Avoiding common mistakes with OKRs and KPIs

OKRs and KPIs can be powerful tools, but teams often fall into recurring traps that weaken their impact. The most common mistakes include:

• Focusing on outputs instead of outcomes. Counting shipped features does not prove value unless it reduces churn, boosts retention, or changes user behavior.
• Using vanity metrics. Numbers like page views may look good but fail to connect to the product’s North Star or strategic goals.
• Setting and forgetting. Writing OKRs once and ignoring them makes them irrelevant. They need regular updates and progress checks.
• Misalignment with company goals. Product OKRs that are not tied to broader objectives can create wasted effort.
• Top-down goal setting. Excluding input from team members leads to unrealistic or disconnected targets.
• Confusing initiatives with results. Key Results should measure effects, such as “increase engagement by 20 percent,” not actions like “launch a new dashboard.”
• Lack of accountability for KPIs. Without a clear owner, tracking becomes inconsistent and progress slips.
• Tracking too many metrics. Overloading teams with data spreads attention thin and weakens focus.