What is V2MOM?

V2MOM is a strategic planning framework created by Marc Benioff at Salesforce. The acronym stands for Vision, Values, Methods, Obstacles, and Measures. It’s designed to create alignment throughout an organization by answering five fundamental questions:

1. Vision: Where do we want to go?
2. Values: What’s most important about how we get there?
3. Methods: What actions do we need to take?
4. Obstacles: What challenges must we overcome?
5. Measures: How will we know we’ve succeeded?

Let’s dive into each component in detail.

The Five Components of V2MOM

Vision

The Vision component articulates your organization’s goal. It’s your destination, your aspirational future state.

Key Characteristics

A compelling Vision isn’t just a statement – it’s a north star that guides your entire organization. When we help organizations craft their Vision, we look for these essential qualities:

• Forward-looking
• Inspirational
• Clear and concise
• Memorable
• Aligned with company mission

Vision Example

“Become the leading sustainable energy provider in the Pacific Northwest by 2025”

Values

Values define the principles and beliefs that guide how you’ll achieve your vision. They set the cultural and ethical boundaries for decision-making.

Key Characteristics

• Actionable beliefs
• Behavioral guidelines
• Priority statements
• Cultural cornerstones

Example Values

Values aren’t just words on a wall – they’re the principles that guide daily decisions. Here are some examples of values that effectively shape organizational behavior:

• Customer success first
• Innovation through collaboration
• Sustainable practices
• Transparent communication

Methods

Methods are the specific strategies and actions you’ll take to achieve your vision while adhering to your values.

Key Characteristics

• Specific actions
• Strategic initiatives
• Key projects
• Tactical plans

Example Methods

Methods turn your Vision and Values into action. Here are some concrete examples of methods that show how strategic objectives can be broken down into specific initiatives:

• Launch three new renewable energy products
• Expand service territory to three new states
• Implement AI-driven customer support
• Develop sustainable supply chain partnerships

Obstacles

Obstacles identify potential challenges and barriers that might prevent you from achieving your vision.

Key Characteristics

When identifying obstacles, you need to be both realistic and comprehensive. Here are the key types of challenges we typically help organizations consider:

• Known challenges
• Potential risks
• Resource constraints
• Market barriers

Example Obstacles

Let’s look at some real-world examples of obstacles that organizations might face. These show how specific and actionable obstacle identification should be:

• Limited renewable energy infrastructure
• Regulatory compliance requirements
• Competitive market pressure
• Technical skill gaps

Measures

Measures define how you’ll track progress and determine success.

Key Characteristics

Effective measures need to be both meaningful and trackable. When helping organizations set their measures, we look for these key attributes:

• Quantifiable metrics
• Success indicators
• Performance targets
• Timeline milestones

Example Measures

Here’s what good measures look like in practice. These examples demonstrate how to create specific, quantifiable indicators of success:

• Market share percentage
• Customer satisfaction scores
• Revenue targets
• Sustainability metrics

How V2MOM Works in Practice

The Planning Process

Leadership Development

The V2MOM journey typically starts at the top. Here’s how leadership teams usually approach the initial planning phase:

• The executive team creates organization-wide V2MOM
• Usually done annually
• Sets overall direction

Cascading Implementation

Once the organizational V2MOM is set, it needs to flow through the company. Here’s how that typically happens:

• Departments create aligned V2MOMs
• Teams develop supporting V2MOMs
• Individual V2MOMs may be created

Regular Review

Having a V2MOM isn’t enough – you must keep it alive and relevant. Here’s what a healthy review cycle looks like:

• Quarterly progress assessments
• Annual comprehensive review
• Adjustment as needed

Strengths of V2MOM

Clarity and Alignment

One of V2MOM’s strongest features is its ability to get everyone on the same page. Here’s what makes it effective for alignment:

• Simple, memorable structure
• A clear connection between vision and execution
• Helps align organizations around common goals

Comprehensive Planning

V2MOM takes a holistic approach to planning, considering multiple aspects of organizational success. Here’s what makes it comprehensive:

• Addresses both strategy and execution
• Incorporates values and culture
• Considers potential challenges

Flexible Implementation

One of V2MOM’s advantages is its adaptability to different organizational contexts. Here’s how that flexibility manifests:

• Adaptable to different organization sizes
• Can be modified for different industries
• Scales with company growth

Common Challenges With V2MOM

Through our experience, we’ve observed several challenges organizations face when implementing V2MOM:

Measurement Complexity

While V2MOM includes measurement as a component, organizations often struggle with making it work effectively. Here are the key challenges we’ve observed:

• Difficulty separating strategic and operational metrics
• Challenge in setting appropriate success measures
• Limited guidance on metric selection

Implementation Structure

The framework’s flexibility can sometimes become a double-edged sword. Here are the structural challenges organizations often face:

• Less structured execution guidance
• Variable review processes
• Informal adaptation mechanisms

Resource Allocation

Managing resources effectively within the V2MOM framework can be tricky. Here are the common resource-related challenges we’ve seen:

• Limited guidance on team structure
• Unclear resource commitment requirements
• Flexible but potentially unfocused

When to Consider V2MOM

V2MOM might be a good fit if your organization:

Values Simplicity

Some organizations thrive with simpler frameworks, and V2MOM might be perfect if your organization values these characteristics:

• Prefers straightforward frameworks
• Wants flexible implementation
• Needs minimal structure

Operates Annually

V2MOM tends to work well for organizations with certain operational patterns. You might be a good fit if your organization:

• Works primarily in yearly cycles
• Prefers annual planning
• Has stable market conditions

Evolution of Goal-Setting Frameworks

While V2MOM was groundbreaking when introduced at Salesforce, goal-setting frameworks have evolved significantly. Modern organizations often need:

• More structured execution processes
• Clear separation of strategic and operational goals
• Regular adaptation mechanisms
• Dedicated team structures
• Comprehensive measurement systems

This evolution has led many organizations to adopt more robust frameworks like OKRs, which provide:

• Detailed implementation guidance
• Regular check-in processes
• Clear role definitions
• Structured progress tracking
• Balanced performance measurement
  
  

OKRs vs V2MOM: A Detailed Guide Based on Real Implementation Experience

One question we often get is about the differences between OKRs and V2MOM. Through our experience implementing both frameworks, we’ve developed some unique insights we’d love to share.

