Citation
Measure What Matters: How Google, Bono, and the Gates Foundation Rock the World with OKRs
TL;DR
3-5 objectives maximum, each with 3-5 key results
Definitive account of Objectives and Key Results (OKRs), documenting how Andy Grove developed the framework at Intel in the 1970s and how Doerr introduced it to Google in 1999 (when it had 40 employees). The principle of focusing on 3-5 objectives with 3-5 key results each (9-25 metrics total, not 200) aligns with receptor biology.
E. coli doesn't try to sense everything - it senses the 5-10 molecules that predict food, danger, and optimal pH. The OKR framework operationalizes this insight: fewer, better metrics beat more data.
Key Findings from Doerr (2018)
- 3-5 objectives maximum, each with 3-5 key results
- Total metric focus: 9-25 metrics, not hundreds
- Andy Grove developed OKRs at Intel in 1970s
- Doerr introduced to Google (40 employees) in 1999