Okr Generator

OKR Generator

Generate a comprehensive, actionable okr-plan.md from user inputs, applying the Google/Intel OKR framework.

Contents

• references/methodology.md -- Core OKR principles (non-negotiable rules to apply).
• references/inputs.md -- The four required inputs plus optional context.
• references/output-template.md -- Exact structure of the generated okr-plan.md.
• references/best-practices.md -- Appendix content (common mistakes, OKR cycle, grading by KR type, reading list).

Workflow

1. Read references/inputs.md. Collect the four required inputs: company goals, team function, quarter/period, current metrics/baseline. If any are missing, ask for them. Never fabricate baselines. 2. Read references/methodology.md and apply every core principle. Objectives are qualitative and inspirational (no numbers); key results are quantitative and measurable (always a number). 3. Design 3-5 objectives. Attach 3-4 key results to each. Mark each as Committed or Aspirational, targeting roughly 60-70% committed and 30-40% aspirational across the plan. 4. Map every objective to at least one company goal. Build both the alignment table and the cascade diagram. Drop any objective that does not ladder up. 5. Write a 5-level scoring rubric (0.0, 0.3, 0.5, 0.7, 1.0) for every key result, with KR-specific descriptions. 6. List initiatives separately from key results. Initiatives are the activities ("how"); key results are the measured outcomes ("what"). Never conflate them. 7. Document dependencies and risks. Assign a single owner role to every objective and key result. 8. Define the tracking cadence (weekly check-in, monthly scoring, quarterly retrospective) and include all three templates plus the appendix from references/best-practices.md. 9. Generate the full document per references/output-template.md as okr-plan.md in the working directory (or a user-specified path). Produce at least 400 substantive lines, no filler. 10. Summarize the plan: objective count and committed/aspirational split, the most ambitious key result, key dependencies/risks, and the recommended first action.

Generation Rules

• Validate inputs before generating; base all targets on the provided baselines (committed: ~10-30% improvement; aspirational: ~50-100%+ or breakthrough).
• Objectives qualitative, key results quantitative. Rewrite any KR lacking a number.
• Every objective maps to a company goal; every KR has a single owner and a scoring rubric.
• Never connect OKR scores to compensation, promotion, or performance reviews. Include the decoupling reminder in the scoring guide.
• Include all templates in full (weekly, monthly, quarterly). Do not abbreviate.

Edge Cases

• Multiple teams: Generate one plan per team in its own file (e.g., okr-plan-engineering.md, okr-plan-marketing.md).
• Company-level OKRs: Remove team-to-company alignment; show department-level cascade instead.
• Mid-quarter adjustment: Preserve original OKRs, mark adjusted ones with [ADJUSTED], and include rationale per change.
• Previous-quarter scores provided: Calibrate ambition -- if the team scored 1.0 on everything, push harder; if below 0.4, investigate whether the cause was execution or target-setting.

OKR Best Practices (Plan Appendix)

Include this content as the appendix (Section 12) of every generated okr-plan.md.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Writing tasks as key results. "Launch the new dashboard" is a task. "Increase daily active users of the dashboard from 200 to 800" is a key result. Always ask: "How will I MEASURE success?"

2. Too many OKRs. More than 5 objectives per team means none of them are truly priorities. If everything is important, nothing is.

3. Sandbagging targets. If the team consistently scores 1.0 on every OKR, the targets are not ambitious enough. Aspirational OKRs should land around 0.6-0.7.

4. Setting and forgetting. OKRs without regular check-ins are just decoration. The weekly cadence is what makes them a living system.

5. Using OKRs for performance reviews. The moment OKR scores affect compensation, people stop setting ambitious targets. Keep them separate.

6. No baseline metrics. Meaningful targets require knowing where the team stands today. Always establish the current state first.

7. Objectives that are not inspiring. "Improve Q2 metrics" is not an objective. "Become the most trusted platform in our category" is.

8. Key results without owners. Every key result needs a single accountable person. Shared ownership means no ownership.

9. Ignoring dependencies. If KR 2.1 depends on the platform team shipping an API, document and track that dependency.

10. Changing OKRs mid-quarter without process. Adjusting scope when reality changes is fine, but document changes with clear rationale rather than doing them quietly.

