Google adopted OKRs with a simple yet effective approach. Each employee sets clear quarterly objectives accompanied by specific, measurable key results. For example, one of Google’s early OKRs, as recounted in Measure What Matters by John Doerr, was to reach 10,000 daily queries on its search engine. This goal, while ambitious, was clearly defined and aligned with its mission to organize the world’s information.
Unlike other companies that might complicate the process, Google kept its OKRs straightforward and transparent. This enabled all teams to understand how their work impacted the organization’s global goals. Additionally, Google used internal tools to track and evaluate OKR progress, ensuring employees had visibility into the status of their objectives.