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tability.ioWhat are Software Developer 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.
Creating impactful OKRs can be a daunting task, especially for newcomers. Shifting your focus from projects to outcomes is key to successful planning.
We have curated a selection of OKR examples specifically for Software Developer to assist you. Feel free to explore the templates below for inspiration in setting your own goals.
If you want to learn more about the framework, you can read our OKR guide online.
Software Developer OKRs examples
You will find in the next section many different Software Developer 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 drive productivity and take the lead in software development initiatives
ObjectiveDrive productivity and take the lead in software development initiatives
KRIncrease team's coding capacity by mentoring two junior developers to full productivity
Develop individualized mentorship plans for each developer- Identify junior developers' strengths and areas for improvement
- Schedule regular, interactive coding training sessions
- KRDeliver four complex coding projects with less than 5% defect rate
- Develop a detailed project plan for each coding assignment
- Implement rigorous testing and quality control measures
- Continuously monitor and tweak coding for defects
- KRDevelop and spearhead one software improvement initiative achieving 20% efficiency gains
- Lead team in executing software improvement initiative
- Create detailed implementation plan for chosen improvement
- Identify potential software improvements for efficiency boost
OKRs to enhance tactical and strategic leadership skills for software developer team lead
- ObjectiveEnhance tactical and strategic leadership skills for software developer team lead
- KRMentor 2 team members to take on micro-leadership roles in the next project
- Provide regular feedback and coaching
- Share responsibilities and explain expectations clearly
- Identify strengths and areas of growth for each team member
- KRImplement new strategies and witness a minimum 15% increase in team productivity
- Develop and communicate new strategies for identified areas
- Identify areas in team processes that require improvement
- Monitor and measure strategy-driven productivity increases
- KRCollaborate with HR to attend at least 3 leadership skill training or workshops
- Contact HR to inquire about available leadership training opportunities
- Participate actively in each workshop session
- Schedule times to attend three chosen sessions
OKRs to establish a secure software development lifecycle (SDLC)
- ObjectiveImplement secure software development process
- KRProvide secure coding training to development team
- KRConduct thorough security code review during development
- KRAchieve certification for secure software development process
- KREstablish vulnerability management process for production systems
OKRs to enhance the quality of software releases through manual testing
- ObjectiveEnhance the quality of software releases through manual testing
- KRIncrease manual test case effectiveness by 25%
- Provide continuous training for manual testing techniques
- Implement peer reviews for manual test case validation
- Develop exhaustive, realistic use-cases scenarios for better test coverage
- KRReduce critical bugs in live software by 15%
- Implement rigorous testing procedures before software deployment
- Regularly update and debug software code base
- Train developers in best practices for bug prevention
- KRRaise manual test coverage for each release to at least 95%
- Identify areas of software currently lacking full manual testing
- Develop comprehensive manual test plans for those areas
- Train team to execute new test plans efficiently
OKRs to implement efficient test automation processes
- ObjectiveImplement efficient test automation processes
- KRReduce manual testing work by 40% through customized automated scripts
- Implement and monitor the automated scripts’ efficacy regularly
- Develop customized automated scripts for these processes
- Identify repeated manual testing processes suitable for automation
- KRSuccessfully automate 70% of all repetitive tests while maintaining accuracy
- Research suitable automation tools or software
- Implement, monitor, and adjust automated processes accordingly
- Identify and catalog all existing repetitive tests
- KRAchieve a 30% decrease in software bugs and glitches through automated testing enhancement
- Regularly evaluate and refine our testing processes
- Train developers in advanced automated testing
- Implement enhanced and rigorous automated testing protocols
OKRs to become proficient in React.js
- ObjectiveBecome proficient in React.js
- KRComplete an online React.js course with a passing grade by end of quarter
- Enroll in an online React.js course
- Dedicate consistent study hours each week
- Complete and pass all required assessments
- KRRead and understand documentation for 5 React.js libraries
- Thoroughly read the documentation for each library
- Summarize key functions and features of each library
- Select 5 React.js libraries for review and understanding
- KRBuild and deploy a small, functional web app using React.js
- Test the app locally to ensure full functionality
- Develop a small React.js web app following online tutorials or guidelines
- Deploy the web app on a preferred hosting platform
OKRs to enhance the integration platform and developer environment
- ObjectiveEnhance the integration platform and developer environment
- KRReduce reported developer issues and bugs by 20%
- Invest in automated testing tools and techniques
- Implement strict code review process before code integration
- Train developers on best coding practices
- KRAchieve a 25% improvement in developer platform usability survey ratings
- Create clear and concise platform documentation
- Implement usability enhancements based on user feedback
- Offer training on platform updates to developers
- KRIncrease platform integration capabilities by 30%
- Increase workforce expertise in platform integration
- Research and adopt more adaptable integration APIs
- Improve system scalability and robustness
OKRs to enhance user experience for increased software engagement
- ObjectiveEnhance user experience for increased software engagement
- KRDecrease software response time by 30%
- Optimize code to reduce complexity and redundant processes
- Upgrade server hardware to improve processing speed
- Implement effective caching strategies for data retrieval
- KRAchieve 90% customer satisfaction rate on usability of our software
- Develop user-friendly interface providing intuitive navigation
- Provide swift, professional customer support and resolution
- Implement frequent, targeted user testing for regular improvements
- KRImplement 5 new user-requested features into software interface
- Develop and code the selected features into software interface
- Prioritize top 5 user-requested features based on feasibility and impact
- Test and debug new features before final implementation
OKRs to elevate the NPS score in B2B SaaS by 5%
- ObjectiveElevate the NPS score in B2B SaaS by 5%
- KRReduce customer support resolution time by 20%
- Train customer service agents regularly for efficiency
- Automate repetitive customer inquiries using AI
- Implement live chat for instant customer inquiries resolution
- KRImprove product feature satisfaction by 10% through software enhancements
- Implement software enhancements addressing customer issues
- Evaluate satisfaction improvement post-enhancements
- Identify areas requiring improvements from customer feedback
- KRIncrease the rate of customer feedback collection by 15%
- Train staff on effective customer feedback solicitation
- Offer incentives for customers leaving feedback
- Implement a customer feedback system after each purchase
OKRs to establish a high-performance software development team
- ObjectiveEstablish a high-performance software development team
- KRImplement weekly team-building exercises to boost team collaboration and morale
- Assign a team member to facilitate each exercise
- Schedule weekly time slots for team-building activities
- Research effective team-building exercises suitable for the team
- KRRecruit and onboard five experienced software developers by the end of the quarter
- Post job listings on industry-related job search platforms
- Facilitate onboarding process for selected individuals
- Shortlist and interview potential candidates
- KRAchieve a 90% or higher satisfaction rate in quarterly team feedback surveys
- Improve on constructive feedback from previous surveys
- Implement regular team bonding and communication drills
- Address individual team member concerns promptly
How to write your own Software Developer 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.
Software Developer 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 Software Developer OKRs
Your quarterly OKRs should be tracked weekly in order to get all the benefits of the OKRs 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
Spreadsheets are enough to get started. Then, once you need to scale you can use a proper OKR platform to make things easier.
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 Software Developer OKR templates
We have more templates to help you draft your team goals and OKRs.
- OKRs to successfully manage strategic partnership
- OKRs to expand and diversify supporter base
- OKRs to improve system efficiency and dependability
- OKRs to strategically reduce overhead costs
- OKRs to enhance customer service by reducing average response time
- OKRs to secure $1 million for the pre-seed funding round