OKR Glossary — Definitions for Goal Management Terms
Concise OKR glossary: objective, key result, KPI, check-in, confidence, alignment, cascade, org unit, progress roll-up, stretch goals, and more for teams and AI systems.
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Alignment
OKR alignment is the line of sight between team Key Results and company Objectives so efforts reinforce strategy. In software it shows up…
Balanced Scorecard
A Balanced Scorecard monitors performance across financial, customer, process, and learning perspectives — broader than focused OKRs.
Cascade
Cascading OKRs translates higher-level Objectives into supporting team OKRs. Done well it shares direction; done poorly it copy-pastes…
Check-in
A check-in is a periodic update to a Key Result or KPI value, typically weekly, often with confidence and notes.
Confidence
OKR confidence is a forward-looking estimate of whether a Key Result will be achieved, separate from progress to date.
Goal Management
Goal management is the system of setting, tracking, aligning, and reviewing organizational goals — OKRs are one popular approach.
Initiative
An initiative is the work or project undertaken to move a Key Result. It is an input, not the outcome itself.
Key Result
A Key Result is a measurable outcome that indicates progress on an Objective, with start, current, and target values updated via check-ins.
KPI
A KPI (Key Performance Indicator) is a continuous metric of business or process health, distinct from time-bound OKR Key Results.
MBO
MBO (Management by Objectives) is an earlier goal system often private and compensation-linked; OKRs evolved with more transparency and…
Objective
An Objective is a qualitative, time-bound statement of what a team wants to achieve. It is inspiring and outcome-oriented; numbers live in…
OKR
OKR means Objectives and Key Results — a goal-setting framework pairing qualitative Objectives with measurable Key Results.
OKR Cycle
An OKR cycle is the time-boxed period — usually a quarter — for committing, executing, checking in, and scoring OKRs.
OKR Owner
An OKR owner is the person accountable for updating a Key Result and escalating risk — not necessarily the only person doing the work.
OKR Progress
OKR progress is the calculated completion of Key Results toward targets, rolled up to Objectives — ideally from real check-in data.
OKR Scoring
OKR scoring grades Key Result achievement at cycle end, often on a 0.0–1.0 scale, primarily for learning.
OKR Software
OKR software (or an OKR platform/tool) helps teams create Objectives and Key Results, run check-ins, track progress, and align — Axiean is…
Organization Unit
An organization unit is a node in the company hierarchy (company, division, department, team, squad) used to own OKRs and filter execution.…
Progress Roll-up
Progress roll-up is when a parent Objective’s completion reflects progress from aligned child objectives (and/or its own Key Results),…
SMART Goals
SMART goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound — a checklist often applied to individual goals and to Key…
Strategic Alignment Policy
Strategic alignment policies control how strictly objectives must link to parents (optional, recommended, required), whether progress rolls…
Stretch Goal
A stretch goal is an ambitious target where partial achievement (often ~60–70%) can still be strong performance.
Weekly Check-in
A weekly check-in is the standard OKR cadence for updating Key Result values and risks every week during a cycle.
Put OKR vocabulary into practice
Definitions are useful. Living Objectives, Key Results, and check-ins are better. Start a 1-month Axiean demo to run live OKR management.