Glossary

The strategy and goals glossary

Clear definitions for the language of goals and execution, across every framework: OKRs, KPIs, EOS, OGSM, SMART goals, the Balanced Scorecard, and Hoshin Kanri. Each entry includes a plain-language definition and a concrete example.

B

Balanced Scorecard

A strategy framework that tracks four perspectives: financial, customer, process, and learning.

BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal)

A bold long-term goal, often 10 to 25 years out, that focuses an organization on one ambition.

C

Cascading Goals

Aligning goals down the organization so each level supports the one above.

The back-and-forth negotiation of goals between organizational levels in Hoshin Kanri.

Confidence Score

A subjective rating of how likely a goal is to be achieved, often red, amber, green.

E

Effort-Impact Matrix

A 2x2 that ranks initiatives by the effort they take against the impact they return.

EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System)

A complete operating system for small businesses, built around Rocks, Scorecards, and L10 meetings.

G

A periodic update on a goal's progress and confidence, usually weekly.

The nested structure linking company goals to team and individual goals and the work below.

H

Horizon Planning

Planning growth across three horizons: the core business, emerging bets, and future options.

A Japanese strategy-deployment method that cascades a few breakthrough goals top to bottom.

K

A measurable outcome that proves an Objective has been reached.

A Key Performance Indicator: an ongoing metric that tracks the health of an activity.

L

Leading vs Lagging Indicator

Leading indicators predict an outcome; lagging indicators confirm it after the fact.

Level 10 Meeting

EOS's structured 90-minute weekly meeting for scorecards, rocks, and issue-solving.

M

MBO (Management by Objectives)

Drucker's approach where managers and employees jointly set and review measurable objectives.

MBR (Monthly Business Review)

A monthly review of trends and trajectory between the weekly and quarterly tiers.

N

North Star Metric

The single metric that best captures the core value a product delivers to customers.

NPS (Net Promoter Score)

A customer-loyalty metric from one question, scored from -100 to 100.

O

The qualitative, memorable outcome a team is aiming for in a goal cycle.

A one-page plan linking Objective, Goals, Strategies, and Measures.

A goal framework pairing one qualitative Objective with a few measurable Key Results.

Operating Cadence

The recurring rhythm of meetings and reviews that keeps a strategy on track.

Q

QBR (Quarterly Business Review)

A quarterly review to score outcomes, learn, and re-plan the next quarter.

Quarterly Planning

The recurring session where a team sets or resets its goals for the next 90 days.

R

A grid that maps each task to who is Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed.

A single most-important priority to complete within a 90-day quarter in EOS.

S

Goals written to be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.

Strategic Initiative

A cross-functional effort funded to move a strategic goal forward.

Strategy Execution

The discipline of turning a strategy into delivered results, not just a plan.

Strategy Execution Gap

The distance between what leadership planned and what the organization is actually doing.

A one-page visual of how objectives across perspectives cause one another.

An ambitious target set beyond comfortable reach to drive outsized effort.

T

Top-down vs Bottom-up Goals

Two directions for setting goals: cascaded from leadership or proposed by the teams doing the work.

Work items explicitly linked to the goal, metric, or risk they are meant to move.

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