Most teams we talk to run OKRs the same way. Goals get set carefully at the start of the quarter, usually in a spreadsheet or slide deck. The work to deliver them is planned in Structure. Then, before every review, someone copies progress from one to the other.
By the middle of the quarter, that copy is out of date. The goals are still right, but they’ve drifted from the work meant to move them, so the review becomes the first real look at where things stand.
That’s the problem we built Structure OKRs to solve. From today, OKRs are part of Structure Advanced. You set goals where you already plan the work, link each Key Result to the Structures and Jira work items that deliver it, and progress updates as that work gets done.
Built on the portfolio you already have
If you run your portfolio in Structure, you've already done the hard part. Your initiatives, epics and the work under them are organized in one place, and that hierarchy looks a lot like an OKR cascade.
So we built OKRs to sit on top of it. Goals cascade from company to department to team, for a quarter, a year, or both. Each Key Result can link to whole Structures or to specific Jira work items, and its progress comes from how much of that work is complete. Nobody has to update a cell before the review.
Outcomes and delivery, side by side
Anyone who has run OKRs for a while knows the best Key Results measure outcomes, like revenue, adoption or NPS, and not just whether the work shipped. We agree, so you can track those as manual Key Results.
Delivery still matters, though, because it's usually what decides whether the outcome happens. Linked Key Results cover that side. A single goal can hold both, and you can weight them so the one that matters most counts for more.
Seeing which work serves a goal
Goals also show up where people already work. In any Structure, you can add Goal and Key Result columns or group work by Key Result, and anything not linked to a goal ends up in its own group. In Jira, each work item shows the Key Result it counts toward.
That grouping tends to start good conversations. It's the quickest way we know to answer "what are we working on that isn't connected to any goal?"
Get started
Structure OKRs is included in Structure Advanced on Cloud, with no new license to buy.
If you're a Jira admin, open Structure and select OKRs. The setup walks you through creating your first cycle and takes a few minutes. Not a Jira admin? Open OKRs to see what's there, then send this post to your Jira admin.
The easiest way to start is with a goal you're already tracking this quarter. Add it, then link the Structure your team already uses to deliver it. Progress starts from the work your team has already completed.
Not on Structure Advanced edition yet? Speak with your Atlassian Partner or Tempo contact can walk you through the difference.
Setup guide: help.tempo.io/structure/latest/structure-okrs
This is the first release, and what we build next depends a lot on how you run OKRs today. Where do your goals live right now? Who keeps the progress up to date, and how long does it take them? I'd love to hear about it in the comments.
Disclosure: I work for Tempo, the organization that builds Structure OKRs.
