Do you need a MOS if you have OKRs or Hoshin Kanri?
In today’s fast-paced and competitive business environment, organisations must balance strategic goal-setting with effective execution.
Two widely used methodologies—OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) and Hoshin Kanri (Policy Deployment)—provide structured frameworks for setting ambitious objectives and ensuring long-term strategic alignment. However, while these frameworks focus on what needs to be achieved, they do not inherently provide a structured approach for executing, tracking, and sustaining progress.
In conversations with business leaders and consultants, some have equated OKRs and Hoshin Kanri with Management Operating Systems (MOS). However, this is not so. They are complementary, but they are not the same. I argue that an organisation requires an effective MOS to ensure the effective implementation of OKRs and Hoshin Kanri.
A MOS is a systematic framework that ensures the structured planning, execution, monitoring, and review of business activities. It creates a repeatable and disciplined approach to operations, making it an essential execution engine for OKRs and Hoshin Kanri.
This discussion examines whether OKRs and Hoshin Kanri require a MOS to be implemented effectively and how a MOS enhances their execution, alignment, and continuous improvement. By comparing the strengths and limitations of OKRs and Hoshin Kanri with and without a MOS, we can determine how organisations can integrate these methodologies to bridge the gap between strategy and execution.
OKRs and MOS: How They Work Together
OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) focus on setting ambitious goals (sometimes called BHAGs or Big Hairy Audacious Goals) with measurable outcomes. These goals are typically aligned with quarterly or annual cycles, encouraging agility and innovation. However, OKRs do not provide a structured execution framework, which can lead to misalignment or failure to achieve key results.
A MOS ensures OKRs are not just aspirational targets but operational realities by integrating execution and accountability into daily workflows.
How a MOS Enhances OKRs:
- Structured Execution: A MOS aligns daily, weekly, and monthly operational tasks and their planning/scheduling with OKRs.
- Regular Progress Tracking: Daily, shift (and even hourly for Short Interval Control)-based planning and review meetings ensure OKRs remain a focus.
- Data-Driven Decision Making: MOS reporting systems provide real-time data to measure Key Results.
- Accountability and Course Correction: If OKRs are off track, a MOS enables teams to adjust their approach proactively.
Example of OKRs Integrated with a MOS:
| OKR Objective | Key Result | MOS Execution |
| Improve fleet productivity | Reduce truck cycle time by 15% | Daily operations meetings track fleet performance, and adjust haul routes as necessary |
| Enhance safety compliance | Zero Lost Time Injuries (LTIs) for the quarter | Shift-based toolbox talks reinforce safety protocols, and weekly safety audits identify risks before incidents occur |
Without a MOS, OKRs risk becoming ambitious ideas without structured execution mechanisms.
Hoshin Kanri and MOS: The Ideal Partnership
Hoshin Kanri is a structured, long-term strategic planning framework that ensures corporate objectives are cascaded throughout an organisation. Hoshin Kanri follows a top-down deployment approach, focusing on predictability, process stability, and continuous improvement.
However, Hoshin Kanri relies on disciplined execution, which a MOS provides.
How a MOS Enhances Hoshin Kanri:
- Alignment with Daily Operations: An MOS ensures that strategic Hoshin Kanri objectives are broken down into daily, weekly, and monthly operational tasks and cascaded through the MOS Planning hierarchy.
- Structured Review Cycles: Hoshin Kanri requires frequent progress reviews, which are built into the MOS framework (Daily, Weekly, Monthly, and Quarterly performance meetings).
- Continuous Improvement: An MOS incorporates root cause analysis (RCA) and PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) methodologies, which feed back into the planning/scheduling processes, which are central to Hoshin Kanri’s success.
- Data-Driven Performance Tracking: KPIs from a MOS help teams measure progress towards Hoshin Kanri objectives.
Example of Hoshin Kanri Integrated with a MOS:
| Hoshin Goal | Breakthrough Objective | MOS Implementation |
| Reduce operational costs | Lower cost per tonne by 10% | Monthly performance meetings review cost variances and implement corrective actions |
| Improve sustainability | Reduce CO2 emissions by 5% | Weekly fleet optimisation meetings track fuel efficiency and implement process improvements |
A MOS ensures that Hoshin Kanri is not just a strategic plan, but an ongoing execution framework that tracks progress and adjusts operations as needed.
Can OKRs or Hoshin Kanri Work Without a MOS?
Technically, OKRs and Hoshin Kanri can be implemented without a MOS, but they would be significantly less effective.
| Without a MOS | With a MOS |
| OKRs may become aspirational goals without structured execution | OKRs are incorporated into the planning hierarchy and tracked through daily, weekly, and monthly reviews |
| Hoshin Kanri may become a one-time strategic plan without follow-through | A MOS ensures ongoing tracking and problem-solving |
| Lack of structured feedback loops delays course correction | A MOS’s Plan-Do-Review cadence enables real-time adjustments |
| Teams may work in silos, leading to misalignment | A MOS aligns teams, processes, and strategy across the organisation |
In fast-moving industries like tech and startups, OKRs need a MOS to ensure execution discipline. In structured industries like manufacturing and mining, Hoshin Kanri needs a MOS to ensure long-term process stability and continuous improvement.
Conclusion: The Role of a Management Operating System (MOS) in OKRs and Hoshin Kanri
Yes, while OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) and Hoshin Kanri provide strategic direction, a Management Operating System (MOS) ensures effective execution, measurement, and continuous improvement.
- For OKRs: A MOS offers structure, accountability, and tracking mechanisms to ensure ambitious goals are systematically pursued and achieved.
- For Hoshin Kanri: A MOS sets up a disciplined review process, ensuring that strategic objectives are continuously monitored, refined, and aligned with organisational priorities.
A MOS does not replace OKRs or Hoshin Kanri but complements them by providing a structured, repeatable Plan-Do-Review cycle that ensures strategy is effectively translated into execution.
While OKRs and Hoshin Kanri define what needs to be achieved, they do not inherently offer a framework for consistent execution and performance management. This is where a MOS plays a crucial role. By ensuring structured execution, systematic tracking, and continuous improvement, a MOS bridges the gap between aspiration and measurable outcomes.
In essence OKRs define the ambition, Hoshin Kanri ensures strategic alignment, and a MOS provides the operational discipline necessary for sustained success.
Organisations that integrate all three methodologies effectively can achieve clarity in vision, discipline in execution, and agility in adaptation—ultimately driving long-term, high-impact performance.
Marty is a seasoned business improvement consultant with a proven track record across multiple industries. He specializes in Management Operating Systems (MOS), Leadership Development, and Mindful Workplace Design, driving sustainable performance and organisational excellence.
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