Objectives and Key Results

Niven and Lamorte wrote the implementation manual for OKRs rather than the argument for adopting them. The book covers writing objectives and key results that hold up under scrutiny, the difference between committed and aspirational goals, choosing a cadence, and deciding where in the organisation to start. There are chapters on connecting OKRs to strategy and on alignment that does not degenerate into a cascade of tasks handed downwards. The failure modes get proper attention, including treating key results as a to do list and tying them to compensation. Practical enough to run a first quarter from, and specific about what to do when that first quarter goes badly.