The OKR Cycle

Quarter Start (Week 1-2):
  - Review company goals
  - Draft team OKRs
  - Alignment review with leadership and peer teams
  - Finalize and publish OKRs

During Quarter (Week 3-11):
  - Weekly check-ins (15-30 min)
  - Monthly scoring and course correction (60 min)
  - Mid-quarter alignment check with leadership

Quarter End (Week 12-13):
  - Final scoring
  - Retrospective (90-120 min)
  - Begin drafting next quarter OKRs
  - Share learnings with peer teams

Grading Guidance by Key Result Type

Metric-based KRs (e.g., "Increase NPS from 32 to 50"):

• Score = (Actual - Baseline) / (Target - Baseline)
• Example: NPS goes from 32 to 41 against a target of 50
• Score = (41 - 32) / (50 - 32) = 9 / 18 = 0.5

Milestone-based KRs (e.g., "Complete SOC 2 audit by March 31"):

• 0.0: Not started
• 0.3: Preparation underway but significant work remains
• 0.5: Midway through the process
• 0.7: Substantially complete, minor items remaining
• 1.0: Fully complete and certified

Binary KRs (e.g., "Hire a VP of Engineering"):

• 0.0: No candidates in pipeline
• 0.3: Active sourcing, some candidates identified
• 0.5: Candidates in interview process
• 0.7: Offer extended
• 1.0: Hire made and started

Recommended Reading

• "Measure What Matters" by John Doerr (2018)
• "High Output Management" by Andy Grove (1983)
• "Radical Focus" by Christina Wodtke (2016)
• "Objectives and Key Results" by Paul Niven and Ben Lamorte (2016)
• Google's OKR Playbook (re:Work, available at rework.withgoogle.com)

Required and Optional Inputs

Collect the four required inputs before generating. If any are missing, ask for them explicitly. Do not guess or fabricate baseline metrics.

1. Company Goals (Required)

Top-level company objectives or strategic priorities for the period. Examples:

• "Grow ARR from $5M to $8M"
• "Expand into the European market"
• "Achieve product-market fit for our enterprise offering"
• "Reduce customer churn below 5% annually"

2. Team Function (Required)

The specific team or department these OKRs are for. Examples: Engineering, Product, Sales, Marketing, Customer Success, People/HR, Finance, Design, Data/Analytics, Operations, Executive/Leadership.

3. Quarter / Time Period (Required)

The specific time period. Examples:

• Q1 2026 (January - March 2026)
• Q2 2026 (April - June 2026)
• H1 2026 (first half)

4. Current Metrics / Baseline (Required)

The current state of key metrics so key results can set meaningful targets. Examples:

• "Current NPS is 32"
• "Monthly active users: 45,000"
• "Average deal cycle: 62 days"
• "Test coverage: 48%"
• "Customer churn: 8% annually"
• "Revenue per employee: $180K"

5. Additional Context (Optional)

Any other relevant information: team size and maturity, known constraints or blockers, previous quarter OKR scores, cross-functional dependencies, budget constraints, hiring plans, technical debt considerations, competitive landscape changes.

Google/Intel OKR Methodology

Originated by Andy Grove at Intel and adopted by John Doerr at Google. Reference: "Measure What Matters" by John Doerr.

Core Principles

Follow these principles strictly when generating OKRs. They are non-negotiable.

1. Objectives must be qualitative and inspirational. An objective is a statement of direction that is memorable, motivating, and describes a meaningful outcome. It must NOT contain numbers. Numbers belong in key results.

2. Key Results must be quantitative and measurable. Every key result needs a number -- a metric, a percentage, a count, a date, a dollar amount. If it cannot be measured, it is not a key result.

3. The committed vs aspirational split matters. Approximately 60-70% of OKRs should be committed (expected to hit 1.0) and 30-40% should be aspirational or stretch (expected to land around 0.6-0.7). Mark this distinction clearly.

4. OKRs are NOT a task list. Key results describe outcomes, not activities. "Launch feature X" is a task. "Increase user activation rate from 30% to 50%" is a key result. Never confuse the two.

5. Less is more. 3-5 objectives maximum per team per quarter. 3-4 key results per objective. Anything beyond that dilutes focus.

6. OKRs must be time-bound. Every plan is scoped to a specific quarter or time period.

7. Scoring uses the 0.0-1.0 scale.

• 0.0-0.3: No meaningful progress
• 0.4-0.6: Progress made but fell short
• 0.7: Delivered (target for aspirational OKRs)
• 1.0: Fully achieved (target for committed OKRs)

8. OKRs are public and transparent. Write the plan so anyone in the organization can read it and understand what the team is working on and why.

9. OKRs decouple from compensation. Include a note in every plan reminding stakeholders that OKR scores are a learning tool, not a performance review input.

10. Cadence is non-negotiable. Weekly check-ins, monthly scoring updates, and a full quarterly retrospective are required elements.

okr-plan.md Output Template

Generate okr-plan.md following this exact structure. The document must be at least 400 lines of substantive content (no filler).

