OKRs (Objectives and Key Results)

Origin. Andy Grove at Intel (1970s); popularized by John Doerr at Google.

Mechanism. Separates the qualitative goal (Objective) from the quantitative measures of progress (Key Results). The Objective is ambitious and inspirational; the Key Results are specific, measurable, and time-bound. The pairing ensures that ambition is grounded in observable evidence.

Procedure. Set 3-5 Objectives per cycle (typically quarterly). For each Objective, define 3-5 Key Results that would indicate achievement. Key Results should be measurable: you can tell unambiguously whether they were achieved. Score at end of cycle: 0.7-1.0 is success; consistently hitting 1.0 means objectives aren't ambitious enough.

Applies to. Goal-setting at individual, team, and organizational levels; alignment across an organization.

Limitations. Key Results become the goal, and the Objective is forgotten (Goodhart's law again). OKRs proliferate until tracking them is itself a job. Stretch goals combined with performance evaluation create perverse incentives to sandbag. The system works when OKRs are for alignment and learning, not for reward and punishment.