Use
How Upstream is used
Upstream is used before commitment.
It is most valuable at the moment a target is being agreed, formalised, or handed responsibility — before numbers begin to shape behaviour, incentives, or accountability.
When leaders use Upstream
Upstream is typically used at moments of decision, not delivery.
For example:
• When setting annual or strategic targets
• Before agreeing KPIs, OKRs, or performance measures
• During planning conversations where responsibility is unclear
• When a target feels reasonable, but hard to explain precisely
• When alignment matters more than speed
It provides a neutral way to slow the conversation down — without reducing ambition.
What happens when a target is examined
A target is passed through five fixed lenses: intent, control, mechanism, evidence, and expectation.
Nothing is scored.
Nothing is optimised.
Nothing is judged.
What changes is visibility.
Assumptions become explicit.
Ownership becomes clearer.
Ambiguity becomes discussable.
Often, the number stays the same.
What changes is the conversation around it.
What Upstream avoids
Upstream is not a performance tool.
It does not motivate, recommend, or evaluate, or tell teams what to do.
It does not turn judgement into process.
By remaining neutral, it creates a space where honesty is possible — especially about what is not controlled, not evidenced, or not yet understood.
Upstream is a place to think clearly - before commitment hardens into accountability.
Examine a target
Upstream is available to examine one target without registration.