Quarterly OKRs for CEOs who set goals the whole company can execute on.
OKR-setting sessions on a whiteboard let the CEO and leadership team debate objectives, negotiate key results, and align on the measures that will define success. BoardSnap turns the session into a structured OKR document before the quarter begins.
Why ceos love this workflow
CEOs who set OKRs in a room with a whiteboard get better results than those who set them in a spreadsheet. The whiteboard forces the conversation — teams challenge objectives, negotiate key results, and surface resource conflicts in real time. The OKRs that emerge are more honest and more owned.
BoardSnap reads the OKR-setting whiteboard, the objective hierarchy, the key result measurements, and the ownership assignments and produces a structured OKR document. The quarter starts with everyone aligned on what success looks like.
The exact flow
- Write the company-level objectives
Three to five objectives at most. Write each as a motivating qualitative statement — 'Become the default tool for post-meeting capture.' No numbers in objectives.
- Derive key results for each objective
Write two to four measurable key results per objective. Each should be a metric that, if achieved, makes it impossible to dispute that the objective was met.
- Align departmental OKRs
Draw the alignment between company OKRs and the departmental OKRs that support them. Surface any department OKRs that don't connect to company objectives.
- Assign ownership and resolve conflicts
Name the owner for each OKR. Surface and resolve resource conflicts — two teams can't both have the same resource as a dependency.
- Snap the OKR board
Open BoardSnap and capture. The full OKR hierarchy — company and department — is documented before the quarter starts.
What you'll get out of it
- OKRs are set in conversation, not in a spreadsheet — increasing ownership
- Departmental-to-company OKR alignment is documented and traceable
- Resource conflicts are surfaced and resolved in the setting session
- The OKR document is the shared reference for the full quarter
- OKR history across quarters shows how company goals evolved
Frequently asked
How many objectives should appear on the CEO's OKR whiteboard?
Three to five company-level objectives is the right range. More than five and the whiteboard gets crowded and priorities blur. Fewer than three and you're probably not ambitious enough.
Can BoardSnap read the alignment between company and departmental OKRs?
Yes. Arrows connecting departmental OKRs to company objectives are read as alignment relationships. The structured output shows which department OKRs support which company objectives.
How does the OKR whiteboard session improve on a traditional OKR spreadsheet?
The whiteboard is collaborative — everyone can see the full OKR set simultaneously, challenge alignment, and surface conflicts in real time. The spreadsheet comes after the whiteboard session, not instead of it. BoardSnap turns the whiteboard output into the source document for the spreadsheet.
Can I use the OKR document for investor updates?
Yes. The structured OKR document — objectives, key results, owners — is the core of a quarterly investor update. Add narrative context and prior-quarter results to complete it.
CEOs: try this on your next quarterly okrs.
Three taps. Action items in your hand before the room clears.