The Complete OKR Glossary: Terms & Definitions A–Z
An OKR glossary is a comprehensive dictionary of the terms, acronyms, and concepts used in the Objectives and Key Results framework. This A–Z reference defines over 100 OKR terms — from Objectives and Key Results to alignment, cadence, moonshots, scoring, and the full family of OKR traps including Watermelon OKRs — curated by OKR International, creators of the OKR-BOK™.
Accountability
In the OKR world, accountability is associated with goals and outcomes. It defines who owns a particular OKR and is responsible for its result — the follow-through on a commitment, distinct from mere ownership.
Action Item
A specific task to be completed, often part of an Initiative or agreed upon within an OKR cadence review. Action items are the granular to-dos that support execution.
Agile
Used in two senses: as a software-development methodology (Scrum, Kanban, and similar approaches), and more broadly to describe being nimble and quick to respond to changing markets and customer needs. OKRs reinforce organisational agility.
Alignment
The ability of a team's OKRs to ladder up to higher-order goals. Alignment is typically seen bottom-up (teams to company) or horizontally (across interdependent teams), ensuring everyone pulls in the same direction.
Annual OKRs
OKRs set for a full-year cycle, usually at the strategic or company level. Annual Objectives provide long-range direction and are broken down into quarterly (tactical) OKRs for execution.
Aspirational OKRs
Also called Moonshot OKRs, these are ambitious, often longer-duration goals targeting game-changing ideas and innovation. Achieving 60–70% of an aspirational OKR is considered a strong result.
Attribution
The act of crediting a team member for contribution toward moving a Key Result forward — not necessarily the KR owner. CFRs and recognition are common ways to give attribution within an OKR culture.
Audacious Goals
A concise term for BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goals): leapfrog, exponential goals that act as game-changers for an organisation. They typically carry an element of risk.
Balanced Scorecard
A strategic planning and management system that connects components of strategy to measurement via KPIs across four perspectives: financial and customer (lag measures), and internal process and learning & growth (lead measures).
Balancing an OKR
Creating a healthy mix of OKRs across levels. At a strategic level, balancing Objectives means spanning customers, innovation, performance, growth, and culture. At a tactical level, it means balancing efficiency (speed) and effectiveness (quality), or top-line and bottom-line Key Results.
Barriers
Elements that prevent teams from achieving their OKRs, surfaced during cadence reviews. Common barriers include lack of resources, lack of time, poor behaviours, and weak leadership.
Baseline
The starting value of a metric before an OKR cycle begins. Every well-written Key Result needs a baseline, a target, and a metric — e.g. "Increase NPS from 32 to 55," where 32 is the baseline.
B.A.U. (Business as Usual)
The hygiene or maintenance work teams perform to keep the core business running — the normal execution of standard operations. BAU is generally tracked with KPIs rather than expressed as OKRs.
Benchmark
A standard against which a Key Result, metric, or KPI is measured. The benchmark may be the metric itself or the target set for that metric.
BHAG
Big Hairy Audacious Goal — a compelling, long-term goal inspiring enough to motivate a team. The term comes from the 1994 book Built to Last by Jim Collins and Jerry Porras.
Bi-directional Alignment
Connecting lower-level OKRs to higher-order ones in both directions: setting the stage through strategic OKRs (top-down) while aligning tactical OKRs (bottom-up), creating true two-way alignment.
Bonsai OKRsOKR Trap
Sandbagging dressed as discipline: targets deliberately miniaturised to guarantee a 1.0 score, amputating the aspirational stretch that gives OKRs value. Common wherever compensation is tied to OKR scores. See the 10 OKR Traps.
Bottom-up Alignment
Empowering teams to co-create aspirational OKRs, which are then validated against strategic or parent-level OKRs. Bottom-up alignment taps front-line intelligence and fosters ownership.
Cadence
The regular rhythm at which teams plan, review, and score OKRs. OKRs typically run on an annual and quarterly planning cadence, with weekly or fortnightly check-in reviews within each cycle.
Cadence Review
A recurring meeting where a team shares progress, surfaces barriers, and assesses how their OKRs and Initiatives are tracking. These reviews are usually weekly or fortnightly and are the engine room of OKR execution.
