Implement Performance Management (KPIs, OKRs)

Establish a performance system that links strategy to execution. Use KPIs to monitor core health and OKRs to drive change and focus. Assign ownership, create visibility, and establish a regular cadence of review and learning.

Why it's Matters

Strategy doesn’t fail because of bad ideas, it fails because teams don’t know what success looks like. Metrics and goals turn intentions into focus. But they only work when they’re consistent, visible, and taken seriously. A solid performance system gives teams shared direction, clear accountability, and fast feedback. It helps you identify what's working, where you're drifting, and how to realign

What You Need to Do

Choose 3–5 company-level KPIs that measure core health
Set 1–3 strategic OKRs per team or function
Align KPIs and OKR to ownership (who’s responsible for tracking, reacting, reporting)
Make performance visible: dashboards, async reports, reviews
Review regularly: weekly, monthly, quarterly

How to Approach It

Start with strategy, not activity: Identify key outcomes that reflect strategic success
Use OKRs for stretch and focus: Help teams break down objectives into measurable results
Use KPIs for operational health: Track consistency, quality, and growth across key functions
Assign ownership: Each metric or result must have a single responsible owner
Design the cadence: Define when metrics are reported, reviewed, and adapted
Build it into the workflow: Don’t bolt on reporting — embed it into how teams plan and reflect

Deliverables

Finalized KPI set (3–5 company-wide, plus team-level, function-level)
OKRs set and cascaded across core functions
Ownership map and update cadence
Dashboard or reporting framework (internal or tool-based)

How to Tell if You Got It Right

Teams review and act on KPIs and OKRs regularly
Strategic goals cascade visibly into team goals
Progress tracking informs decisions, not just reporting
Everyone knows what “great performance” looks like

What to Watch Out For

Measuring everything equally instead of focusing on the few that matter
Reporting numbers without linking to decisions or trade-offs
Confusing OKRs (goals) with KPIs (indicators)
Creating tracking systems that are burdensome or unused