How to review OKR drafts before they're finalized
Objectives and key results are usually drafted together and shared for feedback at the same time. That feels efficient, but it creates a problem: if a reviewer's feedback changes the objective, every key result underneath it has to be rewritten too. Reviewing in two passes, direction first and measurement second, avoids that wasted work.
Why sequencing the review matters
Objectives are strategic choices. Key results are how you'll know you've succeeded. When both are reviewed at once, feedback tends to drift toward the key results, because numbers and activities are easier to comment on than direction. The objective, the part that actually needed the discussion, gets rubber-stamped. Then it changes anyway during a later round, and the key results built under it have to be thrown out.
How to run a two-pass review
- Pass 1, objectives only: Share draft objectives without key results. Ask reviewers whether the objective is the right direction, not whether the numbers are right.
- Revise: Update the objectives based on that feedback before anyone spends time on measurement.
- Pass 2, key results: Once objectives are settled, draft and share the key results underneath them.
If a full two-pass process is too slow for your cadence, share the complete draft but say explicitly which round you're in: "This round, please comment on the objectives only, we'll review key results next." That keeps the conversation focused without adding an extra meeting.
What to ask reviewers
- Is this the right problem to focus on this cycle?
- Does the objective describe an outcome, not a task or activity?
- Is it clear who owns this objective and who it's for?
- Would achieving this actually move the organization toward its strategy?
Common mistakes to avoid
- Asking for feedback on everything at once, which pulls attention toward easy, low-value comments
- Treating the first draft as final because a review round already happened
- Finalizing key results before the objective they support has settled
Next step
Once your objectives have been reviewed and settled, add key results to make them measurable. See how to write good key results, then check that each key result actually measures its objective.