Cascade
Breaking Objectives and Key Results into smaller parts distributed among lower-level teams. Cascading is associated with top-down goal-setting; modern OKR practice favours bidirectional alignment over rigid cascading.
CFR / CFA
Conversations, Feedback, and Recognition — introduced by John Doerr as the siblings to OKRs. At OKR International we call it CFA (Coaching, Feedback, Acknowledgement). These conversations catalyse teams, help overcome barriers, and form Continuous Performance Management.
Champion / Coach
The custodian of OKRs within an organisation, supporting successful planning, adoption, and rollout. There may be several champions depending on size; some organisations also engage an external OKR coach.
Check-in
The frequency and rhythm with which a team meets to share learnings from their OKR implementation. Check-ins are usually weekly or fortnightly and focus on progress, confidence, and initiative adjustments.
Coconut OKRsOKR Trap
Hard shell, hollow inside: ambitious transformation language ("redefine our category") whose Key Results merely restate the Objective with no measurable substance. The tell-tale — you can't tell from the KRs what would visibly differ by quarter-end. See the 10 OKR Traps.
Child OKR
Sometimes called a Tactical OKR, a Child OKR aligns to a higher-order OKR or forms a subset of a larger one, contributing to the parent goal.
Committed OKRs
Also called Roofshot OKRs, these are goals the team is expected to fully achieve (100%). They tend to cover incremental improvements over shorter durations — typically one or two quarterly cycles.
Confidence Level
A subjective score (often a percentage or 1–10) a team assigns to how likely a Key Result is to be achieved by cycle-end. Tracking confidence over time surfaces risk early and prompts course correction.
Continuous Performance Management
A management approach, coined by John Doerr, that pairs OKRs with CFRs (Conversations, Feedback, Recognition) to replace the annual review with an ongoing rhythm of goal-setting, coaching, and improvement.
Cross-alignment
Empowering teams to co-create OKRs that are interdependent across functions or units, then validating how they impact one another. This horizontal alignment prevents cross-functional bottlenecks.
Culture
"The way things get done" — the collective behaviours leaders model and reinforce. Culture is a primer for OKR success; an outcome-focused, transparent, psychologically safe culture lets OKRs thrive.
Cycle
The duration an OKR is set for. OKRs typically run in annual cycles (strategic) and quarterly cycles (tactical), creating a natural planning and execution rhythm.
Dependency
A relationship where one team's ability to achieve a Key Result relies on another team's action. Surfacing dependencies through transparent OKRs allows teams to coordinate timelines before misalignment becomes a crisis.
Design Thinking
A non-linear, iterative process teams use to understand users, challenge assumptions, redefine problems, and create innovative solutions. Its five phases are empathise, define, ideate, prototype, and test.
DRI (Directly Responsible Individual)
The single named person accountable for a specific OKR, Key Result, or Initiative. Assigning a DRI per Key Result prevents orphaned outcomes and the diffusion of responsibility.
Empowerment
The authority leaders entrust to teams — especially in bottom-up alignment, choosing measures of success, setting the right stretch, and selecting the initiatives or experiments to run. Empowerment is a core theme in OKR adoption.
Employee Engagement
The enthusiasm and dedication employees feel toward their OKRs. Engagement rises when teams participate in planning and can clearly see how their work contributes to higher-level organisational goals.
Execution
The implementation of the Initiatives associated with OKRs — how strategy is converted into results. OKRs act as a conduit, turning strategic intent into actionable initiatives that teams execute.
FACTS
John Doerr's acronym for the OKR superpowers: Focus, Alignment, Commitment, Tracking, and Stretching — the five structural benefits that make OKRs effective.
Fail-fast
How quickly a team learns from running initiatives. Teams lay hypotheses, test them, and when an initiative doesn't move a Key Result, share that learning as fast as possible and adapt — structured, time-boxed learning rather than reckless experimentation.
Framework
A collection of guidelines and nuances that help form, align, and implement OKRs. The OKR framework is open-source — "more guidelines, fewer rules."
