Stop Letting OKRs Masquerade as Strategy | Medium

TL;DR: OKR != Strategy.

However, it begs the question of whether the organization in question has any chance of achieving the key results? In my observation, there is an implicit assumption that if we set the proper key results that are causally linked to the achievement of the objective, the setting of the key results will make it more likely that the objective will be achieved. But desire (as with hope) is simply not a strategy. The desire to achieve the named key results won’t cause those key results to happen. You may desire the substantial rise in your NPS, but if you are serving customers that your key competitor serves better than you do, your NPS is unlikely to rise — even though you really want it to.

I can definitely see how leaders could think that clearly articulated OKRs are sufficient for your team. You have identified the results you are seeking. But OKRs intentionally do not address much of the how, and that how had better be connected to your strategy.