1 tip & 3 resources per week to improve your Strategy, OKRs, and Discovery practices in less than 5 minutes.
Make OKRs Drive Decisions, not Spreadsheets
Make OKRs Drive Decisions,
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Dear Reader,
Last week, we explored how treating Product Strategy like a product helps you avoid "Alibi Progress" — prioritizing correctness over value. Today, let's apply this same thinking to OKRs.
If you've ever found yourself more relieved that the quarterly OKR-setting theater is over than excited about the OKRs themselves, you've experienced the symptoms of Alibi Progress. Something's missing when you're happier about surviving OKR ceremonies than using the OKRs to guide your team.
OKRs have become one of the most popular frameworks in product development, with abundant advice on "doing them right." But this focus on correctness often overshadows their actual purpose. Let's reframe OKRs by treating them as a product.
Applying our product thinking approach:
"Product OKRs should help teams measure progress towards strategic priorities by informing everyday decisions. We know they're successful when teams can link activities directly to their OKRs and adjust course based on detected changes in their KRs."
Let's unpack the implications of this value statement:
For your audience (product teams):
- Teams should write their OKRs rather than merely receiving them from above.
- Product teams need quality inputs for KR definition (discovery insights, roadmaps, product strategy).
- If executives become the primary audience, OKRs shift from a decision-making tool to a reporting mechanism.
For the problem you're solving (measuring progress):
- Avoid vague metrics that could apply to any quarter; they're just KPIs in disguise.
- Don't chase artificial "moonshots" where 70% is considered the new 100% - this only encourages teams to game the system.
- A leading output metric is sometimes more valuable than a lagging outcome if it helps teams detect progress earlier.
- Progress measurement requires metrics that respond quickly enough to inform decisions in your actual working cadence.
For your success measures (linking work to OKRs):
- OKRs need visibility in decision-making moments, not just in dedicated OKR meetings.
- Teams should track which tasks are tied to OKRs to ensure capacity isn't consumed by non-strategic work.
- Regular progress check-ins throughout the cycle (not just at the beginning and end) are essential.
- When OKRs aren't influencing prioritization decisions, they've become Alibi Progress.
As Ravi Mehta notes, "Your goal has to fit your risk to be actually useful." Teams face different types of risks—sometimes understanding risks (where discovery-focused OKRs help), sometimes dependency risks (where output metrics make sense), and sometimes execution risks. The key isn't forcing every KR into an outcome format but choosing metrics that genuinely help you navigate your specific challenges.
Remember: You're not a better product manager because you wrote an "outcome OKR." You're better because you prioritize work that moves business and user success metrics in your context.
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Thank you for Practicing Product,
Tim
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PS.: Here are three ways I can help you; whenever you're ready:
1️⃣ Understand How Product Strategy informs Outcome OKRs Watch an entire lecture from my Outcome OKRs for Product Teams Course for free. Discovery the power of context-driven Product Strategy to create better Key Results. Because focusing on Outcomes requires the right inputs. Watch the full video lesson right here. 2️⃣ Live Workshops and OKR Coaching I offer custom in-house and public workshops to help teams understand what it takes to go from by the book to truly useful OKRs without the dogma. I also offer ongoing support for applying OKR practices through ongoing coaching retainers. Click here to learn more. 3️⃣ More FREE Product OKRs Resources My comprehensive Product OKRs resources hub offers a wide variety of hands-on articles and videos on the core concepts of using OKRs as a Product Team. Click here to learn more. |
PPS: The coffee I enjoyed while writing this:
As a Product Management Coach, I guide Product Teams to measure the real progress of their evidence-informed decisions.
I focus on better practices to connect the dots of Product Strategy, Product OKRs, and Product Discovery.
Product Practice Newsletter
1 tip & 3 resources per week to improve your Strategy, OKRs, and Discovery practices in less than 5 minutes.
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