In today’s data-driven engineering environments, Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) are more than just a management fad—they’re an essential tool for aligning teams and gauging progress. However, not all OKRs are created equal. Many engineering teams fall into the trap of crafting vanity metrics: indicators that appear impressive on paper but lack real substance or don’t lead to meaningful outcomes. This article explores how engineering teams can design OKRs that go beyond vanity metrics to deliver real, measurable value.
Understanding Vanity Metrics in Engineering
Vanity metrics are the kind of indicators that look good but don’t necessarily correlate with success or actual value being delivered. Examples include:
- Lines of code written
- Number of commits pushed
- Total bugs closed
- Percentage of test coverage
While these metrics may be easy to track and seem productive, they don’t tell the full story. For example, more lines of code aren’t inherently better—sometimes, concise and efficient code is preferable. Similarly, high test coverage doesn’t ensure high-quality code if the tests themselves are shallow or misaligned with business needs.
The Purpose of Engineering OKRs
Engineering OKRs should serve two main purposes:
- Alignment: Ensuring that engineering efforts are contributing to the broader objectives of the business.
- Impact: Measuring results that reflect real progress rather than surface-level activity.
Rather than just asking “What did we produce?” teams should be asking “Why does it matter?” and “What was the impact?”
Tips for Engineering OKRs That Deliver Value
To avoid falling into the vanity metric trap, engineering leaders and teams can apply the following principles:
1. Focus on Outcomes, Not Outputs
A common mistake in OKR writing is confusing outputs (what was done) with outcomes (the change brought by the work). For example, shipping a new feature is an output; increasing user engagement with the platform due to that feature is an outcome.
Better OKR Example:
Objective: Increase onboarding success for new users.
Key Result: Reduce new user drop-off rate by 30% in the first 7 days.
Rather than measuring how many onboarding screens were redesigned, this OKR monitors the effect of the redesign, which has business relevance.
2. Tie Engineering Metrics to Business Objectives
Good engineering OKRs have a direct connection to the broader company strategy. This ensures that engineering isn’t operating in a vacuum but is contributing to goals such as revenue growth, customer satisfaction, or market expansion.
For instance: If the business goal is to improve user retention, engineering OKRs might focus on platform stability, performance scalability, or reducing downtime.
3. Use Leading Indicators Over Lagging Ones
Leading indicators predict future success, while lagging indicators show results after the fact. While both are important, engineering teams should not rely solely on lagging indicators. For example, improved code review response time can be a leading indicator of improved deployment velocity.
4. Make Key Results Measurable and Specific
Vague OKRs are a recipe for failure. Every Key Result should be tied to a metric that is both quantifiable and aligned with desired outcomes.
Bad Example: “Improve deployment speed.”
Better Example: “Decrease average deployment time from 40 minutes to 15 minutes.”
5. Balance Quantitative With Qualitative
While numbers are valuable, certain aspects, like developer satisfaction or improved collaboration, may require qualitative tracking through surveys or interviews. A healthy mix prevents the team from chasing metrics at the expense of team morale.
Common Engineering OKRs That Work
Here are some examples of well-structured engineering OKRs that go beyond vanity:
- Objective: Improve platform reliability
Key Results:- Reduce system downtime to less than 1 hour per quarter
- Address 95% of P1 incidents within 30 minutes
- Objective: Increase release velocity without sacrificing quality
Key Results:- Increase weekly release count from 2 to 5
- Maintain less than 2% bug rate post-deployment
- Objective: Enhance developer experience and productivity
Key Results:- Reduce build times from 10 minutes to 3 minutes
- Achieve a 90% satisfaction score in the quarterly developer feedback survey
Common Pitfalls When Setting Engineering OKRs
Setting valuable OKRs requires thoughtful planning. Here are some traps to avoid:
- Over-indexing on delivery metrics: Focusing only on what was shipped instead of the effect it had.
- Using non-actionable metrics: Avoid metrics the team cannot influence significantly within a quarter.
- Setting too many OKRs: A crowded OKR list reduces focus and clarity. Stick to 1–3 meaningful objectives per quarter.
- Neglecting cross-functional collaboration: Many engineering outcomes depend on product, data, and UX input. Make sure OKRs reflect those dependencies.
How to Review and Adjust OKRs Periodically
OKRs should not be “set and forget.” During the quarter, teams should review progress in regular cadences—biweekly or monthly—and identify what needs adjustment. If results aren’t trending positively despite best efforts, use the data to learn, adapt tactics, or re-align the team’s focus.
Additionally, after each quarter, run a retrospective on how OKRs were chosen, what results were achieved, and where the gaps exist between planning and impact.
Conclusion
OKRs are a powerful tool in an engineering team’s arsenal, but only if used wisely. Moving beyond vanity metrics demands a shift in focus—from outputs to outcomes, from activity to impact, and from internal optics to business alignment. The most effective engineering OKRs guide meaningful work, highlight true success, and push teams toward greater contribution and innovation.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- Q: What are vanity metrics in engineering?
A: Vanity metrics are surface-level indicators that look impressive but don’t provide meaningful insights into performance or impact (e.g., lines of code or number of commits). - Q: How can I make engineering OKRs measurable?
A: Ensure each Key Result is tied to a quantifiable metric, has a clear target range, and is specific enough to be tracked over time. - Q: What’s the difference between an output and an outcome?
A: Outputs are the tangible things delivered (like features or code), while outcomes are the changes those outputs are intended to create (like increased user satisfaction or reduced churn). - Q: Can qualitative measures be part of an OKR?
A: Yes. Metrics like team happiness or cross-team collaboration can be assessed through surveys and used alongside quantitative metrics. - Q: How often should OKRs be reviewed?
A: On a regular cadence—typically biweekly or monthly—to ensure alignment and adapt to changes. A full review should happen at the end of each quarter.