Thinking Beyond Outcomes in OKRs

Focusing on Outcomes is important—but it’s not always the best or only path forward for every Product Team.

Yes, shifting attention from features to user behavior is a critical mindset change. But when teams treat “Outcome OKRs only” as dogma, they risk getting stuck. Expanding how you view OKRs—and what they can do for your team’s progress—matters just as much.

Why “It Didn’t Work” Is a Common OKR Story

One of the most common things I hear from Product Teams is,

“We tried OKRs, but they didn’t work for us.”

Usually, that’s because they followed someone else’s blueprint. A different team, at a different company, in a different context.

It’s a natural instinct—we want to know we’re “doing it right.” I’ve been there myself. When I first started working with OKRs, I was constantly asking for feedback:

Are these the “right” Key Results?
Is this the “correct” way to run the meetings?

But over time, I learned the hard truth:

The real value of OKRs doesn’t come from sticking to a perfect process.
It comes from being clear on why you’re using them—and how they’ll help your organization.

That kind of clarity is also the best antidote to falling into OKR Theater.

Are Key Results “Wrong” If They’re Not Outcomes?

That’s a question I often hear from teams trying to make OKRs useful—but finding themselves stuck in overthinking.

OKRs are meant to amplify your work. They’re meant to guide you—not get in your way.

To me, it’s simple:

Outcomes over Outputs—but not at all costs.

The Risks of an Outcome-Only Mindset

There’s no doubt that Outcome OKRs bring huge benefits. They give teams more autonomy and help measure progress toward real impact—not just task completion.

But a rigid focus on Outcomes can backfire.

If a team doesn’t yet have the right environment or skills, this pressure can lead to hesitation and inaction. Instead of making progress, teams wait for the “perfect” setup. That delay can slow down learning, momentum, and impact.

Sometimes, it’s better to move forward with Output-based Key Results as a temporary stepping stone—and evolve from there.

When Outcome Focus Becomes Dogma

The current emphasis on Outcomes has unlocked a lot of positive change for Product Teams. But if we’re not careful, we risk turning that emphasis into something rigid—something dogmatic.

The dogma that you’re only a “real” Product Team if you focus on Outcomes.
The dogma that Outcome OKRs are the only correct way to use OKRs.
The dogma that you must do everything “right” before doing it at all.

And that mindset? It leads to paralysis.

The dogma of Outcome OKRs can trap teams in the belief that they must get everything perfect before they can start—and learn.

Outcome OKRs Don’t Guarantee Success

Even when well-written, Outcome OKRs aren’t magic.

You can define behavior-based Key Results that sound great—but if they’re not measurable during the goal cycle or they don’t move at all, they won’t help.

That’s why it’s not just about whether you define your Key Results as Outputs or Outcomes. It’s also about understanding how leading or lagging those metrics are.

Your mix of Outputs vs. Outcomes—and leading vs. lagging indicators—shouldn’t come from a matrix.
It should come from your context, your OKR system, and what works for your team.

Getting Started with Key Results

In a perfect world, every Key Result would check these three boxes:

• It’s influenceable by the team who owns it

• It moves at a pace that allows the team to respond and adapt

• It tracks a change in behavior—not just a task or feature

But in real life? Many teams won’t be able to tick all three. And that’s okay.

Some teams simply don’t have the inputs or data needed to define clear Outcome Key Results. So what do you do?

Do you try to invent Outcomes from scratch, based on gut feeling?

Or do you start with Output-focused Key Results and use them to learn and improve?

Start With What You Have

For most teams, starting with the latter is more effective.

Don’t wait for the perfect data set or strategy to define your OKRs.
Use what you have—right now.

Yes, Output Key Results can sometimes look like a task list. But regularly measuring progress against them is still a meaningful shift.

It gives you:

• A clear list of priorities

• A shared rhythm for reflection

• A starting point to build from

Using Outputs in OKRs is often the first step toward working with Outcomes later.

Common Challenges in Defining Key Results

Here are some of the most common challenges Product Teams face when drafting Key Results—and what you can do about them:

Prioritizing Leading Indicators

One of the things that sets OKRs apart from other goal-setting frameworks is the focus on continuous progress tracking and adjusting actions along the way.

And here’s the key question:

What’s the point of defining a perfect Outcome if it doesn’t help you change course when needed?

Outcome ≠ Real-Time Feedback

An overly rigid focus on Outcomes can create a dangerous gap in feedback.

When teams stick too closely to “by-the-book” Outcomes, they often end up with metrics that are technically correct—but only measurable in hindsight.

That’s fine if your main goal is to start a conversation about Outcomes or shift your team's mindset.

But if your goal is to use OKRs as a practical tool—one that helps you make better decisions in the moment—you need to focus on leading indicators.

If OKRs are meant to help you adapt, you need feedback early—not after the fact.

Use Leading Indicators to Inform Real Decisions

Leading indicators help you fine-tune how you work today—so you’re not waiting until the end of the quarter to realize what went wrong.

Whether a Key Result leans more toward an Outcome or an Output should depend on one thing:

Does it help you make better decisions in your daily work?

That’s what matters.

How Leading and Lagging Indicators Fit

Here’s a breakdown of how leading and lagging indicators can align with different types of Key Results:

Taking the First Steps

For every Product Team that feels stuck chasing an idealized version of Outcome OKRs, there should be at least one that just gets started—regardless of how imperfect that first step might be.

Progress beats perfection—especially when you're learning.

Don’t follow a one-size-fits-all OKR process just because it worked for someone else.

Instead, experiment. Observe. Learn.
Solve the challenges that are specific to your context—and build your OKR approach from that foundation.

Use the journey, not someone else’s playbook, to shape the OKR system that works for you.