We study ultrafast laser pulse properties as they propagate through optical systems. A modified definition of Strehl ratio is used to quantify the chromatic and temporal behavior of ultrafast laser pulses at the optical focus. We propose this parameter as a figure of merit for the design and analysis of optical systems with ultrafast illumination. A simple method to obtain approximate numerical solutions is given with the help of ray tracing software. Effects of monochromatic aberrations and material dispersion up to the second order are discussed.