How to Connect
North Star Metrics and OKRs

Dear Reader,

I once worked with a team whose OKRs read like a best of every company's KPI dashboard: user engagement up 15%, conversion rate improved by 10%, feature adoption increased by 20%. When I asked how these connected to the specific intentions they want to pursue to drive long-term customer and business value, they couldn't link them. Their OKRs looked solid on paper, but they were optimizing for the wrong destination.

This is the metrics sandwich problem. You need three layers working together: North Star Metrics on top (persistent, long-term), Product Strategy in the middle (decisive choices), and OKRs on the bottom (point-in-time goals). When any layer is missing or weak, the whole thing falls apart.

The top layer is your North Star Metric—the quantified sibling of your Product Vision. It's persistent, requires multiple teams to move it, and directly connects to your long-term vision. LinkedIn's "Number of knowledge exchange conversations" (for their messenger product) is a North Star Metric. "Increase messages sent by 15% this quarter" is not.

The middle layer is where most teams get stuck. Your Product Strategy should express specific choices about who you serve, what problems you solve, and how you differentiate. These choices become the bridge between your inspiring North Star and your actionable quarterly goals. Without this substance, you're left with a North Star that feels disconnected from both business goals and daily work, making OKRs seem arbitrary.

The bottom layer translates strategy into quarterly team OKRs. Here's the key question I use: x months from now, which three metrics would tell us that this strategy choice has worked? You're not looking for any metrics—you're looking for metrics that wouldn't be as important in any other quarter. If you could copy-paste your Key Results into last year's planning, you're tracking routine KPIs rather than driving strategic progress.

The real work happens when you reverse-engineer leading indicators from your lagging proxy metrics. Your North Star Metric moves slowly and can only be detected in hindsight. Your quarterly Key Results need to be responsive and influenceable by your team week-over-week.

Think of it this way: North Star Metrics don't matter without Strategy. Strategy won't work without OKRs. OKRs don't move the needle without Strategy and vision. They're not separate exercises—they're layers of a sandwich that only work when assembled correctly.

The teams I see making Real Progress aren't the ones with perfect OKR syntax. They're the ones who can trace each Key Result back to a specific strategic choice, and that choice back to their North Star.

Listen to my Interview on the Produktwerker Podcast Real Progress Oct 20 · Die Produktwerker 42:01   ​

Thank you for Practicing Product,

Tim

Join my In-Person Workshops in Berlin

I'm excited to bring my beloved in-person workshops back to Berlin in January 2026. You can choose between 1-day workshops on Product Strategy, Product OKRs, or Product Discovery, or opt for the full 3-day experience for you or your team.

(reach out for custom team quotes)

If you consume one thing this week, make it this...

Who is Tim Herbig?

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.