Use Tability to generate OKRs and initiatives in seconds.
tability.ioWhat are Finance Director 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.
Crafting effective OKRs can be challenging, particularly for beginners. Emphasizing outcomes rather than projects should be the core of your planning.
We've tailored a list of OKRs examples for Finance Director 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 our OKR guide online.
Finance Director OKRs examples
You will find in the next section many different Finance Director Objectives and Key Results. We've included strategic initiatives in our templates to give you a better idea of the different between the key results (how we measure progress), and the initiatives (what we do to achieve the results).
Hope you'll find this helpful!
OKRs to optimize IT costs by reducing expenses by 20%
ObjectiveReduce IT expenses by 20%
KRAnalyze previous quarter expenses and identify areas for cost reduction
Determine cost-saving opportunities- Identify spending patterns
- Review expenses
- Implement cost reduction measures
- KREducate employees on cost-saving practices and enforce IT policies
- Regularly remind staff of cost-cutting policies
- Contain training sessions for IT policy adoption
- Monitor employee compliance with IT policies and address non-compliance
- Hold information sessions about cost-saving practices
- KRNegotiate with vendors for better pricing
- Research vendor's competitors and their rates
- Highlight your previous purchasing history with them
- Offer to sign a long-term contract for a discount
- Ask for a volume discount based on the forecasted quantity
- KRImplement solutions and track savings
- Identify opportunities for cost reduction
- Implement cost-saving solutions
- Track and report realized savings
- Prioritize solutions based on potential savings
OKRs to maximize operational efficiency for cost reduction
- ObjectiveMaximize operational efficiency for cost reduction
- KRImplement cost-saving measures to decrease departmental spending by 10%
- Develop and implement more efficient operational procedures
- Introduce budget training to staff members for better resource allocation
- Analyze current departmental expenditures and identify potential areas for reduction
- KRReduce operational expenses by 15% through efficient resource allocation
- Identify areas of wastage or redundancy in current resource allocation
- Monitor and regularly reassess resource allocation efficiency
- Implement strategies to optimize use of resources effectively
- KRImprove procurement processes to save 8% on supply chain expenses
- Streamline ordering processes to eliminate unnecessary purchases
- Implement a centralized procurement strategy for better pricing and control
- Evaluate suppliers regularly, seeking more cost-efficient options
OKRs to within budget
- ObjectiveMaintain expenses within budget
- KRAchieve 90% accuracy in budget forecasting
- KRIncrease departmental efficiency by 15%
- KRDecrease variable expenses by 10%
- KRImplement cost-cutting initiatives resulting in a 5% reduction in fixed expenses
OKRs to meet or exceed financial and operational milestones for investor confidence
- ObjectiveAchieve investor confidence by meeting financial and operational milestones
- KRAchieve X% growth in user base through targeted marketing and product enhancements
- KRIncrease revenue by X% through new customer acquisition and increased sales
- KRImprove customer satisfaction score by X% through enhanced product features and customer support
- KRReduce operational costs by X% through process optimization and automation
How to write your own Finance Director OKRs
1. Get tailored OKRs with an AI
You'll find some examples below, but it's likely that you have very specific needs that won't be covered.
You can use Tability's AI generator to create tailored OKRs based on your specific context. Tability can turn your objective description into a fully editable OKR template -- including tips to help you refine your goals.
- 1. Go to Tability's plan editor
- 2. Click on the "Generate goals using AI" button
- 3. Use natural language to describe your goals
Tability will then use your prompt to generate a fully editable OKR template.
Watch the video below to see it in action 👇
Option 2. Optimise existing OKRs with Tability Feedback tool
If you already have existing goals, and you want to improve them. You can use Tability's AI feedback to help you.
- 1. Go to Tability's plan editor
- 2. Add your existing OKRs (you can import them from a spreadsheet)
- 3. Click on "Generate analysis"
Tability's Strategy Map makes it easy to see all your org's OKRsTability will scan your OKRs and offer different suggestions to improve them. This can range from a small rewrite of a statement to make it clearer to a complete rewrite of the entire OKR.
You can then decide to accept the suggestions or dismiss them if you don't agree.
Option 3. Use the free OKR generator
If you're just looking for some quick inspiration, you can also use our free OKR generator to get a template.
Unlike with Tability, you won't be able to iterate on the templates, but this is still a great way to get started.
Finance Director OKR best practices
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
The #1 role of OKRs is to help you and your team focus on what really matters. Business-as-usual activities will still be happening, but you do not need to track your entire roadmap in the OKRs.
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.
Tip #2: Commit to weekly OKR check-ins
Don't fall into the set-and-forget trap. It is important to adopt a weekly check-in process to get the full value of your OKRs and make your strategy agile – otherwise this is nothing more than a reporting exercise.
Being able to see trends for your key results will also keep yourself honest.
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 above). 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.
How to track your Finance Director 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
Most teams should start with a spreadsheet if they're using OKRs for the first time. Then, once you get comfortable you can graduate to a proper OKRs-tracking tool.
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.
More Finance Director OKR templates
We have more templates to help you draft your team goals and OKRs.
- OKRs to enhance children's speaking skills focusing on pronunciation, diction and intonation
- OKRs to boost client insurance adoption rate by 50%
- OKRs to increase social media engagement by 30%
- OKRs to transform Socotra into a renowned hub for handcraft artisanry
- OKRs to attain IIBA ECBA certification
- OKRs to achieve compliance with industry standards and regulations