── ── Mental model
OKRs (Objectives and Key Results)
OKRs separate ambition from measurement: an Objective is qualitative and aspirational; Key Results (3-5) are quantitative outcomes proving the objective was reached. KRs must be outcomes, not activities. Calibration rule: 70% achievement is success — routine 100% means goals were sandbagged. Developed by Andy Grove at Intel (1971); introduced to Google by John Doerr (1999).
How it works
Step 1 — Write the Objective. Qualitative, aspirational, time-bounded, one sentence. Test: "If achieved, would this objectively matter to the business?"
Step 2 — Write 3-5 Key Results. Quantitative outcomes (not activities), time-bounded, 70%-success-calibrated. "Ship v2.0" = activity (wrong). "Reach 100k WAU on v2.0 within 30 days" = outcome (right). If all KRs happen and the Objective is not achieved, the KRs are wrong — iterate.
Step 3 — Calibrate ambition. >85% probability per KR → sandbagged, stretch it. <30% → unreasonable, compress. Target: 50-70% probability.
When to use it
- user says 'set OKRs', 'write objectives and key results', 'our goals aren't measurable', 'teams are hitting targets but the business isn't moving', 'we need stretch goals', 'align teams around quarterly goals', or mentions Doerr / Measure What Matters
When not to use it
When the decision is routine and reversible, applying a formal method costs more than it returns.
Worked example
Andy Grove at Intel, 1971; John Doerr at Google, 1999
Andy Grove joined Intel in 1968 as its first employee after Bob Noyce and Gordon Moore (the founders). By 1971, as Intel was scaling rapidly into memory chips, Grove needed an operating system for the company. He took Peter Drucker's Management by Objectives (MBO) framework and modified it.
Install this skill (free, MIT)
npx skills add deciqAI/knowledge-skills