From vision to execution: how to use north star and OKRs for strategy
In fast-growing companies, strategic planning often falls into two extremes:

•  It is either too abstract, leaving teams unsure where to go,
• Or too tactical, turning into a task list without inspiration or a unifying goal.

The real solution lies in the middle – in the ability to connect the North Star Metric (the company’s guiding light for growth) with clear and measurable OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) for each department.

What is a north star metric and why is it important?

The North Star Metric (NSM) is the single key indicator that reflects the long-term value a company creates for its customers.
Unlike KPI such as “margin,” which simply track outcomes, the NSM provides direction. It’s a guiding light that shows where the entire organization should be moving.
Examples of NSM in different industries:

1. For a marketplace: “Number of successfully completed transactions per month.”
2. For a SaaS product: “Weekly active users.”

Why it matters:

• The NSM unites teams around one common purpose
• It helps avoid chaos in priorities and keeps the company focused on growth.

OKRs vs KPI what’s the difference?

If the North Star sets the direction, then OKRs transform strategy into action.

Objective – a qualitative, ambitious statement.

For example: “Increase brand awareness in key regions.”
Key Results – measurable indicators that prove the goal is being achieved. For example: “Launch 3 campaigns in Q2,” “Grow organic traffic by 25%”

Meanwhile, KPIs record operational performance: how many calls a manager made, how many tickets support was resolved. OKRs, by contrast, are about strategic growth.
They are designed to move the company to a new level, not just maintain the status quo.

How to connect the north star with department OKRs

Step 1: Define the North Star at the company level

Ask the business owner one key question: “What value do we create for the customer?”
Or, if the CEO is less hands-on, ask a practical variation: “What does a successful year look like for you? How do you know the project is succeeding?”
It’s important not to confuse financial outcomes (revenue, profit) with customer value indicators (user activity, completed transactions, engagement).

Step 2: Break it down by department

Each department owns its share of the journey to the North Star:

1. Marketing – acquisition and organic growth.
2. Product – retention and engagement.
3. Support – resolution speed and customer satisfaction.
4. Tech – product stability and performance.

Step 3: Formulate objectives

Objectives should be: ambitious (stretching beyond current capacity), but also specific and meaningful for the department

Step 4: Define key results

Each Objective should be supported by 3–5 measurable Key Results:

1. Product: “Increase daily retention from 30% to 45%,” “Boost average session time from 5 to 7 minutes”
2. Marketing: “Attract 10,000 new organic users in Q2”
3. Support: “Achieve 90% CSAT by the end of the quarter”

Step 5: Create cross-functional alignment

One goal may involve several departments. For example, “improving retention” is a shared responsibility for Product, Support, and Marketing.
This is a very subtle point: companies must foster collaboration, not competition. I’ve seen environments where departments competed instead of collaborating – it led to conflicts, bureaucracy, and stagnation

Step 6: Review OKRs regularly

OKRs are usually set quarterly
At the end of each quarter, teams conduct a retrospective: what worked, what didn’t, and what lessons were learnt.

My mistakes

• Too many goals. More than 3–4 OKRs per team per quarter dilutes focus.
• Focusing on activity instead of outcomes. “Launch a campaign” is an activity. “Increase traffic by 25%” is an outcome.
• Lack of leadership involvement. If C-level executives don’t support OKRs, employees quickly see it as just another layer of bureaucracy.

For me, the North Star is not just a number – it’s a philosophy of focus. And OKRs are the engine that turns that philosophy into daily execution.

If you can strike the right balance between vision and structure, your teams won’t just complete tasks – they will move the entire company toward long-term success.