How to Pick Metrics for Key Results (Instead of Tasks)

One of the most common OKR mistakes is writing Key Results that are really just tasks in disguise. If your KR starts with a verb — "Launch X," "Create Y," "Implement Z" — it's probably a task, not a measure of success.

Tasks vs. Metrics: What's the Difference?

A task describes something you'll do. A metric describes a change you'll create.

Task KR ❌	Metric KR ✅
Launch new onboarding flow	Increase trial-to-paid conversion from 20% to 35%
Run monthly customer interviews	Achieve NPS of 45+
Implement weekly team check-ins	Increase goal update rate from 40% to 80%

Tasks belong in your project management tool. Key Results belong in Tability — and they should tell you whether your work actually moved the needle.

How to Pick the Right Metric

1. Ask "so that what?" Take your task and finish the sentence: "We will launch the new onboarding flow... so that what?" The answer is usually your real KR. ("So that more trials convert to paid.")

2. Find what changes in the real world Good metrics reflect a real-world outcome — revenue, retention, engagement, speed, or quality. If nothing measurable changes when you complete the task, dig deeper.

3. Pick something you can track regularly A KR you can only measure once at the end of a quarter isn't useful for check-ins. Aim for metrics you can update weekly or bi-weekly in Tability so your team can course-correct early.

4. Don't overcomplicate it You don't need a perfect metric. A reasonable proxy is better than a beautifully worded task. "Weekly active users" beats "Complete the feature roadmap" every time.

Quick Checklist

Before saving a KR in Tability, ask yourself:

• Does it include a number or measurable change?

• Could it go up or down depending on how well we execute?

• Would hitting this number tell us we actually succeeded?

If you answered yes to all three, you've got a metric KR worth tracking.

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