Learn about OKRs
OKR glossary
Clear definitions for the terms you’ll use to set objectives, track progress and run your OKR cycle.
A
- Alignment
- The state in which team and individual objectives clearly support the organisation's top objectives. When alignment is good, people can see how their work contributes to the wider aims.
- Ambitious OKR
- An OKR whose targets are set beyond what the team is confident it can reach. Getting most of the way is treated as a good result, and falling short is a source of learning rather than a failure.
- Approval
- A step in which a manager or leader agrees an objective before it starts. Some organisations ask for it on every objective, others only on company or team objectives.
- At risk
- A status meaning a key result may miss its target unless something changes. It is a prompt to discuss options early, not a judgement.
B
- Balanced scorecard
- A planning and measurement framework that tracks an organisation's progress from several viewpoints, commonly financial, customer, internal processes, and learning and growth. It is broader and changes more slowly than a set of quarterly OKRs.
- Baseline
- The value of a measure at the start of the cycle. Without a baseline, it is hard to tell how far a key result has really moved.
- Blocker
- Something outside the owner's control that is stopping or slowing progress on a key result, such as a missing decision or a dependency on another team. Naming blockers early lets others step in.
C
- Cadence
- The regular rhythm of OKR activity, such as setting goals each quarter, checking in each week and reviewing at mid-cycle. A steady cadence makes OKRs part of normal work.
- Carry-over
- Moving an unfinished objective or key result into the next cycle on purpose, rather than by habit. A deliberate carry-over comes with a fresh look at the target and the approach.
- Cascading
- Passing objectives down from one level to the next, often by turning a higher-level key result into a lower-level objective. Done rigidly, it slows goal-setting and leaves teams little say in their own goals.
- Check-in
- A short, regular update on a key result, usually weekly. It records the current value, the owner's confidence, any blockers and a line of context.
- Co-owner
- A second person who shares responsibility for an objective or key result with its owner. Co-owners help when an outcome depends equally on two teams.
- Committed OKR
- An OKR the team expects to meet in full, often because other teams or customers depend on it. Falling short leads to a conversation about causes and what to change.
- Company objective
- An objective set by an organisation's leaders for the organisation as a whole. Company objectives sit at the top, and team objectives link to them.
- Confidence
- The owner's own estimate of how likely it is that a key result will reach its target by the end of the cycle. It is recorded at each check-in and gives an early signal when help is needed.
- Coverage
- How far the organisation's top objectives are supported by objectives linked under them. Low coverage points to a top objective that no team is working towards.
- Cycle
- The fixed period over which a set of OKRs runs, most often a quarter. Each cycle has a start, regular check-ins and a close.
I
- Individual objective
- An objective held by one person, usually for a distinct piece of work that sits with them. Many organisations use them sparingly and keep them separate from performance appraisals.
- Initiative
- A project or piece of work a team takes on because it expects it to move a key result. Initiatives can change during a cycle, while the key result they serve stays the same.
K
- Key result
- A measurable outcome that shows progress towards an objective. It usually has a starting value and a target, and it describes a result rather than a task.
- KPI
- Short for key performance indicator: a measure watched continuously to check that a process or service is healthy. A KPI can become a key result for one cycle when a team decides it needs to change.
L
- Lagging indicator
- A measure that confirms a result after it has happened, such as the renewal rate at the end of a year. It is reliable but slow to react, so it is often paired with a leading indicator.
- Leading indicator
- A measure that moves early and hints at a later result, such as the number of qualified leads before new contracts are signed. Leading indicators help a team adjust course within a cycle.
- Linking
- Connecting an objective to the higher-level objective it supports, while keeping its own wording. Linking shows how work fits together without copying goals from one level to the next.
M
- Management by objectives
- An older approach in which managers and staff agree objectives and later review results against them. OKRs share its focus on goals but use shorter cycles, more openness and no link to individual appraisals.
- Milestone
- A key result that is either done or not done, such as a contract signed or a new process in place. Milestones help when an outcome cannot be measured as a number, but they are best used sparingly.
N
- North Star metric
- A single measure that an organisation treats as the clearest sign of the long-term value it gives its customers. Many OKRs aim to move it, either directly or through the measures that feed it.
O
- Objective
- A short, qualitative statement of what a team or organisation wants to achieve in a set period. It names where you want to get to, while its key results show how you will know you got there.
- Off track
- A status meaning a key result is unlikely to reach its target at the current pace. It usually calls for a new approach, more help or an agreed change of target.
- OKR
- Short for objectives and key results: a way of setting goals in which each objective is paired with a few measurable key results for a fixed period. The term is also used for a single objective together with its key results.
- On track
- A status meaning a key result is moving at a pace that should reach its target by the end of the cycle.
- Out of date
- An objective or key result whose last update is older than the team's agreed rhythm, so its progress can no longer be trusted. A fresh check-in brings it back into use.
- Outcome
- A change in behaviour, results or conditions that a piece of work brings about, such as fewer complaints or shorter waiting times. Key results should describe outcomes.
- Output
- Something a team produces, such as a report, a feature or a training session. Outputs matter, but they belong among initiatives rather than key results.
- Owner
- The person responsible for keeping an objective or key result updated and for raising problems early. Owning a key result does not mean doing all the work alone, and its result is not a measure of that person.
P
- Progress
- How far a key result has moved from its baseline towards its target at a given moment. It is usually shown as the share of that distance already covered.
R
- Retrospective
- A meeting at the end of a cycle in which a team reflects on what happened, what it learned and what it will do differently next time. It looks at the goals and the way of working, not at individuals.
- Review
- A planned conversation, often at the middle of a cycle, in which a team looks at its OKRs together, discusses what is working and decides on any change of approach.
S
- Score
- A number given to a key result at the end of a cycle to show how much of the target was reached, often from 0 to 1 or as a percentage. A score describes a goal, never the person who owned it.
- SMART goals
- A checklist for goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound. It is a useful test for key results, although OKRs often allow more ambition than the word achievable suggests.
T
- Target
- The value a key result aims to reach by the end of the cycle. Together with the baseline, it sets how much change the key result asks for.
- Team objective
- An objective held by a team for the part of the work it can influence. It usually links to a company objective, and members of the team keep its key results updated.
- Threshold
- A line a measure should stay above or below throughout a cycle, such as availability of at least 99.5%. Threshold key results protect something important while other work goes on.
V
- Visibility
- Who may see an objective. Many organisations let everyone see most OKRs and limit a few sensitive ones to a smaller group.
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