Key takeaways
Strategy meets execution: OKRs connect what you are trying to achieve to the Epics and Features being built to deliver it.
Structured hierarchy: Each Key Result belongs to an Objective, creating a clear parent-child relationship between goals and measurements.
Progress without manual updates: Link work items to OKRs and Craft.io tracks delivery progress automatically.
Built for planning rituals: OKRs support quarterly reviews, roadmap sessions, and prioritization conversations.
What are OKRs?
OKRs - Objectives and Key Results - are a goal-setting framework that connects strategic priorities to measurable outcomes. An Objective defines what you want to achieve. Key Results define how you will know you have achieved it.
In Craft.io, OKRs are not a separate strategy document that lives outside your roadmap. They are a structural layer that connects your goals directly to the Epics, Features, and Stories your team is building. This makes it possible to see, in one place, both what you are trying to achieve and what is being delivered to get there.
The labels "Objectives" and "Key Results" are the Craft.io defaults, but teams can rename these fields in their workspace settings to match internal language (such as 'Goals', 'Outcomes', 'Strategic Pillars' or 'Initiatives'). The field names change accordingly, whilst the structure and functionality stays the same.
Accessing OKRs
OKRs in Craft.io live inside the Strategy module, accessible at the top of your workspace.
Follow these steps:
Navigate to the Strategy module in the left panel.
Select the Objectives and Key Results tab.
📌 Portfolio OKRs: If your organization uses the Craft.io Portfolio, you can also create OKRs at the portfolio level to represent company-wide or cross-team objectives. Portfolio OKRs connect to Initiatives and are visible to workspace users who can link their items to them. Learn more about Portfolio OKRs →
Creating Objectives
Objectives describe what you want to achieve. They should be concise and outcome-focused - not a task or a feature description.
Follow these steps:
In the Objectives and Key Results section, click + Objective.
Enter a short, clear title.
Add a description if additional context is needed.
One or two Objectives is enough to get started.
💡 Tip: Write Objectives as outcome statements starting with an action verb - for example, "Increase customer adoption of core features" or "Improve product performance for key users." If your Objective reads like a task, it is probably a Feature.
Adding Key Results
Key Results define how success will be measured. Each Key Result belongs to a single Objective.
Follow these steps:
Locate the Objective in the Objectives and Key Results tab.
Click the grey + nested beneath it - it turns blue when you hover.
Enter the Key Result name and define the metric, target, or success criteria.
A Key Result can only be created under an Objective. If you do not see the nested +, make sure the Objective row is expanded.
💡 Tip: Write Key Results with clear thresholds - for example, "Reduce average load time to under two seconds" or "Achieve 30 percent growth in weekly active users." If a Key Result cannot be measured objectively, it is not a Key Result.
Assigning ownership and timeframes
Objectives and Key Results can each be assigned an owner and a timeframe - typically a quarter (although any custom timeframe can apply). This clarifies accountability and makes it easier to review progress during planning cycles.
Open the Objective or Key Result and update the owner and timeframe fields from the properties panel. Assigning both before your planning cycle begins makes OKR reviews significantly faster.
Linking work to OKRs
Once your OKRs are defined, connect them to the Epics, Features, or Stories that will deliver against them. Progress on connected items updates automatically as execution moves forward.
Follow these steps:
Open the work item.
Scroll to the OKR section in the right-hand properties panel.
Select the Objective or Key Result it supports.
Items can be linked to more than one OKR. A Feature that contributes to two Objectives should be connected to both - this reflects reality and makes cross-OKR coverage visible across your views.
Teams running a planning session often use the Swimlanes view for live, visual assignment. Teams doing a systematic audit often use the table view for bulk updates.
📌 Note: To connect an item to a Key Result, it must first be connected to the parent Objective. Select the Objective first - the Key Results beneath it will then become available to select.
Tracking progress
There are two distinct types of progress in Craft.io's OKR model, and understanding the difference matters.
1) Outcome progress reflects how close you are to achieving the Key Result itself - the real-world metric you are trying to move. This is tracked manually using custom fields in the strategy module.
Teams typically use a Health field (a qualitative status: on track, at risk, or off track) or a progress ratio field (a numeric measure: current value vs. target). These fields are configured per workspace, so your team can choose the scoring method that fits how you plan and review.
2) Delivery progress reflects how much of the connected work is done. When Epics, Features, and Stories are linked to a Key Result, Craft.io automatically rolls up their completion percentage. This tells you how much has shipped - but not whether it moved the metric you care about.
The best place to view delivery progress against your OKRs is the Progress dashboard. Follow these steps:
Open a Progress dashboard view.
Group by Objective to see delivery progress rolled up per goal.
Add Key Result as a breakdown to see how progress is distributed across the measurements beneath each Objective.
These two lenses are intentionally separate. A team can complete 100% of its delivery work and still not achieve the Key Result if the output did not produce the expected outcome. Tracking both gives you an early signal when execution is on track but results are not following.
Viewing OKR coverage
Connecting OKRs to items is only useful if you can see the coverage clearly. Craft.io surfaces OKR connections across several views - each suited to a different audience or planning context. Some examples:
Strategic roadmap: The clearest view of OKR coverage across planning periods. Each release shows the Objectives and Key Results connected to it, alongside the Epics and Features delivering against them. Use this for executive reviews and quarterly planning.
Swimlanes view: Group by Objective or Key Result to see how work is distributed across your goals. Items linked to multiple OKRs appear in every relevant lane - nothing is hidden because it also belongs elsewhere.
Table view: Filter or group by Objective and Key Result columns to audit coverage systematically. Useful for identifying items with no OKR assigned, or Objectives with no delivery work connected to them.
Craft.io OKR best practices
Connect OKRs before planning, not after - OKRs work best as a filter for what gets built, not a label applied retrospectively. Define them before the planning cycle so they guide prioritization.
Keep Objectives qualitative, Key Results measurable - An Objective like "Become the default tool for enterprise product teams" is directional. A Key Result like "Increase enterprise NPS from 32 to 45 by Q3" is measurable. If your Key Results read like tasks, they are features.
Review OKR connections regularly - As priorities shift, some items become disconnected from active objectives. A quarterly audit of unmapped items keeps your strategic layer accurate. Filter the table view by empty Objective field to surface them quickly.
Use consistent terminology across workspaces - Shared language for Objective names and timeframes makes it easier to report across teams and compare progress at the Portfolio level.
What comes next
Using the Strategic Roadmap → - See your OKR coverage across releases in a single view built for executive communication.
Explore all roadmap views → - Learn how OKRs surface across the Swimlanes, Timeline, and Strategic Roadmap views.
Progress dashboard → - Go deeper on how delivery progress rolls up across your workspace. Group by Objective and add Key Result as a breakdown to track execution against your goals in one place.
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