---
name: okrs
description: Use when asked to "set OKRs", "objectives and key results", "quarterly OKR planning", "align objectives", "measure OKR progress", or "focus priorities with OKRs". Helps teams focus on what matters most and create a cadence of progress. The OKR framework (originated by Andy Grove at Intel, popularized by John Doerr at Google) creates alignment, focus, and learning cycles. Christina Wodtke's Radical Focus approach emphasizes simplicity and avoiding common pitfalls.
---

# OKRs (Objectives and Key Results)

## What It Is

OKRs are a goal-setting framework that creates focus, alignment, and a learning cycle for teams and organizations. The core insight: **set one ambitious objective per quarter with 2-3 measurable key results, then check in weekly to maintain focus.**

The key shift: Move from tracking activities ("What are we doing?") to tracking outcomes ("What progress are we making toward our goals?").

OKRs are a vitamin, not a medicine. They supercharge companies that already have their fundamentals in place (strategy, empowered teams, psychological safety). They won't fix broken organizations - they'll just reveal what's broken.

## When to Use It

Use OKRs when you need to:

- **Focus the team** on the single most important thing for the quarter
- **Align the organization** so everyone knows what matters most
- **Create accountability** with measurable outcomes (not just activities)
- **Build a learning cycle** through weekly check-ins and quarterly retrospectives
- **Scale leadership** so founders/executives don't need to micromanage
- **Accelerate progress** by avoiding the "peanut butter" problem of spreading effort too thin

## When Not to Use It

- You don't have a clear strategy (OKRs reveal missing strategy, they don't replace it)
- Your company lacks psychological safety
- You want to track ALL the work (OKRs are for priorities, not comprehensive task lists)
- Teams aren't empowered to decide HOW to achieve outcomes

## Resources

**Books:**
- *Radical Focus* (2nd Edition) by Christina Wodtke
- *Measure What Matters* by John Doerr
- *High Output Management* by Andy Grove