Melissa Perri Clarifies ‘Key Results’ vs. ‘Features’ in Product Development

In a recent LinkedIn post, product management expert Melissa Perri clarifies a common misconception in agile development: the distinction between shipping features and achieving meaningful results. Perri emphasizes that true “key results” are not simply outputs delivered by a deadline, but rather measures of genuine behavioral change in users.

Perri highlights a critical point made by Jeff Gothelf in a recent Product Thinking Podcast compilation episode, stating:

“A key result isn’t a feature shipped by Friday.”

This statement underscores a fundamental misunderstanding that can plague product teams. Perri elaborates on this by explaining the true purpose of objectives and key results (OKRs).

The True Nature of Objectives and Key Results

According to Perri, the objective serves as the aspirational goal, the driving force behind a team’s efforts. However, the key result is where the rubber meets the road, and it’s often where teams falter. As Melissa Perri notes, the key result “has to measure how humans actually change their behavior.” This focus on human behavior is paramount; without it, teams risk mistaking activity for progress.

Perri argues that when teams allow the output – the feature itself – to become the key result, the entire OKR framework loses its effectiveness. In her words:

“When teams let outputs become key results, the framework does nothing. You’ve renamed your roadmap.”

This perspective suggests that simply delivering a feature doesn’t guarantee success. Success, in Perri’s view, is defined by the impact that feature has on user actions and, consequently, on business outcomes. Renaming existing processes or deliverables under the guise of OKRs does not constitute genuine progress or a shift towards a results-oriented mindset.

The Challenge of Measuring Behavioral Change

Perri also references other contributors to the Product Thinking Podcast compilation, including Hugo Froes, Joshua Seiden, and Anish Bhimani, indicating a broader conversation around these product development challenges. The post implicitly raises the question of how difficult it truly is for teams to define and measure the behavioral shifts that signify success.

The core of Perri’s message is a call for greater rigor and clarity in defining success metrics. She advocates for a mindset shift where teams are encouraged to:

• Define aspirational objectives.
• Identify specific, measurable changes in user behavior that would indicate progress towards that objective.
• Focus on achieving these behavioral changes rather than solely on shipping features.

By differentiating between outputs and outcomes, Perri aims to guide product teams toward a more effective and impactful approach to development, ensuring that their efforts are genuinely driving business value and user satisfaction.