Goal
In OKR parlance, a goal is a collection of Objectives and Key Results — the broader ambition that OKRs make specific and measurable.
Goal Management
The setting, alignment, implementation, and assessment of goals and their results — the full lifecycle that OKRs operationalise.
Goal Setting
The process of creating OKRs for a particular cycle — drafting Objectives, defining Key Results, and identifying Initiatives.
Grading
Assessing the progress made on OKRs, usually on a 0–100% or 0–1.0 scale. Grading may happen mid-cycle or at cycle-end (closing OKRs), and is about learning, not judgement.
Guardrail Metric
A Key Result that protects a healthy value while another metric is pushed — e.g. maintaining quality while scaling output. Guardrails prevent teams from optimising one metric at the expense of another.
Health Metric
A metric monitored to ensure that pursuing an Objective doesn't damage another important area. Closely related to a guardrail, it keeps a vital sign healthy during a period of aggressive change.
Heirloom OKRsOKR Trap
OKRs that survive quarter after quarter on sentiment alone — authored by someone senior, representing a battle once fought, rolled forward with cosmetic edits and untouched by changing strategy. Cured by a hard "retire or revive" rule each cycle. See the 10 OKR Traps.
Helium OKRsOKR Trap
Targets that soar at kickoff but are set by feel, not derivation — by mid-quarter no one can explain why the goal was 40% rather than 20%. Nothing tethers the KR to baseline, capacity, or causal logic. See the 10 OKR Traps.
Heart, Head & HandsOKR-BOK™
OKR International's body metaphor for the DNA of every OKR: Objectives are the Heart (direction and inspiration), Key Results are the Head (measurement and evidence), and Initiatives are the Hands (the work that gets done).
Hybrid
When OKRs are combined with other systems — e.g. the STO model, the Balanced Scorecard, performance-management systems, design thinking, or agile-scrum — to fit an organisation's context.
Individual OKRs
OKRs set at the individual level — often considered a misnomer. OKRs deliver the most impact when set collectively (organisation, function, team); taking them to individuals risks shifting focus from outcomes to activities.
Initiatives
The projects, tasks, experiments, and activities needed to move a Key Result — the "Hands" of an OKR. At least one initiative is needed per Key Result; initiatives may be Boolean or metric-driven, and are treated as hypotheses, not commitments.
Karaoke OKRsOKR Trap
OKRs that land top-down without translation: leadership writes them, the operating team performs lyrics they didn't write and don't fully believe. Ownership is performed, not held. Cured by pairing every cascade with a translation workshop. See the 10 OKR Traps.
Key Result
A verifiable, quantitative measure of success attached to an Objective. Typically 3–5 per Objective, each Key Result contains a metric/KPI, a baseline, and a target (quantity and time). Collectively, they prove the Objective is being achieved.
KPI (Key Performance Indicator)
A quantifiable measure of performance that monitors the ongoing health of the business. KPIs provide targets, milestones, and decision-making insight. All KPIs are metrics, but not all metrics are KPIs — and a declining KPI often triggers a new OKR.
Laddering OKRs
When smaller or sub-team OKRs connect directly to strategic or annual OKRs for a cycle, "laddering up" to the organisation's top priorities.
Lag Indicators
Metrics within a Key Result that are difficult to measure in real time because their outcome appears only after a sizeable period — e.g. market share. Lag measures are common in strategic OKRs.
Lead Indicators
Metrics that drive or predict a lag measure and can be influenced directly by smaller teams — e.g. Sales-Qualified Leads, conversion rate, commission rate. Lead measures show up at department, sub-team, or individual levels.
Learning OKR
A third type of OKR (alongside committed and aspirational) used when the primary aim is to learn or discover rather than deliver a fixed outcome — common in research, experimentation, and new-market exploration.
MBO (Management by Objectives)
A goal-setting model introduced by Peter Drucker in 1954, where objectives are agreed between managers and employees. MBOs are typically annual, top-down, and tied to compensation — a predecessor OKRs evolved from.
Measure What Matters
John Doerr's 2017 bestseller documenting Google's OKR journey and popularising the framework, the FACTS superpowers, and CFRs for a global mainstream audience.
