Key Performance Indicator
What is a KPI?
A quantifiable measure used to evaluate the success of an organization in meeting objectives for performance.
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Glossary
Our OKR glossary
Definitions, examples, and execution concepts for OKRs, KPIs, and strategy operations.
Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-Bound
What are SMART Goals?
A framework prioritizing clearly defined, realistic parameter sets for establishing metrics.
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Management by Objectives
What is MBO?
A personnel management model aiming to improve performance by defining objectives agreed upon by management and employees.
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Big Hairy Audacious Goal
What is a BHAG?
A long-term, 10-to-25-year overarching vision statement designed to fundamentally shift a company's trajectory.
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Objectives, Goals, Strategies, and Measures
What is OGSM?
A one-page strategic planning framework used to connect a top-level vision to bottom-level execution.
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Objectives and Key Results
What are OKRs?
A collaborative goal-setting protocol used by teams and individuals to set challenging, ambitious goals with measurable results.
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North Star Metric (NSM)
What is a North Star Metric?
The single most important key indicator that best captures the core value your product delivers to its customers.
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Leading & Lagging Indicators
Leading vs. Lagging Indicators
The classification of metrics determining whether a metric predicts future success or purely reports past performance.
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Stretch Goal
What is a Stretch Goal?
A high-effort, high-risk goal intentionally set above normal standards to attract breakthrough innovation.
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Initiatives & Tasks
What are OKR Initiatives?
The specific operational projects, tasks, or hypotheses your team executes hoping to move the needle on a Key Result.
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Goal Alignment
Vertical vs. Horizontal Alignment
The process of ensuring all individual and team goals fundamentally connect to the overarching company vision.
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Weekly Check-in Cadence
What is an OKR Check-in?
A recurring, lightweight ritual where teams update metric progress and highlight active blockers.
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Sandbagging
What is Sandbagging?
The counter-productive practice of intentionally setting low or easily achievable goals to guarantee success.
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Cascading Goals
What are Cascading Goals?
A traditional goal-setting method where top-level objectives flow downwards, strictly dictating the goals of the layers beneath them.
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Outputs vs. Outcomes
Outputs vs. Outcomes
The vital distinction between the work you do (Output) and the measurable impact that work has on the business (Outcome).
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Objective
What is an Objective?
The qualitative destination in an OKR system that describes what a team wants to achieve and why it matters.
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Key Result
What is a Key Result?
A measurable indicator proving whether progress toward an Objective is actually happening.
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OKR Scoring
How does OKR scoring work?
The practice of grading OKRs at the end of a cycle to understand progress, learning, and ambition level.
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Confidence Level
What is a confidence level in OKRs?
A simple forecast signal showing how likely a team believes it is to hit a Key Result based on current evidence.
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Baseline and Target
Baseline vs. Target
The starting value and desired end value used to define a measurable Key Result clearly.
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Goal Owner / DRI
What is a goal owner?
The directly responsible person accountable for driving a goal forward, coordinating decisions, and reporting progress.
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Weekly Business Review (WBR)
What is a Weekly Business Review?
A recurring operating meeting where leaders review metrics, risks, and decisions needed to keep execution on track.
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Committed and Aspirational OKRs
Committed vs. Aspirational OKRs
The distinction between goals the team must hit and goals designed to stretch performance beyond the current operating plan.
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Balanced Scorecard
What is a Balanced Scorecard?
A strategy management framework that tracks performance across financial and non-financial dimensions, not just revenue.
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