Goals, OKRs & KPIs
How teams set direction and measure whether they got there.
KPI (Key Performance Indicator)
KPI stands for key performance indicator. It is a measurable value that shows how well a person, team, or company is performing against its most important ongoing objectives. "Key" is the important word: out of everything you could measure, KPIs are the handful that tell you whether the business is healthy.
OKR (Objectives and Key Results)
OKR stands for objectives and key results. It is a goal-setting framework where an objective describes what you want to achieve in plain, ambitious language, and 3 to 5 key results describe how you will measure it. OKRs are usually set quarterly, shared openly across the company, and scored at the end of the cycle.
Performance Goals
Performance goals are specific, measurable targets that define what an employee is expected to achieve in their role over a set period. They are agreed between manager and employee, tied to team or company priorities, and used to assess performance at review time. They focus on results in the current job, unlike development goals, which focus on growth.
Personal Goals for Work
Personal goals for work are targets an employee sets for themselves to improve how they work, grow as a person, or keep a healthy balance. They overlap with professional goals but are more self-directed: habits, mindset, confidence, boundaries, and wellbeing at work. Some are shared with a manager. Others stay private.
Professional Goals
Professional goals, or work goals, are targets an employee sets to improve their performance, build skills, or move their career forward. Some are about the current role, like hitting a quality target. Others are about growth, like learning a new skill or preparing for a promotion. The best ones are agreed with a manager and reviewed regularly.
SMART Goals
SMART goals are goals written to be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. The acronym is a checklist that turns a vague intention like "get better at sales" into a goal anyone can verify, such as "close 12 new mid-market deals by 31 March". It was first described by George T. Doran in 1981.
