
Purpose: Enable teams to execute while staying aligned.
Set at department or team level
Aligned to transformational or company objectives
Specific, measurable, and outcome-focused
Example Objective (Sales Team):
“Improve qualification of inbound leads.”
Example Key Results:
Implement new lead scoring model
Increase SQL conversion rate by 20%
Reduce sales cycle length by 10%
This level empowers teams while maintaining strategic coherence.
How this OKR structure drives alignment and focus
This layered approach ensures:
Strategy flows clearly from leadership to teams
Teams understand why their work matters
Leaders maintain visibility over execution
The organisation moves in one direction — not many
It replaces disconnected goals with a shared system of outcomes.
When to use this OKR model
This structure is particularly effective when:
Scaling an organisation
Navigating transformation or change
Improving cross-team alignment
Translating strategy into execution
Creating clarity in complex environments
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
What is the difference between company-wide and transformational OKRs?
Company-wide OKRs define the organisation’s top annual priorities. Transformational OKRs are quarterly, cross-functional goals that drive major initiatives aligned to those priorities.
How often should OKRs be reviewed?
We recommend quarterly reviews at all levels, even for annual objectives, to maintain focus and agility.
Can OKRs work in any industry?
Yes. While formats can be adapted, the underlying structure works across sectors when anchored to strategy.
How many OKRs should each level have?
Typically:
Company-wide: 3–5 objectives annually
Transformational: 3–5 objectives per quarter
Local: 3–5 objectives per team per quarter
Next steps
If you’re starting out with OKRs or reviewing your current approach, we recommend reading our goal setting guide.
If you’d like to speak with a goal-setting expert at There Be Giants, you can book a time that works for you.