OKR (Objectives and Key Results): meaning

OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) are a method for setting and reviewing goals that ties a qualitative objective to a small number of measurable key results, over windows that are typically quarterly. Each qualitative objective (Objective) is paired with three to five quantitative key results (Key Results). OKRs describe the leap in state the company wants to achieve within a defined horizon: they do not measure current health, but the distance from the desired destination. They differ sharply from Management by Objectives (MBO) in their quarterly cadence, their clear separation between setting goals and evaluating people, and their explicit ambition.

Distinctive: leap in state
Distinctive: explicit ambition
Essential: qualitative objective
Essential: measurable key results
Essential: windows that are typically quarterly
Constant: three to five quantitative key results
Constant: clear separation between setting goals and evaluating people

Glossary

OKR (Objectives and Key Results)

A method for setting and reviewing goals that ties a qualitative objective to a small number of measurable key results, over windows that are typically quarterly.