Check in progress

Check-ins explain progress changes

Use a Check-in when progress changes, risk changes, or the team needs context. A silent number change tells people where the Key Result is now. A Check-in tells them why it moved, what changed, and what should happen next.

Check-ins are especially useful before weekly reviews, leadership updates, retrospectives, and Snapshots. They keep progress from living only in meetings and chat.

The Session Check-in cadence sets the expected rhythm. If the Session is weekly, owners should expect to update Key Results weekly. If the Session is every two weeks or monthly, the review rhythm should match that cadence. See Manage Session cadence when the rhythm itself needs to change.

Availability and permissions

Where to add a Check-in

Open Goals/OKRs → Session → Objective → Key Result or the relevant detail view. Use the Check-in action on the item whose progress you are updating. Some teams Check in on Key Results most often, while Objectives can also carry status or progress context.

If you cannot find the action, check whether the item is read-only or whether you have permission to update progress. Use Troubleshoot OKR permissions.

What to include

The note is not decoration. It is the part people read later when they ask why the graph moved.

Write useful Check-in notes

Check in with custom units

If the Key Result uses a custom unit, update progress in the same unit. Do not mix percentages, days, hours, and item counts unless the Key Result was designed for that structure.

Examples:

What updates after a Check-in

After a Check-in saves, progress should be visible wherever that Goals/OKRs item is summarized: List, Tree, detail view, sidebar, and Snapshots created after the update. If one view looks stale, refresh before entering another Check-in.

Inbox notifications follow the workspace notification rules and item access. Key Result owners, collaborators, or assigned people can receive an Inbox item when someone else updates progress. See Use Inbox and Manage notifications.

Check-in notifications are not a substitute for sharing the right context. If the update depends on work inside an Initiative, make sure the relevant people can open the connected canvas.

Examples

A Key Result says Reduce access-related support conversations by 30%. The team rewrites the workspace sharing docs. The Check-in should not only say 20%. It should say what changed: Updated workspace roles, sharing, and invite recovery docs. First-week support volume is down 12%, but deactivated-member questions remain high.

A Key Result says Publish 30 Help Center articles. The Check-in can say Workspace, collaboration, and Inbox articles are drafted. 15 of 30 complete. OKR and AI Studio articles remain.

Permission and visibility notes

Check-in permission may be narrower than view permission. If you can read the Key Result but cannot update it, ask the owner or workspace admin to confirm your role.

Archived Sessions are for historical review. Reopen or duplicate according to workspace policy instead of forcing a new Check-in into the wrong Session.

If a connected Initiative is complete but the Key Result did not move, do not fake progress. Add a Check-in that explains the gap.

If your workspace uses Inbox notifications for mentions inside Initiative canvases, those mention notifications follow the canvas and Inbox behavior. The OKR Check-in should still describe the measurable progress change.

Common mistakes

Do not update only the number when the status changed. Add context.

Do not mark a Key Result on track because the Initiative canvas is busy. A Key Result measures the outcome, not activity.

Do not enter the same Check-in twice after a slow save. Refresh first.

Do not use vague notes like updated or done. Future reviewers need the reason.

Do not wait for a Snapshot to explain stale progress. A Snapshot can preserve the stale state, but the Check-in is where the owner explains what happened.

Recover when a Check-in fails

If the save fails, copy the note before refreshing if possible. Then refresh the item and confirm whether the Check-in appears.

If progress appears in the detail view but not the list, refresh the list. If the mismatch remains, capture the Objective or Key Result link and time, then contact support.

If you cannot edit, check Goals/OKRs permission, Session archive state, active workspace, and signed-in account.

If the Check-in triggered the wrong notification or none at all, review Manage notifications and confirm the people involved still have access to the item.

If a Check-in is missing from a Snapshot, confirm the Snapshot week or review period. A current Check-in will not change a past read-only Snapshot.