# [Team Name] OKR Plan -- [Quarter/Period]

> Generated on [date] | Methodology: Google/Intel OKR Framework
> Reference: "Measure What Matters" by John Doerr

---

## Table of Contents

1. Executive Summary
2. Company Goal Alignment
3. OKR Scoring Guide
4. Objectives and Key Results
5. Alignment Map
6. Initiatives and Key Activities
7. Dependencies and Risks
8. Tracking Cadence
9. Weekly Check-in Template
10. Monthly Scoring Template
11. Quarterly Retrospective Template
12. Appendix: OKR Best Practices

---

## 1. Executive Summary

[2-3 paragraph summary of the team's strategic focus for the quarter. What is
the team trying to accomplish and why? How does this connect to the company's
broader mission? What are the most important bets the team is making?]

---

## 2. Company Goal Alignment

[A table or structured list showing each company-level goal and which team
objectives map to it. Every team objective MUST connect to at least one
company goal. If an objective does not connect, it should not exist.]

| Company Goal | Team Objective(s) | Alignment Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| [Company Goal 1] | Objective 1, Objective 3 | [Why these objectives serve this goal] |
| [Company Goal 2] | Objective 2 | [Why this objective serves this goal] |
| ... | ... | ... |

---

## 3. OKR Scoring Guide

### Scoring Scale

| Score | Meaning | Color Code | Expected For |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.0 | No progress | Red | -- |
| 0.1 - 0.3 | Minimal progress, significantly off track | Red | -- |
| 0.4 - 0.6 | Some progress, but fell short of target | Yellow | -- |
| 0.7 | Target hit (this IS the goal for aspirational OKRs) | Green | Aspirational |
| 0.8 - 0.9 | Exceeded expectations | Green | -- |
| 1.0 | Fully delivered | Green | Committed |

### Committed vs Aspirational

- **Committed OKRs** are things the team has agreed MUST happen. The target
  score is 1.0. Failure to hit 1.0 requires a postmortem explaining what
  went wrong and what will change.

- **Aspirational OKRs** (also called "stretch" or "moonshot" OKRs) are
  ambitious targets where landing at 0.6-0.7 is considered a success.
  Consistently scoring 1.0 on aspirational OKRs means the team is not
  being ambitious enough.

### Important Reminder

> OKR scores are a management tool for learning and alignment. They are
> explicitly decoupled from employee performance evaluations, compensation
> decisions, and promotion reviews. Using OKR scores for performance
> management undermines psychological safety and encourages sandbagging.

---

## 4. Objectives and Key Results

### Objective 1: [Qualitative, inspirational statement]

**Type:** [Committed / Aspirational]
**Owner:** [Role or name]
**Company Goal Alignment:** [Which company goal(s) this serves]

| # | Key Result | Baseline | Target | Stretch | Type | Owner | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KR 1.1 | [Measurable outcome] | [Current value] | [Target value] | [Stretch value] | [Committed/Aspirational] | [Owner] | -- |
| KR 1.2 | [Measurable outcome] | [Current value] | [Target value] | [Stretch value] | [Committed/Aspirational] | [Owner] | -- |
| KR 1.3 | [Measurable outcome] | [Current value] | [Target value] | [Stretch value] | [Committed/Aspirational] | [Owner] | -- |

**Scoring Rubric for KR 1.1:**
- 0.0: [What 0.0 looks like]
- 0.3: [What 0.3 looks like]
- 0.5: [What 0.5 looks like]
- 0.7: [What 0.7 looks like]
- 1.0: [What 1.0 looks like]

**Scoring Rubric for KR 1.2:**
[Same structure]

**Scoring Rubric for KR 1.3:**
[Same structure]

**Key Initiatives (activities, NOT results):**
- [Initiative 1: What the team will DO to drive these key results]
- [Initiative 2]
- [Initiative 3]
- [Initiative 4]

**Risks and Mitigations:**
- Risk: [Description] | Mitigation: [Plan]
- Risk: [Description] | Mitigation: [Plan]

---

[Repeat the above structure for Objectives 2 through 5]

---

## 5. Alignment Map

[A visual or structured representation showing how team OKRs cascade from
company goals. This section makes the "ladder" explicit.]

### Cascade Diagram

Company Goal: [Goal 1] | +-- Team Objective 1: [Title] | +-- KR 1.1: [Summary] | +-- KR 1.2: [Summary] | +-- KR 1.3: [Summary] | +-- Team Objective 3: [Title] +-- KR 3.1: [Summary] +-- KR 3.2: [Summary]

Company Goal: [Goal 2] | +-- Team Objective 2: [Title] +-- KR 2.1: [Summary] +-- KR 2.2: [Summary] +-- KR 2.3: [Summary]

### Cross-Functional Dependencies

| This Team's OKR | Depends On | Other Team | Their Related OKR | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [KR reference] | [What is needed] | [Team name] | [Their OKR if known] | [Not started / In progress / Resolved] |

---

## 6. Initiatives and Key Activities

[For each objective, list the concrete initiatives (projects, workstreams,
experiments) that the team will execute. These are the "how" -- the activities
that drive key result progress. Initiatives are NOT key results. They are the
work that produces the outcomes measured by key results.]

