Key Result
Definition
A Key Result is the measurable half of an OKR: a specific metric moved from a stated baseline to a stated target within the cycle. Each Objective usually carries three to five. Together they define what has to be true for the Objective to count as achieved.
The strongest Key Results are written in 'from X to Y' form, because that forces both a starting point and a destination. A number with no baseline cannot be graded — 'reach 500 signups' hides whether the team started at 480 or at 50. Key Results should be outcomes the team influences rather than activities it controls; if completing the listed work guarantees the number, the number was not a result.
Key Results decay quietly. A metric that nobody updates keeps showing its last known value, which is almost always more flattering than reality, and the gap only surfaces at scoring. Whether a Key Result is real depends less on how it was written than on whether anyone looks at it between the kickoff and the end of the quarter.
Example
Weak: 'Improve customer satisfaction.' Weak: 'Run four NPS surveys.' Stronger: 'Lift NPS from 31 to 45.' The first is unmeasurable, the second measures activity, and only the third can be graded.
See also: OKR software