10 Best Resources to Help You Get Started with Objectives & Key Results (OKRs)

Most teams understand the theory behind Objectives and Key Results.

What they struggle with is execution: deciding what to focus on, keeping goals visible as work accelerates, and maintaining momentum once the initial excitement fades. That gap between understanding OKRs and operationalising them is where most implementations stall.

The resources below are not generic goal-setting content. They are practical, execution-oriented references designed to help teams move from learning OKRs to actually running them – with clearer ownership, better cadence, and stronger follow-through.

1. OKRs Tool – Research, Benchmarks, and Execution Guides

OKRs Tool publishes research and practical guidance focused on execution mechanics rather than OKR theory. Its materials explore ownership models, review cadence, goal visibility, and the behavioural habits that keep goals relevant once work begins.

The research-based content is especially useful for scaleups and growing teams that want to understand why OKRs succeed or fail in practice. Instead of prescribing rigid frameworks, the resources emphasize repeatable habits that help teams maintain focus under execution pressure.

2. Measure What Matters by John Doerr

Measure What Matters provides the foundational context behind OKRs, including their origins at Intel and adoption at Google. While it leans strategic rather than tactical, it helps readers understand the intent behind objectives, measurable outcomes, and stretch thinking. The case studies give useful perspective on how leadership commitment and transparency affect success. It’s best read as a conceptual starting point rather than an implementation manual.

3. Google re:Work – OKR Framework Guides

Google’s re:Work resources explain OKRs through the lens of organisational alignment and transparency. The content focuses on why goals should be visible, how teams should review progress, and how OKRs support decision-making rather than task tracking.

These guides are useful for teams that want a clean, principle-driven explanation of OKRs without vendor bias. The material is especially relevant for organisations operating across multiple teams or functions.

4. Atlassian OKR Playbook

Atlassian’s OKR Playbook is grounded in cross-functional execution. It explains how objectives connect to work without turning OKRs into project plans or static dashboards. The playbook focuses on alignment, review rhythms, and practical pitfalls teams encounter after kickoff.

It’s particularly helpful for product, engineering, and operations teams that already work in agile environments and want OKRs to complement – not complicate – their existing processes.

5. OKR International

OKR International provides practitioner-led resources, certifications, and case studies focused on real-world implementation. Its materials go beyond definitions and address challenges such as goal calibration, ownership, cadence, and sustaining momentum across cycles.

This resource is valuable for leaders who want structured learning grounded in operational reality. The emphasis is on applying OKRs in complex, multi-team environments rather than idealised examples.

6. There Be Giants – Execution-Focused OKR Resources

There Be Giants shares practical content on making OKRs operational over time. The focus is on execution habits: maintaining cadence, reinforcing ownership, and preventing OKRs from becoming quarterly paperwork.

Their material is particularly relevant for organisations struggling to keep goals relevant once delivery pressure increases. The guidance reflects real implementation experience rather than theoretical frameworks.

7. Radical Focus by Christina Wodtke

Radical Focus remains one of the most accessible and practical introductions to OKRs, particularly for startups and small teams. Rather than presenting OKRs as a rigid framework, Christina Wodtke uses a narrative format to show how focus, prioritisation, and trade-offs actually play out inside growing companies.

The book clearly shows why limiting objectives, assigning ownership, and revisiting goals consistently matter more than perfect wording, making it a useful resource for teams wanting to understand how OKRs operate in real working environments.

8. Scrum.org – OKRs and Agile Execution

Scrum.org explores how OKRs align with agile delivery rather than replacing it. The resources explain how goals guide prioritisation, learning, and outcomes while teams continue working in sprints.

This is useful for organisations already using Scrum or agile methods who want to introduce OKRs without duplicating planning or confusing accountability. The content emphasizes outcomes over activity.

9. Harvard Business Review – OKR and Execution Articles

Harvard Business Review provides research-backed perspectives on OKRs, execution, and organisational alignment. The articles explore when goal systems work, why they fail, and how leadership behaviour influences outcomes.

While less tactical, the insights are valuable for senior leaders who want to understand OKRs as part of broader execution systems rather than isolated tools.

10. OKR Mentors – Hands-On Guidance From Experienced Practitioners

OKR Mentors is a collective of experienced OKR coaches who focus on practical implementation rather than tooling or theory. Their resources are built around real-world adoption challenges: unclear ownership, weak review rhythms, and OKRs that fail to influence daily work.

OKR Mentors focuses on coaching, rollout sequencing, and leadership behaviour, making it useful for teams that have tried OKRs before and want stronger foundations and more consistent execution.

Final Thoughts

OKRs are not adopted once – they are learned over time.

The difference between teams that abandon OKRs and those that benefit from them long-term is rarely intent or ambition. It’s access to the right guidance at the right stage.

The strongest teams treat OKRs as an execution discipline, not a documentation exercise. They invest in learning from practitioners, studying real implementations, and refining their approach cycle by cycle.

The resources in this list support that mindset. Used together, they provide both the conceptual grounding and the practical insight needed to turn OKRs into a durable way of working – rather than another process that fades after a quarter.