How to Build OKR Spreadsheets in Google Sheets & Excel

## 1. Manual ways to manage OKRs in spreadsheets### 1.1 Start from a proven template1. Pick where you’ll work: - **Google Sheets** if you need easy sharing and browser access. - **Excel** if you love desktop power features or work heavily with .xlsx files.2. Grab a template: - Perdoo’s Google Sheets template for small teams. - Generic templates from Smartsheet or HubSpot (they export to both Google Sheets and Excel).3. In Google Sheets, make a copy to your Drive (File → Make a copy). See Google’s guide: https://support.google.com/docs/answer/60002924. In Excel, download the .xlsx, open it, then immediately save it to OneDrive or SharePoint so it’s shareable. Microsoft’s guide: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/create-a-new-workbook-5f8e7c42-8061-4e3a-bc04-5c0b2597c1e3### 1.2 Define company, team, and personal OKRs1. In the **Company OKRs** tab, write 2–4 Objectives—short, inspiring sentences like “Double qualified pipeline in Q3.”2. For each Objective, define 2–4 Key Results with clear metrics: - “Increase SQLs from 120 to 250 per quarter.” - “Improve landing page CVR from 2.1% to 3.5%.”3. In team tabs (Sales, Marketing, CS, etc.), mirror the structure and link their Key Results to company goals.4. Add owners, baseline values, and target values for each KR.### 1.3 Set up a cadence for updates1. Add a row or column for **weekly check-ins** (Week 1–12 for a quarter).2. Every Friday, each owner updates the **Current Value** and a short comment.3. In Google Sheets, use basic formulas to calculate progress, e.g.: - `=(Current - Baseline) / (Target - Baseline)`4. In Excel, convert your KR ranges to **Tables** (Home → Format as Table) so formulas auto-fill. More on tables: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/create-and-format-tables-3f3fdffd-118e-4ca5-9c86-9e56264c4f53### 1.4 Build lightweight dashboards1. Create a **Dashboard** tab.2. Use `=AVERAGE()` to roll up KR completion by Objective or by team.3. Add simple charts: - Google Sheets: Insert → Chart; see https://support.google.com/docs/answer/63824 - Excel: Insert → Recommended Charts; see https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/create-a-chart-from-start-to-finish-0baf399f-3d19-4c62-9a8b-ff0c6a5c96b34. Use traffic-light formatting (red/amber/green) for quick status scanning.### 1.5 Run quarterly reviews1. Duplicate the file each quarter (Q1, Q2, etc.).2. Freeze last quarter’s numbers and add a “Score” column (0.0–1.0 or 0–100%).3. Add a “Lessons Learned” column per Objective to capture what to change next cycle.Pros (manual): total control, no extra tools, great for very small teams. Cons: lots of copy-paste, risk of human error, and updates quickly become a chore.---## 2. No-code automation for OKR spreadsheets### 2.1 Auto-import metrics from your toolsLet’s say a marketing agency tracks:- Leads and deals in a CRM- Spend and conversions in Google AdsUse no-code tools like **Zapier**, **Make**, or **n8n** to push these numbers into your OKR sheet.**Example: update a “Leads This Week” KR in Google Sheets**1. In Google Sheets, name the KR range (Data → Named ranges) so it’s easy to target.2. In Zapier: - Trigger: “New lead” in your CRM. - Action 1: “Lookup row in Google Sheets” by date. - Action 2: “Update row” to increment the Leads cell.3. Test and turn the Zap on.For Excel, use **Power Automate**:1. Store the workbook in OneDrive or SharePoint.2. In Power Automate, use the **Excel Online (Business)** connector.3. Flow: Trigger from your CRM → “Update a row” in the Excel table that holds KRs.4. Microsoft docs: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-automate/connection-excel ### 2.2 Automate weekly check-in reminders1. Keep a “Owner Email” column for each Objective in your sheet.2. With Zapier/Make: - Trigger: every Friday at 3pm. - Action: “Find rows” where Owner Email is set. - Action: “Send email” with a deep link to the exact range and a short summary of last week’s values.3. You can also log missed check-ins in a “Compliance” tab.### 2.3 Auto-build summary viewsUse built-in features before jumping to AI:- Google Sheets: FILTER, QUERY, and pivot tables to show “this quarter’s at-risk KRs.” Docs: https://support.google.com/docs/answer/7572895- Excel: PivotTables for rollups by owner, team, or Objective. Docs: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/create-a-pivottable-to-analyze-worksheet-data-a9a84538-bfe9-40a9-a8e9-f99134456576Pros (no-code): cuts down routine updating and reminders without code; great for operations teams. Cons: configuring Zaps/flows takes effort; logic lives across tools.---## 3. Scaling OKRs with AI agents (Simular)Now imagine an assistant that works directly on your desktop: it opens Google Sheets or Excel, logs into CRMs and ad accounts, and follows your playbook click by click. That’s where a computer-use AI agent like **Simular Pro** shines.### 3.1 Agent-driven OKR refresh from source systemsScenario: a B2B sales team wants Monday-morning OKR sheets updated before standup.Workflow:1. You record or describe a routine: - Open browser, log into CRM. - Export pipeline report. - Open Google Sheets OKR file. - Update “Pipeline created” and “Closed won” KRs.2. Simular Pro learns this multi-step workflow.3. On schedule, the agent: - Runs the report. - Calculates deltas vs. last week. - Updates the right cells in Google Sheets or Excel.**Pros:** end-to-end automation with no APIs, works across web apps, CRMs, and local Excel files. **Cons:** needs initial setup and careful testing so paths, logins, and sheet structures are stable.### 3.2 AI-generated weekly OKR narrativesInstead of managers typing long updates:1. Simular opens the OKR spreadsheet and reads changes in KR values over the last 7 days.2. It also opens relevant tabs (CRM dashboard, ads manager) for context.3. The agent drafts a narrative summary per Objective: - “We’re at 68% of the SQL target, up 12% week-over-week, driven mainly by LinkedIn ads.”4. It pastes those summaries into a “Check-in Notes” column or a linked Google Doc.**Pros:** leaders get story plus numbers without writing time, great for agencies reporting to clients. **Cons:** needs human review early on to ensure tone and focus match your culture.### 3.3 Multi-team scaling with reliable runsFor larger organizations or agencies with many clients:1. Give each client or team its own OKR spreadsheet (Google Sheets or Excel).2. Configure a Simular agent to: - Loop through a list of sheet URLs or file paths. - Run the same refresh and summarization routine per file. - Log outcomes and screenshots for auditability.3. Trigger it via webhook from your pipeline or on a cron-like schedule.**Pros:** production-grade reliability—thousands of steps across dozens of files, all traceable. **Cons:** you’ll want a simple governance layer (who owns which workflow, when it runs, and how errors get flagged).Used together, manual discipline, no-code automations, and AI agents give you a layered system: spreadsheets for clarity, no-code for quick wins, and AI agents for fully delegated, at-scale OKR operations.