OKRs vs SMART Goals: Choosing the Right Goal Framework

Last verified: February 2026

Overview

Both OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) and SMART Goals help organizations set clear targets. However, they differ significantly in philosophy, structure, and how they drive team behavior.

OKRs pair an inspiring objective with measurable key results, encouraging teams to aim high and accept that 70% achievement represents strong performance.

SMART Goals follow a structured checklist — Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound — ensuring every goal is clearly defined and realistic.

Key Differences

When OKRs Work Better

• Fast-moving organizations that need to adapt quarterly
• Teams that benefit from stretch thinking — innovation, product, growth
• Cross-functional alignment where multiple teams contribute to shared outcomes
• Companies scaling rapidly that need everyone rowing in the same direction

When SMART Goals Work Better

• Individual performance management with clear deliverables
• Compliance-driven environments where specific requirements must be met
• Project-based work with well-defined deliverables and timelines
• Personal development plans where incremental progress is the goal

Can You Combine Them?

Yes. Many organizations write SMART-style Key Results within their OKRs. The Objective provides inspiration and direction, while each Key Result follows SMART principles for clarity:

Objective: Make our customer support world-class

• KR1: Reduce average first response time from 4 hours to under 1 hour by March 31 (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound)
• KR2: Achieve 95% customer satisfaction rating on post-support surveys

This hybrid approach gives you the ambition of OKRs with the precision of SMART.

Making the Choice

Choose OKRs if you want a framework that:

• Aligns your entire organization around outcomes
• Encourages ambitious thinking
• Creates transparency across teams
• Operates on quarterly cycles with regular check-ins

Choose SMART Goals if you need:

• Individual accountability for specific deliverables
• Straightforward goal tracking without organizational overhead
• A familiar framework that requires minimal training

How Krezzo Helps

Krezzo supports OKR workflows with built-in SMART validation, helping teams write key results that are both ambitious and well-defined. The platform ensures every key result is measurable, time-bound, and connected to broader organizational objectives.

Sources

• Doran, George T. "There's a S.M.A.R.T. Way to Write Management Goals and Objectives." Management Review, 1981.
• Doerr, John. Measure What Matters. Penguin, 2018.
• krezzo.com