OKR drafting that avoids vanity metrics

Turn vague goals into a tight set of objectives and measurable key results with baselines, targets and check-in cadence.

Change note: Initial version

Prompt

Help me write OKRs for {{team}} for {{period}}.

Company or team priorities:
{{priorities}}

Current numbers and baselines:
{{baselines}}

Constraints (headcount, budget, dependencies): {{constraints}}

Write {{num_objectives}} objectives. For each:
- The objective: one inspiring, qualitative sentence in plain language, no jargon.
- 3 key results: each must be a measurable outcome (not an activity or a task), include a baseline, a target, and a way to measure it. Make the target ambitious but not absurd; label each as "committed" or "stretch".
- 1 or 2 initiatives that would drive the key results (these are not key results).
- The main risk and who owns the objective.

Then review your own draft: list any key result that is really an output or a vanity metric and rewrite it. Finish with a weekly check-in template of 4 questions and a note on any dependency between objectives.

If the baselines are missing for a key result, propose a "measure first" key result rather than inventing a number.

Variables

• {{team}}Team or companytextrequired

  Default: Customer Support team at a 200-person software company

• {{period}}Time periodtextrequired

  Default: Q1

  e.g. Q1 2027

• {{priorities}}Prioritieslongrequired

  Default: Reduce time customers wait for help; improve satisfaction after the product redesign; cut ticket volume from repeated questions.

• {{baselines}}Current numberslongrequired

  Default: First response time 9 hours, CSAT 82%, 5,000 tickets per month with about 35% repeat questions, help centre articles: 120.

• {{constraints}}Constraintstext

  Default: No new headcount, one support engineer shared with product

• {{num_objectives}}Number of objectivesselectrequired

  Options: 2, 3, 4

  Default: 3

Example output

**Objective 1: Customers get answers fast, without chasing us**
- KR1 (committed): Cut median first response time from 9 hours to 3 hours, measured in the helpdesk report.
- KR2 (stretch): Raise CSAT from 82% to 90% on tickets resolved within one reply.
- KR3 (committed): Reduce reopened tickets from a baseline to measure in week 1 to 10% below that level.
Initiatives: triage rota with a one-hour first-touch rule; saved replies for top 20 issues.
Risk: seasonal volume spike. Owner: Support Lead.

**Objective 2: The help centre answers the repeat questions**
- KR1: Lower repeat-question tickets from 35% to 20% of volume.
- KR2: Raise self-service resolution rate (help article views without a ticket) from a baseline to measure to +25%.

**Review:** "Publish 40 articles" was an output, so I replaced it with the repeat-question KR.
**Check-in questions:** What moved? What is stuck? What is the leading indicator saying? What do we need?
**Dependency:** Objective 2 reduces load, which makes Objective 1 achievable.

Notes

The self-review step catches the most common OKR mistake: key results that are secretly tasks. Give honest baselines and it will set targets you can actually defend.