Avoiding Empty OKRs: From Vanity Metrics to Real Impact

Too many teams treat OKRs as a checklist, not a compass. I’ve seen departments track “number of meetings held” or “articles published” as key results—metrics that look busy but don’t advance strategy. These are not OKRs. They’re accounting entries disguised as outcomes.

OKR pitfalls emerge when teams mistake activity for achievement. This isn’t just a formatting error—it’s a misalignment of purpose. The goal of an OKR is not to document effort, but to define a clear, measurable outcome that moves the needle on business growth.

What you’ll learn here isn’t theory. These are real fixes from actual teams—marketing, product, engineering—whose OKRs evolved from superficial to strategic after one critical shift: replacing output with impact.

Why Vanity Metrics Are the #1 OKR Problem

Vanity metrics give a false sense of progress. They’re easy to measure. But they don’t reflect whether you’re hitting the right target.

Consider this example from a SaaS company:

• Before: Publish 20 blog posts on SEO keywords
• After: Increase organic traffic from targeted keywords by 40%

One measures output. The other measures impact. The shift? From what you did to what changed.

The Hidden Cost of Output-Based Key Results

Tracking how many reports were submitted or meetings were held creates a culture of compliance. It’s not about whether the work mattered—it’s about whether it was done.

When key results are tied to activity, teams optimize for volume, not value. You’ll see engineers working late to close tickets, not to improve system uptime. You’ll see marketers churning content, not engagement.

Signs You’re Tracking the Wrong Things

Ask these five questions to spot flawed OKRs:

1. Does this key result measure a business outcome, or just a task?
2. Can I explain this metric’s connection to the company’s strategic growth?
3. Would our CEO care about this number in a quarterly earnings call?
4. If this result is achieved, how does it move the business forward?
5. Is this result impactful, or just observable?

If any answer is “no,” you’re likely caught in an OKR problem.

From Output to Outcome: A Rewriting Framework

Replace activity with impact by asking: “What does success look like?” not “What did we do?”

Use this pattern to rewrite any key result:

Original: Deliver 10 customer onboarding sessions per month
Reframed: Increase onboarding completion rate from 65% to 85% within Q3

The new key result is tied to a real user behavior—completion—which directly affects retention and LTV.

Key Result Transformation Table

Common OKR Mistake	Problem	Improved OKR
“Host 5 webinars”	Activity-based; no outcome	“Increase qualified leads from webinars by 30%”
“Launch 3 new features”	Output, not impact	“Increase feature adoption by 40% among active users”
“Run 12 customer surveys”	Volume ≠ insight	“Reduce churn risk by 20% through proactive retention actions based on survey insights”

How to Evaluate Key Results for True Impact

Not every metric is meaningful. Use this checklist to validate if a key result drives real business impact:

• Is it tied to a business KPI? (e.g., revenue, retention, LTV)
• Does it measure behavior, not activity? (e.g., adoption, completion, engagement)
• Can it be measured objectively? (e.g., not “improve customer satisfaction”)
• Does it reflect a causal relationship? (e.g., higher engagement → increased retention)
• Is it bounded by a clear threshold? (e.g., “increase to 25%” not “increase significantly”)

When in doubt, ask: “If this key result is achieved, what changes in our business?” If the answer isn’t clear, it’s probably not a real outcome.

Common OKR Mistakes to Avoid

Even experienced teams fall into traps. Here are the most frequent OKR problems I’ve observed—and how to fix them:

1. Making OKRs too vague: “Improve customer experience.” Too broad. Fix by specifying: “Reduce average support ticket resolution time from 48 to 24 hours.”
2. Setting too many key results: More than 3–4 key results dilute focus. Pick only the ones that truly matter to the objective.
3. Using subjective metrics: “Increase satisfaction” or “make things better.” Replace with “achieve 90% NPS” or “reduce churn by 15%.”
4. Forgetting to tie to strategy: An OKR should answer: “How does this help achieve the company’s vision?”
5. Ignoring leading indicators: Lagging metrics (like revenue) are too slow. Add leading indicators like conversion rate or user engagement to track progress early.

Improving OKRs: A Real-World Example

A product team had this OKR:

Objective: Improve user engagement with the mobile app
Key Results: 1. Release 3 new features
2. Publish 5 blog posts
3. Host 2 focus groups

Problem: All key results are outputs. No measurable outcome.

Revised version:

Objective: Increase active daily users (ADU) on the mobile app by 25%
Key Results: 1. Increase app session duration by 15%
2. Boost in-app feature adoption to 60% by end of quarter
3. Reduce session drop-off at onboarding from 45% to 30%

Now the team is focused on behavior—not output. They’ll optimize for retention, not speed of delivery.

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the difference between a good key result and a vanity metric?

A good key result measures a change in behavior, performance, or outcome that directly impacts business growth. A vanity metric tracks activity without showing real impact—like “number of posts published” or “meetings held.” Focus on metrics that reflect progress toward a strategic goal.

How do I know if my key results are too ambitious or too easy?

Good key results are stretch goals—typically achievable with effort, but not guaranteed. If you expect to hit 100% every time, it’s too easy. If you’re consistently falling short, it may be too ambitious. Aim for 70–80% completion as a healthy target. This reflects challenge without discouragement.

Can I have both leading and lagging indicators in one OKR?

Yes. Leading indicators (e.g., user engagement, feature adoption) show progress toward a goal. Lagging indicators (e.g., revenue, retention) measure the final outcome. Use both to track momentum and verify impact.

What if my team resists changing output-based key results?

Lead with data. Show them how their current OKR doesn’t tie to business performance. Then invite them to co-create a new one. Ownership builds buy-in. Remember: OKRs are not imposed—they’re co-created.

Should key results be absolute numbers or percentages?

Use the unit that best reflects impact. Use absolute numbers when the scale is fixed (e.g., “increase revenue by $500K”), and percentages when relative change matters (e.g., “increase conversion rate by 15%”). Be consistent and specific.

How often should I review and improve my OKRs?

Review your key results at least weekly during the cycle. Adjust only if strategy, market, or data shows a fundamental shift. Don’t change key results just because progress is slow—revisit the objective if needed, but avoid frequent rework.