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Track quarterly goals by defining a few measurable outcomes, keeping their progress alongside the work or metrics your team already uses, and checking in only often enough to make useful decisions. For team OKRs, a weekly review is a reasonable starting point—not a rule for every team. The aim is to make progress visible without creating duplicate status reports or meetings that do not change what anyone does.
Start with outcomes you can actually track
At the start of the quarter, choose a short list of outcomes and define how you will recognize progress on each one. For a shared goal, name an owner who can keep the measure current and raise issues. Keep the measure tied to the outcome: a list of completed activities is not automatically evidence that the intended result is being achieved.
This advice is most directly applicable to organizational OKRs. Microsoft describes a recurring cycle of collaborating on goals, creating and finalizing them, checking in during the period, then closing the period with reflection and scoring. Microsoft Learn’s overview of the OKR business rhythm explains that cycle.
Put progress where the work or metric already lives
Use a shared document, spreadsheet, existing goal system, or the place your team already reviews its metrics. A separate tracker is worthwhile only if it helps someone see progress or make a decision that would otherwise be missed.
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Where a measure already comes from a system, keep that system as the detailed record and link or connect it to the goal if practical. Microsoft describes both manual check-ins and updates integrated with outside data sources; it presents integrated updates as a way to make check-ins quick. Avoid re-entering the same figure in multiple places unless that duplication serves a clear purpose.
Choose a review cadence that leads to action
For team OKRs, Microsoft recommends weekly check-ins, while also allowing teams to choose another cadence when weekly review is unnecessary. Start weekly if the measure changes quickly enough that a review can guide action. Slow the cadence if updates are repetitive and no one can respond differently between reviews. The right frequency depends on how often the underlying result changes and how quickly the team can act.
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Microsoft describes its Viva Goals check-in process as taking “a few minutes” and says integrated check-ins “typically take less than 10 seconds.” Those are descriptions of that product’s workflow, not general benchmarks for other tools or teams. Microsoft Learn’s check-in guidance also describes a typical quarter as 12 weeks of recurring check-ins.
What is a check-in?
A check-in is a brief update on where a key result stands, followed by a decision about whether action is needed. Microsoft Learn puts it this way: “Regular check-ins, where you update metrics to reflect where you’re at, help you review and assess progress toward meeting your OKRs.” Keep the update focused on the current measure, whether progress is sufficient, and any next action or adjustment. The source system can hold the underlying detail.
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- QUARTERLY DAILY PLANNER, 12 MONTHS: Four slim quarterly planners cover calendar year 2027, with a full page for every day of the week, including Saturday and Sunday.
- FOUR-BOOKLET FORMAT: The set includes four Pocket (A6) planner booklets—one for each quarter—organized together in a slipcase for a compact daily planning system.
- ADDITIONAL FEATURES: Includes a 2027 calendar overview, continuous 12-month planning overviews within each quarterly planner, moon phases, and international holidays.
- DETAILS MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE: Each quarterly planner includes a pocket on the rear endpaper, one striped bookmark, and paper with high ink compatibility.
- THOUGHTFUL DESIGN: Pocket (A6) size, 3.54 x 5.91 in., Flexcover construction, 80 gsm paper, and a four-piece set designed for detailed daily planning throughout 2027.
Can OKR check-ins be asynchronous?
The guidance supports check-ins as progress updates but does not require that every update happen in a meeting. A written update in the team’s existing work or goal system can serve when people can see it, understand the measure, and respond to issues. Bring people together only when discussion or a decision requires it; an asynchronous update should not become another form to fill out without a useful audience or outcome.
Use a midpoint review to adjust, not just report
At roughly the middle of the quarter, look across the goals and ask whether the current priorities and approach still make sense. Change course when the evidence calls for it; do not add a new meeting merely because the calendar says “midpoint.” Google’s OKR guide says some teams find midpoint check-ins helpful for staying focused, rather than prescribing them for every team. See Google re:Work’s guide to setting goals with OKRs.
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Close the quarter with results and lessons
At quarter end, summarize what happened, reflect on what helped or hindered progress, and close or score the goals if your framework calls for it. Carry useful lessons into the next planning cycle. Microsoft recommends reflecting, closing and scoring OKRs, sharing key learnings, and preparing for the upcoming period; Google’s guide also supports using check-ins to maintain focus.
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There is no established best tracking app or meeting schedule for every team. If you compare ways to track goals, judge them by whether they reduce manual entry, use the source of the existing metric, make progress visible to people who can act, support decisions rather than status reporting, and stay manageable to maintain. A tool that connects to an existing data source may help where duplicate updates are costly, but the sources do not provide a neutral product comparison.
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Tooling does not remove the underlying effort. A 2023 study of OKRs in software teams found that setting goals, measuring them, and tracking progress remain difficult regardless of tools. Its recommendations include investing in data pipelines, transparency, communication, learning communities, and a structured rollout. These findings concern the software teams studied; they should not be treated as a universal result for every organization. Read the study on OKRs in software teams.