### Objective 1 Initiatives

| Initiative | Description | Key Results Impacted | Owner | Timeline | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Initiative name] | [1-2 sentence description] | KR 1.1, KR 1.2 | [Owner] | [Start - End] | Not Started |
| ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... |

[Repeat for each objective]

---

## 7. Dependencies and Risks

### External Dependencies

[List anything outside the team's control that could impact OKR achievement]

| Dependency | Impact If Unresolved | Responsible Party | Due Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Description] | [Which KRs affected and how] | [Who] | [When needed] | [Status] |

### Top Risks

| Risk | Probability | Impact | Affected OKRs | Mitigation Plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Risk description] | High/Med/Low | High/Med/Low | [KR references] | [What the team will do] |

---

## 8. Tracking Cadence

### Weekly (Every [Day of Week])

**Purpose:** Rapid status check. Are we on track? Any blockers?
**Duration:** 15-30 minutes
**Attendees:** [Team lead + KR owners]
**Format:**
- Each KR owner gives a 60-second update: confidence level (on track / at risk / off track), key actions taken this week, blockers
- Team lead captures blockers and assigns owners to resolve
- No deep dives -- those happen offline

### Monthly (First [Day] of each month)

**Purpose:** Score update and course correction
**Duration:** 60 minutes
**Attendees:** [Full team]
**Format:**
- Score each KR on the 0.0-1.0 scale based on current progress
- Compare current trajectory to target trajectory
- Identify KRs that need intervention
- Decide on any scope adjustments (with documentation of why)
- Update initiative priorities based on what is/isn't working

### Quarterly (End of Quarter)

**Purpose:** Full retrospective and scoring
**Duration:** 90-120 minutes
**Attendees:** [Full team + stakeholders]
**Format:**
- Final scoring of all KRs
- Objective-level scoring (average of KR scores)
- Retrospective discussion (see template below)
- Input into next quarter's OKR planning

---

## 9. Weekly Check-in Template

Weekly OKR Check-in -- [Team Name]

Week of: [Date]

Facilitator: [Name]

Objective 1: [Title]

Overall Confidence: [On Track / At Risk / Off Track]

[Repeat for each objective]

Blockers

Key Decisions Made This Week

• [Decision 1]
• [Decision 2]

Action Items

• [ ] [Action] -- @[Owner] -- Due [Date]
• [ ] [Action] -- @[Owner] -- Due [Date]

---

## 10. Monthly Scoring Template

Monthly OKR Scoring -- [Team Name]

Month: [Month Year]

Scored By: [Name]

Scoring Summary

Month-over-Month Comparison

Course Corrections Needed

• [KR reference]: [What needs to change and why]

Wins This Month

• [Win 1]
• [Win 2]

Scope Changes (if any)

• [Change]: [Rationale]

---

## 11. Quarterly Retrospective Template

Quarterly OKR Retrospective -- [Team Name]

Quarter: [Q# Year]

Date: [Date]

Facilitator: [Name]

Attendees: [Names]

---

Part 1: Final Scores

Overall Team OKR Score: [Average of all objective averages]

---

Part 2: Objective-by-Objective Review

Objective 1: [Title]

What went well:

• [Point 1]
• [Point 2]

What did not go well:

• [Point 1]
• [Point 2]

What did we learn:

• [Learning 1]
• [Learning 2]

What would we do differently:

• [Change 1]
• [Change 2]

[Repeat for each objective]

---

Part 3: Process Review

OKR Setting Process:

• Were the OKRs well-scoped? [Yes / No -- explain]
• Were the targets appropriately ambitious? [Yes / No -- explain]
• Did we have the right number of OKRs? [Yes / No -- explain]

Tracking and Cadence:

• Did we maintain weekly check-ins? [Yes / No]
• Were monthly scorings completed on time? [Yes / No]
• Did the tracking cadence help us course-correct? [Yes / No -- explain]

Alignment:

• Did our OKRs stay aligned with company goals? [Yes / No -- explain]
• Were cross-functional dependencies managed well? [Yes / No -- explain]

---

Part 4: Carry-Forward Items

Unfinished Key Results to Consider for Next Quarter:

• [KR]: [Current score] -- [Recommendation: carry forward / drop / modify]

New Insights That Should Inform Next Quarter:

• [Insight 1]
• [Insight 2]

Process Improvements for Next Quarter:

• [Improvement 1]
• [Improvement 2]

---

Part 5: Team Health Check

Rate each dimension 1-5 (1 = strongly disagree, 5 = strongly agree):

---

## 12. Appendix: OKR Best Practices

See references/best-practices.md for the full appendix content (common mistakes, the OKR cycle, grading guidance by KR type, and recommended reading). Include it inline in the generated plan.