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READ OF THE WEEK

Everyone's talking about strategy execution and change management.

But very few ask: How do you actually make sure ambitious goals don't stay on a slide deck?

OKRs have been around for a while - but connecting them to the budget is what makes them real. And that's the CFO's job.

1) Why OKRs Are Having a Moment - Again

OKRs - Objectives and Key Results - aren't new. But the world they operate in is.

The world around companies is moving fast - new technology, AI, shifting markets, rising complexity.

Every company needs a way to set clear priorities, align teams, and make sure execution can be steered effectively. That sounds simple. In practice, it's one of the hardest things to get right.

This is where OKRs come back into focus. Not as a Silicon Valley trend. But as a practical instrument to connect strategy to execution: Fast, transparent, and across the whole organization.

Unlike a full operating model (like the ones McKinsey designs, which define how a company is structured end to end), OKRs are narrower and lighter: they focus on translating strategic goals into measurable results that teams can act on. For most organizations, that's 80% of the impact with far less effort.

And here's the shift: it's increasingly the CFO who drives this. Not because the CEO hands over strategy - CEOs rarely do.

Takeaway: OKRs aren't just a goal-setting tool. They're a steering instrument for change and strategy execution and the CFO is the right person to own it.

2. The Numbers: What 190 Companies Tell Us

A new study by Deloitte Germany and Frankfurt School of Finance -  presented to us by Volker Abel, Partner at Deloitte - surveyed 190 companies across 11 industries, from SMEs to large enterprises with 10,000+ employees. 58% of participants actively use OKRs, most of them for 3–5 years. 

OKRs correlate with better performance. Companies using OKRs self-report better performance - not based on hard financial data though, as the study was anonymous. The study shows a clear gap: OKR users are far less likely to underperform their industry and more likely to outperform it. And 97% of current users plan to keep the framework long-term.

But most don't go all in. Only 1 in 4 companies use OKRs company-wide. Most apply them selectively at team or department level. 

Why companies don't start: 40% say lack of know-how. 35% think it doesn't fit their culture. 25% report high effort.

Tools: 45% still use Excel - fine for smaller organizations. But specialized platforms like Workpath, Mooncamp, Perdoo help anchor OKRs properly in larger companies.

Takeaway: OKRs deliver results - but only with proper adoption. Half-hearted rollouts without company-wide alignment miss the point.

*Sources: Deloitte/Frankfurt School of Finance OKR Study 2025/26

3. The Real Problem: OKRs and Budgets Don't Talk to Each Other

This is the part that matters most for CFOs.

Christoph Bückle - CFO, certified OKR coach, and someone who has rolled out OKRs in a 500+ person organization - shared this perspective at our Hamburg Finance Collective DACH session. His core message:

Why? The gap is structural: Because FP&A tells you what happened – OKRs tell you what you actually achieved. Annual budgets run on different clocks than shorter OKR cycles. And OKRs want openness while budgets run on hierarchy.

The result? Teams set ambitious Key Results the budget can't support. Marketing wants to grow pipeline by 40% - but finance just cut the budget by 15%.

This isn't a process problem. It's a credibility risk.

Takeaway: The disconnect between OKRs and budgets is where most companies lose alignment. And it's the CFO's problem to solve.

4. The Fix: The CFO as Strategy Executor

You can't merge OKRs and FP&A into one system. But you can run both. Three starting points:

The CFO takes the lead. Not as observer. Not as reviewer. As the active orchestrator. Show up at OKR drafting sessions. Translate Key Results into financial impact. Flag collisions between ambition and budget early.

Separate budget from OKRs - on purpose. One smart approach: treat the budget as the safety net (the minimum the company needs to deliver) and OKRs as the ambitious targets above it. This creates space for stretch goals without putting financial discipline at risk. Teams can aim high on OKRs and still maintain budget accountability.

One review, not two. When OKR reviews and forecast reviews happen in separate rooms, you get separate narratives and conflicting stories in the board room. Combine them. The QBR (Quarterly Business Review) is the natural sync point.

Takeaway: The CFO who only controls the plan controls the past. The CFO who orchestrates both systems shapes the future.

5. Making It Work in Practice

Sönke-Timo Kisker, an experienced CFO, shares a practical set of OKR rules:

Respect cognitive limits. Max 3–4 strategic priorities. More than that and teams can't translate them into meaningful goals.

Get the sequence right. Strategic priorities first, then budget, then OKRs. Strategy leads, planning follows.

Cadence matters — but don't overdo it. Quarterly is the sweet spot for most companies. Go shorter than that and people spend more time planning than executing. The key is formulating goals that stay relevant for at least three months. Even high-growth companies should resist the urge to go monthly — it's a question of how you frame the objectives and at which level you set them.

Never cascade OKR sets to individual employees. Stop at department or team level. That doesn't mean individuals don't know what to do — it means the team lead owns the OKR set and distributes responsibilities within the team. Otherwise people spend more time managing the framework than doing the actual work.

Don't overload people. If teams only focus on OKRs and lose sight of their daily work, you've created a problem. OKRs complement the day-to-day — they don't replace it. Keep a healthy mix.

Start small, be patient. Don't expect perfection after the first cycle. It typically takes around two years for OKRs to become truly effective across an organization. Start across the company but keep it simple — few priorities, lean structure, and iterate from there.

🔎 CFO Watchlist

AI Is Keeping Consultants Very Busy

Every CEO wants an AI pilot project to talk about in 2026. No topic lands better - whether in board meetings, investor updates or internal all-hands. And who often ends up doing the work? Consultants.

The Financial Times reports US consulting is set for 7% growth - fastest in years - with 90% of clients planning to hire consultants for AI implementation. Meanwhile, OpenAI just signed multi-year "Frontier Alliances" with Accenture, BCG, McKinsey and Capgemini. Enterprise is already ~40% of OpenAI's revenue.

The picture is mixed though: consultancies are cashing in on AI while cutting junior staff and struggling with margins.

💡 Our tip: When a consulting firm pitches you on AI transformation, challenge them. What have they actually implemented? What did it deliver? Buy the proof, not the slides.

👉 Financial Times (behind paywall) | CFO.com

🌐 Finance Collective DACH

Your go-to CFO Network (by Simone)

CLOSING REMARKS

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CFO Playbook reflects our personal opinions, not professional advice.