In the third week of Q4 planning, teams often find themselves stuck in endless revisions of their OKRs (Objectives and Key Results). Leadership pushes for more alignment sessions, yet actual work towards goals remains unstarted. The article highlights a common pitfall: when teams focus on minor details, like word choice, instead of committing to strategic objectives. This shift from productive planning to mere justification—termed Alibi Progress—can severely hinder progress. To identify when planning has gone off track, the author suggests looking for two key signs. First, if teams are spending too much time debating the phrasing of objectives rather than deciding on actionable metrics, they’ve likely lost sight of the goals. Second, if the planning process dominates the quarterly cycle, consuming more than 10% of the time (around 52 hours for a 13-week cycle), it signals a problem. Effective OKR planning should allow for future predictions and discussions that inform decision-making rather than getting bogged down in procedural details. The article argues that the real issue often lies not in the OKRs themselves but in the surrounding processes. Overly complex planning can stem from deeper organizational issues, not just a lack of effective templates or tools. OKRs should be simple enough to clarify priorities and guide daily actions. If team members understand the intent behind each OKR and can identify what work to decline, they’re on the right track. Ultimately, the focus needs to be on measuring actual progress rather than getting caught in the theater of planning.