When teams set goals together, clarity isn’t just about what the goal is - it’s about who can see it, update it, and move it forward.
OKRs Tool is built to support fast-moving startups that need transparency without chaos. That means giving the right people the right access - and keeping sensitive settings protected.
Let’s break down how OKRs Tool handles goal visibility, team permissions, and user roles across your organization.
User Roles: Who Can Do What
We keep it simple, with three permission levels that match how most teams operate:
1. Org Admin
Org admins are your power users - usually founders, ops leads, or department heads.
They can:
- Access and edit organization-wide settings (like logo, name, default OKR cycle)
- Add or remove users, teams, and team members
- View and join any team
- Manage OKR cycles across the entire company
- Assign other users as org admins
- Control billing & subscription settings
Visibility: Org admins can see everything.
2. Team Lead
Team leads manage their own teams - think product managers, team leads, or function heads.
They can:
- Add or remove members from their own team
- Create OKR cycles
- Manage OKRs for their team
- Create new teams
Visibility: Team leads see and control their team’s OKRs and members.
3. Team Member
Team members are the heart of day-to-day OKR execution.
They can:
- View all OKRs within their team
- See who else is on their team
- Update the current values of their OKRs (e.g., progress on a key result)
Visibility: Team members only see what’s relevant - their team’s goals.
Goal Visibility: What Each Role Sees
Here’s a quick breakdown of what each user role can see and do inside OKRs Tool — so everyone gets the right access, without the noise
This structure means that:
- Teams stay focused on their own work
- Leaders get the visibility they need to manage progress
- Admins keep control of the whole organization
Managing Organization Settings
Only Org Admins can access the Settings section of OKRs Tool.
They can:
- Change the org name, industry, logo, and default OKR cycle
- Update billing details and manage plans
- Control who else gets admin privileges
Pro tip: Don’t have a logo yet? Add your company name - we’ll remind you to upload your brand later.
Why This Matters
OKRs only work when there’s alignment.
That doesn’t mean everyone needs to see everything - it means they need to see what matters most to them.
OKRs Tool is built for:
- Transparency where it counts
- Ownership where it matters
- Admin controls where it’s critical
You get all the flexibility of spreadsheets - but none of the permission nightmares.
When Teams Don’t Define Roles Clearly
When teams don’t take visibility and permissions seriously, chaos creeps in. Either everyone sees everything—or no one sees what they need. And neither works.
Here are the most common pitfalls:
- Too much visibility:
If everyone sees every team’s goals and key results, focus blurs. People waste time scrolling through irrelevant OKRs, and cross-functional noise drowns out what matters. - Too little visibility:
On the flip side, if OKRs are locked away in silos, teams start duplicating efforts—or worse, working at cross-purposes. Alignment breaks down, and leadership loses the full picture. - No ownership:
When multiple people “sort of” own a goal, no one does. Without clear editing rights and role boundaries, OKRs become passive checklists instead of active drivers.
OKRs Tool solves all three.
With role-based access baked in from day one, you control who can see what, who can edit, and who owns outcomes. Admins have oversight, leads manage their teams, and team members stay focused on what they’re accountable for.
Best Practices for Managing Permissions
You don’t need a heavy process to manage access and visibility. But you do need intent. Here are a few simple best practices we see working well:
- Promote team leads who are accountable, not just senior.
Role-based access works best when it matches real responsibility—not just job titles. - Review permissions quarterly.
Use your OKR planning cycle to audit roles. As teams grow or shift focus, update ownership to match. - Avoid shared logins or giving everyone admin rights.
It’s tempting in small teams, but it creates confusion. Clear roles = clear accountability.
OKRs Tool makes this easy to manage, with intuitive role settings and a structure that scales as your team grows.
