Project Management

Please login or join to subscribe to this thread

Will OKRs eventually replace traditional KPIs for measuring project outcomes?

linkedin twitter facebook   Governance   Strategy  
avatar
Lissette Indhira Pimentel Sosa
Community Champion
Program Manager| HARPER SRL Santo Domingo / Distrito Nacional, Dominican Republic

OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) have become a favorite tool for strategy alignment, offering a more dynamic way to measure progress. But in project environments, KPIs still dominate for reporting and governance. KPIs offer clarity and comparability, while OKRs encourage ambition and adaptability. Will OKRs eventually displace KPIs in project management, or will they coexist as complementary lenses?
Sort By:
avatar
Aaron Porter
Community Champion
IT Director| Blade HQ Payson, UT, United States
OKRs don't replace KPIs, they supplement them.

Years ago, the discussion was around KRIs (aka Key Results Indicators - leading indicators) and KPIs (lagging indicators). Most people confused them and KRIs faded out of the conversation.

At a high level, I consider OKRs a revival of KRIs, with improvements. They represent a structured goal-setting framework that tells you what you're trying to accomplish while KPIs tell you how much you've accomplished so far. They will coexist in the companies that have the patience to implement OKRs effectively. Companies that are expecting to see immediate results will likely give up if they don't reframe their expectations.
avatar
Francisco Herrera
Community Champion
Program Manager, PPM&PMO Specialist.| Coppel, Mexico. Culiacán, Sinaloa, Mexico
Lissette Indhira Pimentel Sosa I believe OKRs and KPIs will likely coexist as complementary tools in project management, rather than one displacing the other.

In my company, we already use both. KPIs provide clarity and comparability for reporting and governance, while OKRs encourage ambition and adaptability for strategic alignment. They really complement each other.



I think this is the trend we'll see more of in the future: using both OKRs and KPIs to get a more complete picture of project performance and strategic impact. Francisco
avatar
Sergio Luis Conte Helping to create solutions for everyone| Worldwide based Organizations Buenos Aires, Argentina
KPIs are part of OKRs. If organizations do not understand that then they will fail.
avatar
Luis Branco CEO| Business Insight, Consultores de Gestão, Ldª Carcavelos, Lisboa, Portugal

Great question, Lissette Indhira Pimentel — and one that invites a deeper look at how we define progress in project environments.

Rather than a replacement, I see OKRs and KPIs as complementary instruments — each serving a distinct but connected purpose.

KPIs offer clarity, continuity, and comparability. They tell us how we’re performing within the current system.

OKRs, on the other hand, challenge us to stretch beyond the status quo.
They’re inherently aspirational, directional, and time-bound — helping align project efforts with broader strategic shifts.

In that sense, KPIs are like the dashboard — monitoring our current speed and fuel levels.
OKRs are the GPS — setting a new destination and inspiring course corrections when needed.

What’s powerful is when PMOs learn to integrate both lenses:
- Use KPIs to track ongoing health and compliance
- Use OKRs to drive strategic transformation, innovation, or change adoption

The risk is when we treat OKRs as just another metric, stripping them of their tension and ambition.
Their real value lies in alignment with purpose — not just measurement.

Curious to hear from others: How are you combining these tools in your projects or portfolios?

Please login or join to reply

Content ID:
ADVERTISEMENTS

Mediocrity knows nothing higher than itself, but talent instantly recognizes genius.

- Arthur Conan Doyle

ADVERTISEMENT

Sponsors







Vendor Events

See all Vendor Events

Newsletters

Jun 3: The Career Problem Facing New PMs
May 20: Your PM Career as a Project Life Cycle
May 13: The Big Lie After Layoffs

See all newsletters