Metric
A quantitative measurement used to evaluate performance. Metrics power Key Results and KPIs alike — while all KPIs are metrics, not all metrics are KPIs.
Micro-OKRs™OKR-BOK™
OKR International's methodology for bringing OKR thinking to the individual and weekly level without devolving into task lists — connecting day-to-day focus to team and company OKRs while preserving the outcome orientation.
Milestone KR
Used when a metric is hard to measure or the outcome is binary: a critical initiative raised to the level of a Key Result. A valid milestone KR must either create a metric/baseline or convert into a robust, progressive Key Result once the baseline is achieved.
Mirage OKRsOKR Trap
OKRs built on vague verbs — "improve customer satisfaction," "drive engagement" — that look real from a distance but evaporate up close, with no number, date, threshold, or agreed definition of success. Cured by a five-test gate: baseline, target, deadline, owner, evidence source. See the 10 OKR Traps.
Mission
A short, articulate statement of why an organisation exists — its purpose and reason for showing up every day. Strategic OKRs ladder up to the mission and vision.
Moonshot
An aspirational OKR that pushes teams far beyond established ways of working, often spanning multiple cycles or years. Moonshots drive radical innovation, market leadership, and exponential growth.
Nested Cadence
In large organisations, the layered review rhythm where sub-teams review their OKRs first, then functions review theirs, and finally CxO leaders review organisational OKRs — a cascade of cadence reviews nested by level.
North Star
The single top-level metric or Objective that best captures the core value an organisation delivers, setting priorities, tone, and direction for the year. Teams align their OKRs to move the North Star.
Objective
The "O" in OKR — a qualitative, inspiring statement answering "Where do we want to go?" Objectives are ambitious, clear, action-oriented, time-bound, and derived from strategy. They bring direction and emotional commitment.
OGSM
Objectives, Goals, Strategies, and Measures — a one-page strategic-planning framework connecting top-level vision to bottom-level execution. Sometimes used alongside or compared with OKRs.
OKR
Objectives and Key Results — a goal-setting and execution framework combining an Objective, its Key Results, and its often-forgotten cousin, Initiatives. OKRs turn strategy into measurable outcomes. Read the full guide.
OKR-BOK™OKR-BOK™
The OKR Body of Knowledge — OKR International's globally recognised framework that integrates behavioural science with strategic agility, forming the standard behind its certifications. Learn more.
OKR Owner
The person responsible and accountable for a particular OKR. Clear ownership at every level prevents orphaned OKRs and ensures follow-through.
OKR Sponsor
The person who initiates OKRs within an organisation or team — often the CEO, Chief of Staff, a CXO, or a team leader, depending on the scope of the rollout.
OKR Superpowers
The benefits of well-implemented OKRs: (1) Focus and commit to priorities, (2) Align and connect for teamwork, (3) Track for accountability, (4) Stretch for amazing results, and (5) Agility.
Outcome KR
Also called value-based Key Results, these measure the value delivered to the organisation or customers — results, not activity completion. Outcome KRs are the gold standard for well-written Key Results.
Output KR
Also called activity-based or effort-based Key Results, these measure completion of a task or delivery rather than impact. Often a misnomer for a true Key Result — outputs usually belong in Initiatives.
Parent OKR
A higher-order OKR to which child or tactical OKRs align. The parent sets the strategic context; child OKRs ladder up to it, creating a connected goal hierarchy.
Pillar
A strategic theme or focus area under which related Objectives are grouped — e.g. "Customer Excellence" or "Operational Efficiency." Pillars organise OKRs around the few priorities that matter most.
Pomegranate OKRsOKR Trap
One headline Objective with twelve or fifteen Key Results packed like seeds — each really a task or deliverable, making the OKR a glorified backlog with a strategic veneer. Cured by capping KRs at five and applying the outcome test to each. See the 10 OKR Traps.
Quarterly OKRs
OKRs set for a 90-day cycle, also called tactical OKRs. The quarterly cadence creates productive urgency and is the most common rhythm for executing toward annual strategic goals.