Core OKR Components

At the heart of the OKR framework are three essential elements that work together to drive success. Through our implementation experience, we’ve found these components create a powerful engine for achievement:

• Objectives: Clear, inspiring statements of what you want to achieve
• Key Results: Specific, measurable outcomes that define success
• Activities/Experiments: The hypothesis and work that will be test and done to progress Key Results

Planning Elements That Enhance OKRs & Accelerate Progress

What makes OKRs truly powerful isn’t just the core framework – the supporting elements create a complete system for success. Here are the critical pieces we’ve found accelerate progress:

• Company values and guiding principles
• Strategic and operational KPI/metrics as part of a Data Model
• Robust execution processes
• Regular check-ins and adaptations

The Evolution of Our Understanding

When we first started helping organizations with goal-setting, we viewed V2MOM and OKRs as fundamentally different frameworks. However, our experience has shown that they address many of the same needs differently. Here’s what we’ve learned:

OKR Implementation (Our Recommended Approach)

Dynamic Planning At Multiple Levels

One of OKRs’ greatest strengths is how it handles different planning horizons simultaneously. Here’s how we help organizations create a dynamic planning system that stays responsive to change:

• Annual but adaptive Strategy
• Annual and quarterly strategic OKRs (usually cross-functional)
• Quarterly org.chart OKRs (not for BAU tracking)
• Weekly check-ins
• Dynamic Data/Model
• Continuous KPI Scorecard monitoring

Clear Separation Between

Most organizations need different tools for different jobs. One of the most powerful aspects of OKRs is how they clearly separate different types of goals and metrics:

• Transformative goals (OKRs)
• Business-as-usual metrics (KPI Scorecards)
• Strategic and operational measures

Team Structure and Resources

Here’s where we’ve seen one of the biggest differences in practice:

OKRs (The ZOKRI Way)

Through years of implementation experience, we’ve developed a proven approach to OKR team structure. Here are the key elements that we’ve found consistently drive success:

• Resourced for success – often using dedicated cross-functional teams
• Specific roles we’ve found crucial for success:
  • Executive Sponsors
  • OKR Leads
  • Team Members
  • Supporting roles

OKRs with ZOKRI

Success with OKRs isn’t just about setting goals – it’s about how you manage them day-to-day. Here’s how our approach ensures your OKRs stay on track and deliver results:

• Continuous issue tracking against Key Results
• Weekly check-ins to address challenges
• Regular confidence assessments
• Built-in adaptation mechanisms
• Structured retrospectives

Why We Recommend OKRs (Most of the Time)

Through our experience, we’ve found OKRs to be more effective for most organizations. Here’s why:

Better Structure for Modern Business

Business operating systems and frameworks, in our experience need to be able to handle complexity while maintaining clarity. OKRs excel here because they provide:

• Clear separation between strategic and operational goals
• Regular adaptation cycles that match business rhythm
• Structured processes that scale with organization size

More Comprehensive Support

Setting goals is just the beginning. Where OKRs really shine is in the complete support system they provide for execution:

• Detailed implementation guidance
• Clear best practices
• Specific formats and templates
• Regular check-in processes

Stronger Resource Optimization

One of the biggest challenges in achieving goals is ensuring you have the right resources in the right places. Our OKR implementation addresses this head-on through:

• Optimized team structures
• Clear role definitions
• Specific resource commitments

Superior Progress Tracking

Knowing where you stand and where you’re headed is crucial for success. Our OKR implementation provides crystal-clear visibility through:

• Regular confidence assessments
• Continuous issue management
• Clear success metrics
• Integrated scorecard approach

Making the Choice

Based on our experience helping organizations implement both frameworks, here are our recommendations:

Choose OKRs If You Want

Based on our experience helping organizations implement both frameworks, we’ve found that OKRs are particularly powerful when you’re looking for these capabilities:

1. Detailed implementation guidance
2. Regular execution rhythm
3. Clear separation of strategic and operational goals
4. Robust progress tracking
5. Dedicated team structures
6. Comprehensive performance management

Consider V2MOM If You Prefer

While we typically recommend OKRs, V2MOM might be a better fit if these characteristics better match your organization’s needs:

1. Simpler structure
2. Annual planning focus
3. Combined measurement approach

How ZOKRI Can Help

Whether you choose V2MOM or explore other frameworks like OKRs, the key is finding an approach that fits your organization’s needs and culture.

At ZOKRI, we’re here to help you make the right choice and implement it successfully. We’ve helped numerous organizations design and implement effective goal-setting frameworks that drive real results.

Do you want to discuss which framework might be best for your organization?

Book a consultation with our team or explore our goal-setting resources.

ZOKRI specializes in helping organizations implement effective goal-setting frameworks. While we have experience with V2MOM, we’ve found that modern organizations often benefit from more structured approaches like OKRs. We’d love to help you find the right fit for your organization.

We’ve developed a comprehensive support system to ensure your success with goal-setting frameworks. Here’s what you get when you partner with ZOKRI:

• Comprehensive strategy and goal management software
• Expert coaching and support
• Proven implementation methodology
• Ongoing guidance and best practices