1 OKR examples for Security Audits

What are Security Audits OKRs?

The Objective and Key Results (OKR) framework is a simple goal-setting methodology that was introduced at Intel by Andy Grove in the 70s. It became popular after John Doerr introduced it to Google in the 90s, and it's now used by teams of all sizes to set and track ambitious goals at scale.

Writing good OKRs can be hard, especially if it's your first time doing it. You'll need to center the focus of your plans around outcomes instead of projects.

We understand that setting OKRs can be challenging, so we have prepared a set of examples tailored for Security Audits. Take a peek at the templates below to find inspiration and kickstart your goal-setting process.

If you want to learn more about the framework, you can read more about the OKR meaning online.

Best practices for managing your Security Audits OKRs

Generally speaking, your objectives should be ambitious yet achievable, and your key results should be measurable and time-bound (using the SMART framework can be helpful). It is also recommended to list strategic initiatives under your key results, as it'll help you avoid the common mistake of listing projects in your KRs.

Here are a couple of best practices extracted from our OKR implementation guide 👇

Tip #1: Limit the number of key results

The #1 role of OKRs is to help you and your team focus on what really matters. Business-as-usual activities will still be happening, but you do not need to track your entire roadmap in the OKRs.

We recommend having 3-4 objectives, and 3-4 key results per objective. A platform like Tability can run audits on your data to help you identify the plans that have too many goals.

Tability's audit dashboard will highlight opportunities to improve OKRs

Tip #2: Commit to the weekly check-ins

Don't fall into the set-and-forget trap. It is important to adopt a weekly check-in process to get the full value of your OKRs and make your strategy agile – otherwise this is nothing more than a reporting exercise.

Being able to see trends for your key results will also keep yourself honest.

Tability's check-ins will save you hours and increase transparency

Tip #3: No more than 2 yellow statuses in a row

Yes, this is another tip for goal-tracking instead of goal-setting (but you'll get plenty of OKR examples below). But, once you have your goals defined, it will be your ability to keep the right sense of urgency that will make the difference.

As a rule of thumb, it's best to avoid having more than 2 yellow/at risk statuses in a row.

Make a call on the 3rd update. You should be either back on track, or off track. This sounds harsh but it's the best way to signal risks early enough to fix things.

Building your own Security Audits OKRs with AI

While we have some examples below, it's likely that you'll have specific scenarios that aren't covered here. There are 2 options available to you.

Use our free OKRs generator
Use Tability, a complete platform to set and track OKRs and initiatives
including a GPT-4 powered goal generator

Best way to track your Security Audits OKRs

Quarterly OKRs should have weekly updates to get all the benefits from the framework. Reviewing progress periodically has several advantages:

It brings the goals back to the top of the mind
It will highlight poorly set OKRs
It will surface execution risks
It improves transparency and accountability

Most teams should start with a spreadsheet if they're using OKRs for the first time. Then, once you get comfortable you can graduate to a proper OKRs-tracking tool.

Tability's Strategy Map makes it easy to see all your org's OKRs

If you're not yet set on a tool, you can check out the 5 best OKR tracking templates guide to find the best way to monitor progress during the quarter.

Security Audits OKRs templates

We've covered most of the things that you need to know about setting good OKRs and tracking them effectively. It's now time to give you a series of templates that you can use for inspiration!

You'll find below a list of Objectives and Key Results templates for Security Audits. We also included strategic projects for each template to make it easier to understand the difference between key results and projects.

Hope you'll find this helpful!

OKRs to enhance company security standards to safeguard against potential threats

Enhance company security standards to safeguard against potential threats
Achieve a 100% completion rate of all recommended security updates and patches
Conduct routine audits to ensure all devices and systems have the latest security patches
Provide ongoing training and awareness programs to educate employees on the importance of installing security updates
Implement an automated system to regularly scan and identify available security updates
Establish a policy for prompt installation and deployment of all identified security updates
Implement a comprehensive training program on cybersecurity for all employees
Create an online platform to provide ongoing access to cybersecurity resources and learning materials
Schedule regular training sessions to ensure all employees receive cybersecurity education
Assign qualified trainers to deliver interactive and engaging cybersecurity training sessions
Develop a customized cybersecurity training curriculum tailored to different employee roles
Reduce the average response time to security incidents by 20%
Streamline incident response workflows to remove unnecessary steps and improve efficiency
Develop a clear escalation process and ensure all stakeholders are aware and trained
Conduct regular simulations and exercises to enhance incident response readiness and identify areas for improvement
Implement automated monitoring systems to identify and alert on security incidents promptly
Increase the frequency of security audits to at least once every quarter
Assign specific personnel responsible for conducting security audits
Develop a standardized reporting format for security audit findings and recommendations
Implement regular communication channels to track and monitor security audit progress
Review and update security audit checklist to ensure comprehensive coverage

Track these OKRs

More Security Audits OKR templates

We have more templates to help you draft your team goals and OKRs.

OKRs resources

Here are a list of resources to help you adopt the Objectives and Key Results framework.

To learn: Complete 2024 OKR cheat sheet
Blog posts: ODT Blog
Success metrics: KPIs examples