Close and score an OKR
Last updated: September 4, 2026
You close an OKR or Initiative with a check-in whose status is Closed. Closing asks for a score from 0.1 to 1.0 that says how much of the target you achieved, and it can close everything aligned underneath the goal in the same step. Closed goals keep their history, still count toward their parent's progress, and can be reopened.
When to close
Close an OKR when its time period has ended, when the target is met and the work is done, or when you are deliberately stopping the work and not carrying it into a later period. If the work is paused and may resume, use Postponed instead.
| Closed | Postponed | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | Required (or "No score") | None |
| Counts toward the parent's progress | Yes, with its final progress | No; its contribution weight becomes 0% and is not restored on reactivation |
| Check-in reminders | Stop | Stop |
| Auto-updates and rollup on the goal itself | Pause | Pause |
| Meaning | Finished | Parked |
Close an OKR
- Open the OKR and click Check in.
- Record the final value or progress if it is not already up to date.
- Set the status to Closed. A Score field appears.
- Pick a score. Rhythms marks the score it recommends from the final progress with "(Recommended)"; you can choose any value from 0.1 to 1.0, or No score.
- If the goal has children, decide whether to tick Also close everything under this Objective (or Key Result, or Initiative). See the next section.
- Write the final note and submit the check-in.
The goal now shows Closed and its score. The full check-in history stays on the activity timeline.
Close the children at the same time
When a check-in closes a goal that has children, the form offers Also close everything under this goal. Ticking it gives every open goal beneath it, at every level, its own closing check-in with the note "Closed together with Objective '<title>'", created by you at the same time. Rhythms skips a descendant, and everything under it, when you do not have permission to check in on it, when it is also aligned to another goal that is still open, or when its parent is still a draft. Children that are already Closed or Postponed are left as they are. After submitting, a message tells you how many aligned goals were closed and how many were skipped, and the parent's rollup runs once with the final state of the whole subtree.
The scoring scale
The recommended score follows the final progress:
| Final progress | Recommended score | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 81% to 100% | 1.0 | Met or exceeded the target |
| 61% to 80% | 0.7 | Strong result, close to target |
| 41% to 60% | 0.5 | Meaningful progress, about halfway |
| 21% to 40% | 0.3 | Some progress, well short |
| 0% to 20% | 0 | Little or no progress |
Scores measure achievement, not effort. Adjust the recommendation when you have context the number lacks: the target turned out to be unrealistic, an external factor intervened, or the work delivered the intended impact by another route. A conversion-rate Key Result that reached 22% against a 25% target (88% progress) is recommended 1.0; score it 0.7 if you know execution, not the target, was the problem. Choose No score when scoring does not apply, such as a qualitative goal or a metric that changed mid-period.
What to put in the final note
- The final outcome, in numbers where possible.
- Why you chose this score.
- What worked, what did not, and what you would change.
- Whether the goal moved its parent Objective.
- Whether to continue the goal next period and with what target.
Example: "Closed at 0.7. We reached 22% trial-to-paid conversion against a 25% target, but average contract value rose 40% because we focused on enterprise trials, so revenue impact exceeded the Objective. Enterprise trials have longer cycles; next quarter's target should be 20% conversion at $50K+ ACV."
Frequently asked questions
Can I reopen a closed OKR? Yes. Check in again with an active status such as On Track, or open the closing check-in on the activity timeline and change its status. Either way the score is cleared, because a score only applies while the goal is Closed.
Can I change the score after closing? Yes. Open the closing check-in on the activity timeline and pick a different score. Anyone who can check in on the goal can edit its manual check-ins, as can the person who wrote the check-in.
Should I close the Key Results before the Objective? Closing each child with its own note and score gives you the richest record. If that is not needed, close the Objective with "Also close everything under this Objective" ticked and each child gets a closing check-in referencing the Objective.
Does a closed Key Result still count toward its Objective? Yes. A closed child keeps contributing its final progress and its status counts as Closed in status rollup. A postponed child stops contributing.
What does Rhythms stop doing once a goal is closed? Check-in reminders stop, connected auto-updates and their playbooks pause, and the goal is no longer updated from its children. Its history, score and place in the hierarchy are kept. To remove it entirely, see How to Delete OKRs in Rhythms.
What is a good score? Around 0.7 usually means success on an ambitious target. A 0.5 with lessons that reshape next quarter is worth more than a 1.0 on a target that was never in doubt.