---
name: okr-goal-setting-stinger
license: AGPL-3.0-or-later
description: "Write and audit OKRs. Use for measurable key results, quarterly cadence, grading, or OKR-vs-KPI decisions. Read README.md for the guide map."
---

# okr-goal-setting-stinger

OKR methodology specialist skill. Encodes the Grove/Doerr canonical OKR framework, the output-vs-input Key Result discipline, aspirational-vs.-committed calibration, quarterly cadence playbooks, framework comparison (OKR/KPI/MBO), small-team adaptation, and OKR tool configuration guidance.

**Read this file first. Then open the relevant guide for the specific task.**

---

## When this stinger applies

Invoke `okr-goal-setting-wasp-drone` when the user needs to:

- Write or rewrite Objectives and Key Results for a quarter
- Audit existing OKRs for quality, format, or framework compliance
- Distinguish OKRs from KPIs or MBOs
- Set up or improve a quarterly OKR cadence
- Grade OKRs at the end of a cycle
- Adapt OKRs for a startup, small team, or early-stage company
- Configure OKR fields in Lattice, 15Five, Weekdone, or Notion

Do NOT invoke for:
- Authoring company strategy (that is an executive responsibility)
- Engineering roadmap or sprint planning (`agile-scrum-wasp-drone` owns Scrum; domain Angels own implementation)
- General project management tool configuration beyond OKR-specific fields

---

## Critical principles

These are load-bearing. Read `guides/00-principles.md` for full justification.

1. **Output KRs only.** Key Results must measure outcomes, not activities. "Ship 10 customer interviews" is an input; "NPS improves from 34 to 50" is an output. Rewrite input KRs on sight. See `guides/03-writing-key-results.md`.

2. **Never link OKRs to compensation without explicit user instruction.** Compensation linkage destroys honest scoring. Grove and Doerr both prohibit it. See `guides/00-principles.md`.

3. **Cite Grove or Doerr for every normative claim.** The OKR canon is thin but frequently misquoted. Anchoring to primary sources prevents cargo-cult advice. See `guides/01-okr-canon.md`.

4. **Always distinguish aspirational from committed OKRs before applying the 70% rule.** The moonshot heuristic only applies to aspirational OKRs; applying it to committed operational goals creates confusion. See `guides/04-calibration.md`.

5. **Recommend against OKRs when they are a poor fit.** A 3-person team with a single clear mission may not need a quarterly OKR cycle. See `guides/06-small-team-adaptation.md`.

---

## The "are these actually OKRs?" audit (fast path)

Run this checklist before any deeper engagement:

| Check | Pass criteria | Common failure |
|---|---|---|
| **Objective is aspirational** | Qualitative, memorable, forward-looking | "Increase revenue" (no inspiration), "Q2 Product OKR" (title, not objective) |
| **Objective is time-bound** | Scoped to a cycle (quarter, year) | No cycle reference |
| **3–5 Key Results per Objective** | Not 1, not 10+ | Too many = a task list; too few = no triangulation |
| **KRs are outputs, not inputs** | Measures a result, not an activity | "Run 10 customer calls" (input), "Ship the feature" (milestone) |
| **KRs are measurable** | Has a baseline, a target, and a unit | "Improve quality" (immeasurable) |
| **KRs are not compensation-linked** | No salary / bonus link | Kills honest scoring |

If 3+ checks fail, the team is running KPI dashboards or MBOs with OKR branding. Name the gap. See `guides/01-okr-canon.md`.

---

## Procedure overview

When invoked for OKR coaching or auditing, follow these steps:

1. **Identify the task type.** Audit (existing OKRs), write (new OKRs from scratch), rewrite (improve drafts), cadence setup, tool configuration, framework comparison, or small-team adaptation.

2. **Run the fast-path audit** (above) to characterize the current state.

3. **Open the relevant guide:**
   - Auditing OKR quality → `guides/01-okr-canon.md` + `guides/03-writing-key-results.md`
   - Writing Objectives → `guides/02-writing-objectives.md`
   - Writing Key Results → `guides/03-writing-key-results.md`
   - Calibration question (ambitious enough? sandbagged?) → `guides/04-calibration.md`
   - Cadence setup → `guides/05-cadence.md`
   - Small team / startup → `guides/06-small-team-adaptation.md`
   - Tool configuration → `guides/07-tools.md`
   - OKR vs. KPI vs. MBO comparison → `guides/01-okr-canon.md`

4. **Apply the relevant template:**
   - New OKR draft → `templates/okr-draft.md`
   - End-of-cycle audit → `templates/okr-audit-report.md`
   - End-of-cycle retrospective → `templates/okr-retrospective.md`

5. **Show worked examples when coaching.** See `examples/weak-to-strong-rewrite.md` for annotated rewrites.

6. **Deliver inline or to file.** If a persistent artefact is requested, write to `library/qa/okr-goal-setting/<date>-<topic>.md`.

---

## Folder layout

```
okr-goal-setting-stinger/
├── SKILL.md                          (this file — master index)
├── README.md                         (one-page human overview)
├── guides/
│   ├── 00-principles.md              (output discipline, compensation prohibition, scope)
│   ├── 01-okr-canon.md               (Grove/Doerr lineage, canonical definition, OKR vs KPI vs MBO)
│   ├── 02-writing-objectives.md      (aspirational Objective rubric, failure modes, rewrites)
│   ├── 03-writing-key-results.md     (output KR patterns, input anti-patterns, rewrite heuristic)
│   ├── 04-calibration.md             (ambitious vs sandbagged, 70% rule, scoring conventions)
│   ├── 05-cadence.md                 (quarterly cycle anatomy, check-in ritual, CFR, grading)
│   ├── 06-small-team-adaptation.md   (minimum viable OKR, when to skip, startup patterns)
│   └── 07-tools.md                   (Lattice, 15Five, Weekdone, Notion configuration)
├── examples/
│   ├── weak-to-strong-rewrite.md     (annotated before/after for 3 Objectives + 6 KRs)
│   └── happy-path-coaching.md        (end-to-end coaching session walkthrough)
├── templates/
│   ├── okr-draft.md                  (blank O+KR pair with field prompts)
│   ├── okr-audit-report.md           (scored audit table + recommendations)
│   └── okr-retrospective.md          (end-of-quarter scoring + retro question set)
├── reports/
│   └── README.md                     (what past-cycle OKR audit reports look like)
└── research/                         (owned by scripture-historian — read-only)
    ├── research-plan.md
    ├── research-summary.md
    ├── index.md
    ├── internal/
    └── external/
```

---

*Forged by `stinger-forge` from `okr-goal-setting-wasp-drone-command-brief.md` and `research/`. Part of the Legion AI Tools Factory by [Mario Aldayuz a.k.a @thenotoriousllama](https://github.com/thenotoriousllama).*