Have You Heard About OKRs?" From Unclear Goals to Measurable Momentum

I want to start today with a quick question:
Have you ever set a goal, maybe even a big team goal, that just… didn’t land?

Maybe it was a target around care planning, or improving the meal time experience or reducing falls. You were clear in your head, your team even nodded along—but weeks later, nothing really moved. It fizzled.

Sound familiar?

Here’s the thing: it’s not that you or your team weren’t committed.
It’s probably just that the goal wasn’t anchored in clear outcomes.

And that’s what we’re diving into today:

So my second question to you is ‘Have you heard about OKRs?

Now, I know the name sounds very "corporate strategy workshop"... but stick with me, because Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) might just be the missing piece when it comes to translating your care home’s intentions into actual, trackable progress.

🧭 What Are OKRs? Objectives and Key Results

The OKR framework was originally developed at Intel back in the 70s by their CEO, Andrew Grove—building on management theories from Peter Drucker. Since then, it’s been used by organisations like Google, the NHS, and countless other sectors.

But it’s not just for Silicon Valley or corporate giants.

OKRs are a simple tool that helps leaders define where they’re going (that’s the Objective) and how they’ll know they’re getting there (those are the Key Results).

Here’s what I love about it—and why I think it fits beautifully with our work in the care sector:
An objective is inspiring. It gives direction and energy.
The key results make it measurable. They keep it grounded.

So instead of vague statements like:
"We want to improve handover."

We get something more focused like:
Objective: Improve the consistency and clarity of shift handovers.
Key Results:

1. 100% of handovers follow the updated template by next month.

2. 90% of staff report improved clarity in handover in our feedback survey.

3. Handover incidents reduce by 50% in the next 3 months.

See how that feels more doable?

So now its not sounding quite so  “corporate strategy does  it? because Objectives and Key Results—OKRs for short—might just be the missing link between your care home’s intentions and the actual, trackable progress you want to see.

Before we dive in, let’s pause and think about something we all know very well: KPIs.

As registered managers, we often live and breathe KPIs. We’re constantly looking at:

• Staff turnover rates

• Missed medication counts

• Unplanned weight loss

• Number of falls

• Compliance audit percentages

…and the list goes on, doesn’t it?

Now, KPIs are important. They tell you what’s happening. They give you the data, the evidence, the numbers that inspectors love.

But here’s the catch—KPIs are lagging indicators. They show you the results of your efforts after the fact.

What they don’t tell you is how you got there… or more importantly, how you’re going to get better.

And that’s exactly where OKRs come in.

OKRs help bridge the gap between your big-picture objectives—like “improve the quality of care planning”—and the specific, measurable steps that will actually get you there. They’re about creating clarity and focus, not just for you as the manager, but for the whole team.

So, in this episode, we’re going to unpack how OKRs can work in a care home setting, and how you can use them to stop those important goals from quietly slipping away.

🧭 Objectives and key results  give you direction.

They don’t just tell you what you want to achieve—they help you map out how you’re going to get there in a way that’s clear for everyone involved.

So, instead of saying something vague like “we want to reduce falls,” an OKR forces you to get really specific. It helps you think about:

• What approach you’re actually taking. Are you focusing on better risk assessments? Are you reviewing the environment for trip hazards? Are you improving mobility plans with physiotherapy input?

• Who’s involved. Is it just the care staff, or does it include housekeeping, activities coordinators, and even the residents themselves? Because often, preventing falls isn’t one person’s responsibility—it’s a team effort.

• How you’ll measure progress along the way. Not just the end result of “fewer falls,” but the leading actions that will make that happen—like completing all mobility reviews, running regular strength and balance exercises, or checking that call bells are within easy reach.

• And how you’ll know you’re on track before the final numbers move. Because sometimes it takes weeks for the data to show change, but you still want a way to see early signs of improvement—like fewer near misses being reported, or more consistent use of sensor mats.

That’s the beauty of OKRs—they shift your focus from just the outcome to the behaviours and actions that drive that outcome. They’re not about piling on more tasks—they’re about creating clarity.

So when you say, “Our objective is to reduce falls,” the key results might look like:

✅ 100% of residents have an updated falls risk assessment within the next four weeks.
✅ 90% of staff complete refresher training on safe transfers by the end of the month.
✅ Daily environmental checks for trip hazards are logged for three months.

See the difference? It’s no longer just a wish—it’s a plan with clear, trackable steps.

And because everyone understands their part in it, you’re far more likely to see progress that actually sticks.

