OKR vs Scrum: Understanding the Integration in Agile Frameworks

OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) and Scrum are popular frameworks that enhance organizational productivity and engagement. While OKRs are utilized for setting ambitious, measurable goals, Scrum focuses on achieving specific short-term objectives through an iterative, collaborative approach. 

However, each of those frameworks is only a piece of the puzzle — and their full potential can only be unlocked by integrating OKRs and Scrum. Here’s how to do it with OKR Board for Jira.

The Basics of OKR

OKRs help teams and individuals set and track measurable goals through clearly defined Objectives and Key Results.

The Objectives are the strategic tasks your team (department, company, etc.) wants to achieve. Good Objectives are:

• Ambitious yet achievable: They should stretch the team to achieve more but remain realistic enough to be attainable.

• Qualitative and motivational: They should describe desired outcomes and inspire action.

• Simple and concise: An objective should be easily understandable and ideally not exceed one sentence.

The Key Results turn Objectives into quantifiable outcomes. They should be specific and measurable to track progress effectively. Good Key Results are:

• Specific: Each Key Result should be clear and easily understood.

• Measurable: For example, "Increase revenue by 20%" is quantifiable, whereas "Improve customer satisfaction" is less specific without a metric.

• Achievable: Key Results should require effort and initiative to push the team beyond its comfort zone without being unattainable.

• Relevant: Each Key Result must contribute to achieving its Objective.

• Time-bound: Key Results must have a timeline or deadline by which they should be achieved. Generally, this is represented by the OKR cycle — but you can also specify it directly.

For example, a Quality Assurance (QA) team might align their OKR with the company-wide goal of improving user satisfaction as follows:

• [O] Decrease the number of user-reported bugs in Q3.

  • [KR] Increase test coverage from 70% to 80%.

  • [KR] Implement automated regression testing to catch 90% of new bugs.

  • [KR] Implement a test case management system.

The Scrum Framework

Scrum is an Agile framework that breaks large projects into smaller, manageable units called Sprints — short, time-bound periods typically lasting two weeks. The purpose of a Sprint is to produce a valuable and useful Increment of working product.

Sprints make projects more manageable, allow teams to ship high-quality work faster and more frequently, and give them more flexibility to adapt to change.

How to Combine OKRs and Scrum

OKRs and Scrum are generally compatible and do not clash. However, to maximize their synergy, you should learn how to combine them properly into a single “OKRs Scrum” machine.

Roles and Responsibilities

Two roles in the Scrum framework must be expanded when combining OKR and Scrum.

• Scrum Master. The Scrum Master is primarily responsible for promoting and supporting Scrum by helping everyone understand Scrum theory, practices, rules, and values. In OKRs, this role can be combined with a similar OKR role — OKR Shepard. They must become a framework champion and expert, guiding the team in aligning daily tasks with broader goals and connecting OKR and Agile into a single powerful system.

• Product Owner: The Product Owner is responsible for maximizing the product's value resulting from the Scrum Team's work. With OKRs, they Define what success looks like for the project and set OKRs that reflect strategic priorities. They ensure the team understands the reasons behind tasks and help adjust goals based on feedback and results.

Scrum Goals and OKRs

Scrum goals, defined during sprint planning, must be aligned with OKRs to ensure every sprint advances towards larger strategic objectives. For example, you might want to align your Sprint Goals with your Key Results.

Open

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Let’s return to the QA OKR examples used above:

• [O] Decrease the number of user-reported bugs in Q3.

  • [KR] Increase test coverage from 70% to 80%.

  • [KR] Implement automated regression testing to catch 90% of new bugs.

  • [KR] Implement a test case management system.

Based on them, a team might want to spend a Sprint to set up the automated regression testing, another to set up a test case management system, and another few Sprints to increase test coverage.
This way, they will be able to sufficiently cover this Objective and complete tasks aligned with it.

OKRs Are About Change

This might seem obvious, especially if you are familiar with the framework, but OKRs should not contain everything your team does. OKRs should drive significant changes in the company.
You do not need to link every day-to-day task that is considered Business as Usual to your OKRs.

It’s OK to have Sprints that are not about any of the OKRs and are just dedicated to hitting your KPIs or doing routine tasks that need to be done.

Combining OKRs and Scrum within OKR Board for Jira

1. Establish your Objectives. Click Objectives on the Home screen. Click Create, pick the OKR Level (for a primer on those, refer to the OKR Alignment and Breakdown Guide), describe your goal, and select the OKR owner.

2. Establish your Key Results. Click on the Objective to open it, then click Create Key Result inside the Objective and select Key Result from the dropdown menu. You can have multiple Key Results per Objective. We recommend having  3-5 Key Results to keep everyone focused.

3. Link a Jira Epic to the Key Result. Open the Key Result, then click Add Nested Item.

   1. If you already have a suitable Jira Issue, click Link Jira Issue, then search for the Epic (Story, Task) via the Issue number or title.

   2. If you do not have a suitable Jira Issue, click Create Jira Issue in the dropdown menu. Select Epic as the Issue Type*, then fill in the Jira fields as you normally would. 

Now, OKR board will calculate the progress of your OKRs based on the progress of the nested Jira Issues.

4. Add Stories, Tasks, and Sub-tasks to add granularity. If the top-level issue is linked to a Key Result, the KR status will be updated based on their completion.

Repeat the process for other Objectives and Key Results until you have your strategic and tactical Objectives mapped out through Jira and OKR Board. From here on out, all your linked OKRs will be tracked automatically.

Connecting Sprints and OKRs with JQL

To link entire Sprints to a single Key Result using OKR Board for Jira, you will have to use JQL — Jira Query Language. It allows you to send custom requests to Jira and retrieve specified information. JQL may look intimidating if you have never used it, but the process should be straightforward as long as you follow the steps below.

To Attach a Sprint to the Key Result:

1. Click “+” near OKR if you would like Jira issues connected to

2. Choose JQL tab

3. Search for your issues in Jira using JQL and click the search button. For example:

   1. [Project =”MAR” and Sprint = “Sprint 2”] without square brackets will let you link all issues of Sprint 2 that are part of Project MAR. MAR is the Project prefix, set during the Project creation.

4. Check the number of issues the search brings up — if necessary, open them in the new tab and check the list itself.

5. Click “Link” to attach all found issues to the KR.

Conclusion

The integration of OKR and Scrum optimizes productivity and fosters a culture of continuous improvement.
OKR Board for Jira combines these frameworks into a powerful Scrum OKR structure that directly bridges the gap between strategic objectives and day-to-day execution.

To learn more about the integration between these frameworks, sign up for the OKR Accelerator program. This is an Oboard Original training course that will teach you all you need to know about OKR implementation.

Alternatively, our Consulting team will happily tailor your OKRs and Scrum implementation to perfection!