OKRs—Connecting the Dots Between Activities, Outcomes, and Strategy
Why OKRs Are the Missing Link in Your Agile Transformation
OKRs (Objectives expressed as Key Results) were designed to provide a line-of-sight between daily execution and strategic outcomes. They should align teams, create focus, and drive measurable impact. But let’s be honest—most companies f*ck them up.
Leaders think that OKRs are just a to-do list. Teams treat them like yet another compliance exercise. And instead of connecting work to business outcomes, most organizations create a bloated, misaligned mess of disconnected priorities that no one actually believes in.
So how do we unf*ck OKRs?
We stop treating them like vanity goals. We tie them directly to why the business exists. We connect the dots—from activities to outcomes, from outcomes to company strategy, and from company strategy to actual f*cking business impact.
What the Hell Are OKRs, and Why Should You Care?
If you’re still thinking about OKRs as just “goals,” you’re already missing the point. OKRs are about alignment, focus, and measurable impact. They should drive outcomes, not just checkboxes.
Objectives → What are we trying to achieve?
• Ambitious and inspiring
• Qualitative, not just numbers
• Tied to business value
Key Results → How will we know we achieved it?
• Measurable and time-bound
• Outcome-focused (not “we did work,” but “we created impact”)
• No bullsh*t vanity metrics
Example:
Objective: Improve developer experience to speed up software delivery
Key Result 1: Reduce build time from 10 minutes to 3 minutes
Key Result 2: Increase automated test coverage from 60% to 90%
Key Result 3: Reduce lead time from code commit to production by 40%
This is where most companies f*ck it up. Instead of measurable outcomes, they write vague, meaningless key results like:
“Improve CI/CD pipeline”
“Refactor some legacy code”
“Make developers happier”
Cool. How the hell do you measure “happier”? If you can’t quantify it, it’s not a Key Result.
Connecting the Dots: Portfolio, Program, and Team OKRs
OKRs are NOT just a team-level tool. When done right, they connect strategy to execution.
• Portfolio-Level OKRs → Company-wide strategic impact
• Program-Level OKRs → Cross-team coordination and value stream alignment
• Team-Level OKRs → Day-to-day execution that delivers measurable value
Portfolio-Level OKRs (Company Strategy Level)
At this level, OKRs define the company’s strategic priorities. They answer: Where do we want to go?
Objective: Increase market share in enterprise AI solutions
Key Result 1: Grow enterprise customer base by 30%
Key Result 2: Increase AI-driven feature adoption by 40%
Key Result 3: Improve Net Promoter Score (NPS) from 50 to 70
Program-Level OKRs (Product or Value Stream Level)
These OKRs tie cross-functional teams to business priorities. They answer: How do we get there?
Objective: Improve AI model performance to enhance enterprise adoption
Key Result 1: Reduce model inference time by 50%
Key Result 2: Improve AI accuracy from 85% to 95%
Key Result 3: Deploy AI updates to production in under 48 hours
Team-Level OKRs (Execution Level)
Teams use OKRs to define how their work contributes to business success. These should NOT be about just delivering features but achieving measurable impact.
Objective: Improve CI/CD pipeline for AI model deployment
Key Result 1: Reduce build failure rates from 15% to 5%
Key Result 2: Automate 75% of regression tests
Key Result 3: Deploy new AI models with zero downtime
Every level should feed into the one above it. If your team is just checking off Jira tickets with no connection to strategy, you’re not doing OKRs—you’re just creating busy work.
How We F*ck Up OKRs (And How to Fix It)
OKRs as a Task List Instead of a North Star.
F*ckup: Teams write OKRs as a backlog of things to do instead of defining meaningful objectives.
Fix: Shift from “what we did” to “what we impacted.” Every OKR must answer, “How does this drive business value?”
Misalignment Across Teams and Leadership.
F*ckup: Leadership sets OKRs in isolation, teams set their own, and none of them connect.
Fix: OKRs should cascade. Every team should be able to trace their OKRs up to business priorities. If a team’s work doesn’t align, either fix the work or fix the strategy.
Focusing on Output Instead of Outcomes.
F*ckup: “We shipped Feature X.”
Fix: “Feature X increased conversion by 20%.” If your OKRs aren’t measuring business impact, they’re useless.
Setting Too Many OKRs.
F*ckup: Leadership piles on a million objectives. Everything is a priority, so nothing is a priority.
Fix: No more than 3-5 OKRs per level. Laser focus beats scattered effort.
Lack of Real-Time Visibility.
F*ckup: OKRs are reviewed once a year, if at all.
Fix: Track OKRs weekly. Use dashboards, OKR check-ins, and retrospectives to ensure progress stays on track.
Measuring Progress: How Do We Know It’s Working?
OKRs aren’t just “set and forget.” They require continuous tracking and adaptation.
Adoption Metrics: Are teams actually using OKRs to guide their work?
Progress Metrics: Are key results moving in the right direction?
Learning Metrics: Are teams iterating based on real data, or are they just checking boxes?
Pro Tip: If you hit 100% of your OKRs, you didn’t aim high enough. OKRs should push teams outside their comfort zone. 70-80% completion is the sweet spot.
Final Thoughts: Unfck Your OKRs, Unfck Your Agile
Most organizations are drowning in disconnected work, random initiatives, and fake agility. OKRs—when done right—cut through the noise. They create alignment, focus, and real impact.
So stop treating OKRs as corporate theater. Connect the dots. Make them meaningful. And most importantly—measure what actually matters.
If your Agile transformation isn’t delivering measurable business value, you don’t have an Agile problem—you have an OKR problem.
What do you think? Are companies using OKRs correctly, or are they just another corporate buzzword? Sound off.
(Excerpts from the book Unf*ck Your Agile by Mike Fisher)
#okr #productmanagement #productdevelopment #agile #agility #scrum #mikefisherinc