Lets take a look at a quick comparison:

📊 KPI: 12 falls recorded in the last month
👎 It’s reactive—we’re already dealing with the consequences

But with an OKR, we flip that into a proactive lens:

🎯 Objective: Create a safer environment that prevents avoidable falls
📈 Key Results:

• Conduct risk assessments on 100% of residents by next Friday

• Introduce new night checks in high-risk rooms by the 15th

• Reduce repeat falls by 25% within 6 weeks

• Complete mobility and transfer training refreshers for all staff by the end of the month

• Install and test motion sensor lighting in 5 high-risk resident rooms by next Monday

• Hold weekly reviews of all reported falls to identify trends and adapt care plans accordingly

The difference is clear

KPIs tell you if you’re succeeding. They’re like the scoreboard—they show you what’s already happened. Your falls rate went down. Your audit scores improved. Staff turnover dropped. That’s all useful information, but it’s after the fact.

OKRs, on the other hand, help you focus on what matters most right now and how to move forward with clarity and purpose. They’re about the actions and priorities that will create those results, not just report on them later.

So it’s not about choosing one or the other. You actually need both.

Think of it like driving a car.

Your KPIs are the rear-view mirror. They show you where you’ve been, how many miles you’ve driven, what’s behind you, and whether the last stretch of road was smooth or bumpy.

But your OKRs are the map ahead. They give you the direction—you know exactly where you’re heading and which turns you need to take to get there.

If you only stare at the rear-view mirror, you’ll know what went wrong—but you won’t necessarily know where you’re going next.

If you only look at the map, you’ll know the plan, but you won’t know if you’ve actually made progress or taken a wrong turn.

When you use both together—KPIs to monitor what’s happened, and OKRs to guide what’s next—you create a much clearer path for your team.

And that’s the shift. Instead of constantly reacting to problems as they show up in your KPIs, you’re proactively driving improvement with OKRs that keep everyone focused on the right things.

📌 Why This Matters in Care Homes

Now, I know many of you are used to KPIs—staff turnover, weight loss tracking, medication errors and so on.
We track those daily. And yes—they’re important.

But KPIs are often reactive. They tell us what's already happened.
OKRs are proactive. They align teams to future outcomes and create shared accountability along the way.

And here’s the best bit—OKRs aren’t meant to live in a spreadsheet that only you as the Registered Manager see.
They’re meant to be shared. Owned. Reviewed together.

🌟 The QP SMARTER Fit

If you’re already been following the Qualitizer Process™—you’ll know we don’t just talk about setting goals.
We talk about setting SMARTER goals.

And OKRs slot right into that framework beautifully.

Let’s say your SMARTER goal is to reduce hospital admissions from your care home by 30% in 6 months.

Your Objective could be:
"Strengthen clinical oversight and early intervention."

Your Key Results could be:

• Weekly clinical huddles implemented by end of the month

• Early warning signs flowchart rolled out and used in 90% of scenarios

• Admission data tracked monthly with a 10% reduction trend by month 3

And the beauty is—you can see the progress. You know where you're on track and where you need to adapt.

📣 OKRs and Your QIP

If you’re leading a Quality Improvement Plan (QIP) right now, think about this:

👉 Are your objectives clear?
👉 Are your outcomes measurable?
👉 Do your team know how their work connects to the bigger picture?

OKRs help bridge the gap between vision and reality.
They take that “we need to get better at...” and turn it into “here’s how we’ll know when we’re getting there.”

And if you’re using the Qualitizer Process™, this could be the step that helps take your improvement plan from reactive to intentional, team-led, and energised.

🛠️ Want to Try It?

We’ve added a brand new OKR Planning Template to the platform—aligned with the QP SMARTER Goals model—to help you get started right away.

You can use it to map:

• Individual service goals (like improving clinical supervision or activity engagement)

• Team goals (like communication improvements)

• Strategic goals (like preparing for inspection or embedding a new care model)

So let me leave you with one final question today.

What’s one outcome you’d love to see in your care service in the next three months?

It could be reducing falls, improving care planning compliance, lifting staff morale—whatever feels most important right now.

And then ask yourself:

What Key Results would show you you’re truly on your way?

Not the vague hope of “things will improve,” but the clear, measurable steps that would tell you—and your team—that real progress is happening.

That’s the power of OKRs. They take your good intentions and turn them into focused action. They give your team clarity, purpose, and a shared sense of direction.

So next time you’re setting a goal, don’t just ask what you want to achieve. Ask yourself how you’ll get there—and how you’ll know it’s working before the numbers catch up.

Because when you combine that forward-looking clarity with your KPIs in the rear-view mirror, you’re not just reacting to what’s happened—you’re leading the way forward.

Thanks for joining me today on Managing Care Quality. If you found this helpful, share it with another manager who might be feeling stuck with goal setting. And as always, remember—small, focused steps lead to lasting improvement.