Retrospective
A structured end-of-cycle review evaluating what was achieved, what was learned, and what carries forward. The OKR retrospective turns each cycle into input for the next, embedding continuous improvement.
Roofshot
A committed OKR expected to be fully achieved (100%). Roofshots cover critical, near-certain business commitments — the counterpart to ambitious moonshots. A healthy OKR set mixes both.
Sandbagging
Deliberately setting easy, low-ambition targets that are certain to be hit — usually to avoid risk or protect a reward. Sandbagging undermines the aspirational purpose of OKRs and is one reason to decouple OKRs from compensation.
Scoring
Evaluating Key Result progress at cycle-end. Common methods: the 0.0–1.0 scale (0.7 target for aspirational, 1.0 for committed), percentage completion, or a red/yellow/green traffic-light system. Scoring informs learning, not punishment.
Snowglobe OKRsOKR Trap
OKRs that sparkle for the opening sprint, then settle untouched until the quarterly review — a spike of activity in weeks 1 and 13, near-silence in between. Cured by a fixed weekly check-in cadence: fifteen minutes, three questions, no deck. See the 10 OKR Traps.
SMART Goals
A goal-setting criterion — Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound. SMART shapes how individual metrics and targets are written; OKRs add ambition, alignment, and a review cadence on top.
Stakeholder
Anyone affected by or invested in an OKR's outcome — from team members and leaders to other functions and customers. Identifying stakeholders early supports alignment and dependency management.
Strategic OKRs
High-level, usually annual OKRs that set organisational direction. Strategic OKRs are set more top-down and are broken into tactical (quarterly) OKRs for execution.
Stretch Goal
An ambitious target deliberately set beyond comfortable reach to drive innovation and effort. In OKRs, aspirational/moonshot Key Results are stretch goals where 60–70% achievement signals success.
Tactical OKRs
Shorter-term, usually quarterly OKRs (also called child OKRs) that operationalise strategic OKRs. Tactical OKRs are set more bottom-up and align upward to annual priorities.
Target
The desired end value of a metric within a Key Result. Together with the baseline and metric, the target completes a well-formed KR — e.g. "Increase NPS from 32 to 55," where 55 is the target.
Top-down Alignment
Setting OKRs from leadership down through the organisation, ensuring teams' goals support strategic priorities. Modern practice blends top-down with bottom-up (roughly 40/60) for coherence plus ownership.
Tracking
The "T" in FACTS — monitoring Key Result progress through regular check-ins and scoring. Tracking creates accountability and surfaces the data that informs course correction.
Transparency
Making all OKRs — from CEO to front-line team — visible across the organisation. Transparency makes silos structurally hard to maintain and creates healthy peer accountability.
Treadmill OKRsOKR Trap
Maximum effort, zero distance: Key Results that count internal activity ("number of training sessions delivered") while the customer or business metric never moves. The most common trap in newly adopting teams. Cured by the "left of the percentage" test — if the behaviour is your own team's, it's input, not outcome. See the 10 OKR Traps.
Trojan OKRsOKR Trap
OKRs wheeled in as fresh strategy with the team's existing roadmap hidden inside — the work shaped the OKR, not the reverse. Cured by asking what the team will stop doing to make room: if nothing stops, nothing new starts. See the 10 OKR Traps.
Unit of Measure
The specific quantity a Key Result metric is expressed in — percentage, currency, count, score, days, and so on. A clear unit of measure removes ambiguity from progress tracking.
Values
The shared beliefs and behaviours that guide how an organisation operates. Values anchor culture, and strong OKR adoption aligns ambitious goals with the organisation's stated values.
Vision
A vivid, aspirational picture of the future an organisation seeks to create. Vision sits above mission and strategy; strategic OKRs translate the vision into measurable progress.
Watermelon OKRsOKR Trap
Green on the surface, red underneath: OKRs reported as on-track while underlying performance is failing. The term was popularised by Frank Buytendijk at Gartner and is the most widely recognised OKR trap — though only one of eleven in OKR International's diagnostic atlas.
Weighting
Assigning relative importance to different Objectives or Key Results so that scoring reflects priority. Weighting helps when some outcomes matter more than others within the same cycle.
