[hotnfresh]

OKRs run into trouble as soon as they go from “this thing we’re already talking about looks like a good place to use OKRs—let’s come up with a couple to guide our effort” to “your business unit must produce and execute on X OKRs each quarter, and subordinate units must produce and execute on X OKRs supporting those parent OKRs, and you will all be judged based on the outcomes”.

The latter is what in-fact happens nearly everywhere, with predictable results that OKRs just end up as bureaucratic waste that distract from valuable work.

When tools become mandates, tools become obstacles. See also: agile.