OboardOKIARRuns inside Jira. OKIAR has no Jira integration.Oboard migration: taking OKRs out of Jira without losing the structure
Facts checked October 27, 2026
Oboard's OKR Board runs inside Jira, and that's the hard part of leaving. Many of your key results are probably Jira issues whose progress moves when tickets close. The export will give you those issue keys as text. The live link stops working the moment goals live somewhere else, and OKIAR has no Jira integration to rebuild it. This guide covers what Oboard can export, how to turn issue-driven key results into numbers someone owns, and what you give up.
Steps 1 and 2 apply to any tool. Steps 3 to 5 cover OKIAR.
Before you start: how Oboard stores OKRs
A few terms from Oboard's feature list and setup guide shape your export:
- Workspaces hold OKRs, and each is public or private. The CSV export covers one whole workspace.
- Levels are your own, such as Company, Group or Department.
- Intervals are time periods: yearly, quarterly or monthly, plus a backlog.
- Elements are objectives, key results or linked Jira issues. A key result can be %, Binary or Metric, with an initial value and a target.
- Grades are progress, set by hand or worked out from linked issues. Custom weights change how much each child counts.
Oboard's site puts the grade bands at At Risk 0 to 40%, Behind 40 to 70% and On Track 70 to 100%, the same cut-offs OKIAR uses for pacing.
Step 1: Pick an Oboard export
| Export | Where | Format | Scope | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Export, filtered | Export button, top right of the OKR view | Excel | The OKRs your filters show | One interval at a time |
| Export, whole workspace | Same button | CSV | Every OKR in the workspace | A complete backup |
| Dashboard PDF | Home page or custom dashboard | A snapshot of progress | Your archive | |
| Public API | Settings, Integrations, API Tokens | JSON | Workspaces, intervals, elements, users | Data per element, scripts |
| Debug-mode .zip | Server or Data Center, Debug mode | .zip | The whole app's data | Moving to Oboard Cloud only |
The Export button
Oboard's support team confirmed on the Atlassian Community: "Simply click the 'Export' button in the upper right corner." Filter to the current interval first if you want an Excel file sized for import. Run the whole-workspace CSV as well and keep it as your backup. Oboard doesn't publish the column list, so open each file and note what's there before you plan anything else.
The API
Oboard's public API docs say you create a token under Settings, Integrations, API Tokens and send it in an API-Token header. Cloud calls go to backend.okr-api.com. The limit is five requests a second per organisation. Elements can be filtered by workspace, interval, group, label, level, grade type and element type, where type separates objectives, key results and Jira issues. A developer can save every element into one JSON file.
The .zip you shouldn't use
Oboard's Cloud migration page describes an "Export to .zip" in Debug mode on Server and Data Center. It exists for moving into Oboard Cloud, and app settings don't travel with it. Use the Excel, CSV or API routes when leaving Oboard.
Step 2: Sort the Jira issues from the real key results
Before you plan the move, go through the export:
- Count the rows of each element type. Linked Jira issues can outnumber objectives and key results.
- For each key result graded from Jira issues, write down the number it really tracks, for example "8 of 12 epics shipped."
- Check every child has a parent in the file. Oboard lets OKRs link to key results, which can make the tree deeper than three levels.
- Flag owners who have left. Oboard users come from Jira, so check each owner still works for you.
If you'd rather stay in Atlassian
Some teams moving off Oboard pick another Jira-side tool. Atlassian Goals has no bulk upload for goals, so plan to re-enter them. Jira Align is the enterprise option; see our 
Jira Align migration guide and the 
Atlassian Goals migration guide. The Oboard alternatives page compares all six choices.
Step 3: Rebuild the workspace in OKIAR
Use the filtered Excel file for the interval you're in. OKIAR's sign-up guide takes spreadsheets, CSV, PDF, Word, text and Markdown up to 5 MB, and the import reads Convert API output to CSV before upload. It carries owners, teams and parent links into a draft. Review it, then accept.
