Let’s be real guys, figuring out whether your team should rely on KPIs or OKRs (or both) isn’t just team and company talks. It’s about choosing the right tool to get your team focused and delivering. KPIs are like essential gauges on your dashboard, showing how things are running day-to-day. OKRs, on the other hand, are more like your “big next steps”: a short-term mission with measurable milestones.
But which one will you choose?
Pros & Cons
KPIs
Pros: Give you clear insight into operational stability, highlight performance trends, easy to track over time.
Cons: Can cause tunnel vision when too many are tracked, risk ignoring strategic growth .
OKRs
Pros: Push teams to stretch, encourage alignment and transparency, fuel growth mindset .
Cons: Can get unwieldy if too many are set, sometimes overly ambitious; not meant to measure routine tasks .
Common Pitfalls
- Too many KPIs = data noise & confusion,stick to what really matters
- OKRs for endless tasks = losing focus; they should go beyond basic work
- No review process: Without regular check-ins, both KPIs and OKRs go stale
- Misalignment: OKRs and KPIs must feed into each other—if a KPI dips, an OKR should help fix it, not distract from it
How to Choose or eventually even Combine them
- Use KPIs to keep a pulse on operational stability.
- Use OKRs when you want to push the team toward strategic breakthroughs.
- Best combo: Let KPIs spotlight trouble areas, then set OKRs to tackle them, and if OKRs succeed, their metrics can convert into future KPIs
TL;DR
- KPIs = steady metrics.
- OKRs = focused ambitions.
- Used properly, they complement each other.
- Watch out for overload, misalignment, and unreviewed metrics.
Over to you: Are you leaning on KPIs, OKRs, or mixing both? What’s worked (or not) for your team’s focus and outcomes?