A measurable outcome that tracks progress toward an objective. Key results define what success looks like in concrete, quantifiable terms.
What is a Key Result?
A Key Result is a specific, measurable outcome that indicates progress toward an objective. While objectives describe where you want to go, key results define how you'll know you got there.
Key results are part of the OKR (Objectives and Key Results) framework in Productboard. Each key result belongs to an objective and typically includes a target value and current progress.
When to use it
- Progress automation — Update key result progress programmatically from data sources like analytics platforms, CRMs, or internal tools.
- OKR synchronization — Keep key results in sync between Productboard and dedicated OKR tools.
- Automated reporting — Query key results to build dashboards that track OKR achievement across teams.
- Planning workflows — Programmatically create key results when spinning up new objectives each cycle.
Key fields
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
name | The key result statement (e.g., "Reduce churn rate to under 5%") |
description | Rich-text description with measurement methodology or context |
status | Current status |
owner | The member responsible for driving this key result |
progress | Current progress toward the target |
health | Health indicator: on track, at risk, or off track |
archived | Whether the key result has been archived |
Field availability depends on your workspace configuration. Use the Configuration endpoint to discover which fields are available for the keyResult type in your workspace.
Relationships
Key results support several relationship types:
| Relationship | Description |
|---|---|
link | Features and other entities connected to this key result |
parent | The objective this key result rolls up to (if using OKRs) |
When creating a key result, you must specify a parent objective using a relationship.
Related objects
- Objective — the objective this key result measures progress toward
- Initiative — initiatives connected to the parent objective