- Join free, with no card. The beta plan has no cap on people, and you stop paying per Jira user.
- Upload one interval's export, minus the rows that are only Jira issues.
- Read through the draft objectives and key results.
- Map Oboard groups to OKIAR teams, then invite people as Admin, Manager, Contributor or Viewer.
- Check the levels nest the way they did in Oboard.
- Copy custom weights onto key results. OKIAR supports weighting.
- Turn each issue-driven key result into a number with a start, target and unit.
- Hook up Slack, then go over the plan with each group lead.
Where each Oboard field goes in OKIAR
| Oboard | OKIAR | Look at |
|---|---|---|
| Workspace | Your OKIAR organisation | One workspace per upload |
| Level (Company, Group, Department) | Objective level | Custom levels |
| Group | Team | Groups synced from Jira |
| Objective | Objective | Private workspace items |
| Key result: % or Metric | Key result with start, target, unit and direction | Initial values |
| Key result: Binary | A 0 to 1 key result | Results that are really tasks |
| Linked Jira issue | Text in the key result description | Lost live updates |
| Grade | Current progress | Auto grades frozen at export |
| Custom weights | Key result weights | Manual weights only |
| Interval | Period: quarter, year or custom | Monthly intervals and the backlog |
| Owner | Objective owners; extra owners optional | Jira-only accounts |
| Labels | Description text | Priority labels |
| Comments | Archive; new notes go in check-ins | Context you want to keep |
All 13 fields shown.
Grades and statuses side by side
OKIAR's objective doc sets status from pacing, which means progress against where you should be by today, and lets you change it by hand.
| Oboard | OKIAR | Rule in OKIAR |
|---|---|---|
| On Track | On track | Pacing 0.7 or more |
| Behind | Behind | 0.4 to 0.69 |
| At Risk | At risk | Below 0.4 |
| Not started, Closed, Abandoned | Same names | Set by hand |
| Backlog | Leave out of the import |
Step 4: Life after Jira
This is the real cost of the move. In Oboard, closing an issue moved a grade. OKIAR has no Jira integration, so someone has to enter that progress. Two ways to keep it light:
- Owners check in once a week by voice or text.
- An assistant connected over OKIAR's MCP server updates current values and files check-ins. It follows each person's role and team, and it can create objectives, key results and KPIs.
Oboard sends reminders to Slack, Microsoft Teams, Discord and email. OKIAR posts to Slack channels and direct messages, or to Telegram. There's no Teams app. Confluence macros and Jira gadgets have no OKIAR version.
Step 5: The first check-in without Jira
- Pick each team's check-in day and template.
- Ask owners to report progress, a 0 to 10 confidence score and blockers.
- Read the weekly summary in sprint review or a team meeting.
- Look at Insights after the first month for goals that stall.
Five check-in prompts are in our weekly check-in template.
Run your next quarter in OKIAR
Free during beta, with no credit card.
Frequently asked questions
How do I export OKRs from Oboard?
Use the Export button at the top right. Filtered views export to Excel; the whole workspace exports to CSV.
Do Jira issue links survive the move?
As text only. Issue keys come out in the export, but OKIAR has no Jira integration, so progress no longer updates from tickets.
Are custom weights kept?
Yes, if you copy them across. OKIAR supports key result weights, and goal import reads the values in your file.
Can I use Oboard's .zip export?
It's meant for moving between Oboard installations and leaves out app settings. Use Excel, CSV or the API instead.
Will OKIAR handle the migration?
Migration help is available if you want it; you can also run the upload and review yourself.
What does OKIAR cost?
The beta is free: no card, no caps on objectives, key results, KPIs or members. It has no set end date, and Okiar is already live today. Pro is listed as "TBD/seat/month".
Moving off a larger Atlassian planning tool too? Read the Jira Align migration guide.
Rebuild this quarter's OKRs in OKIAR, free during beta
No credit card, no caps on objectives, key results, KPIs or team members. Goal import reads your Oboard Excel or CSV export.