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Solutions built around how your organization actually runs.

Inspire Software addresses two of the most persistent organizational gaps: strategy execution that stalls before it reaches teams, and performance management that doesn't help people improve. Both solutions share one connected platform — so what you fix in strategy reinforces what you fix in performance.

Last updated: March 2026Reviewed by: Inspire Professional Services Team
Strategy Execution ↓
Continuous Performance ↓
Solution 1 of 2

Strategy Execution & OKRs

For VP Strategy · Chief of Staff · COO · CEO · CFO · SVP Revenue

Inspire's strategy execution capability connects company vision to team OKRs to individual goals — and makes progress visible in real time. Leaders stop guessing at execution status. Employees stop wondering how their work fits the bigger picture.

When Inspire is a fit

  • You set OKRs but can't see execution without a status meeting
  • Strategy lives in a slide deck and rarely reaches daily work
  • Leaders want a single view of progress across all teams
  • You want to connect strategic goals to individual performance conversations
  • Your quarterly business reviews feel backwards-looking and reactive

When it's probably not a fit (yet)

  • Your organization has fewer than 20 employees (spreadsheets may be fine)
  • You don't have an executive sponsor willing to model goal-setting behavior
  • You need a project management tool, not a strategy alignment layer
  • You want AI to set strategy for you (Inspire assists, not decides)

What problems does strategy execution solve?

Problem: OKRs set, then forgotten

→ Automated goal check-in prompts keep OKRs active in the weekly workflow.

Problem: No visibility into team execution

→ Live dashboards show progress, confidence, and at-risk objectives — no status meeting required.

Problem: Strategy disconnected from daily work

→ Every employee sees how their goals connect to company objectives — not isolated tasks.

Problem: Quarterly reviews arrive too late

→ Business reviews pull live data so you're course-correcting, not just reporting.

Problem: Siloed departments pulling in different directions

→ Cross-functional OKR alignment ensures everyone sees dependencies and shared outcomes.

Problem: Leaders can't tell what's on track vs. at risk

→ AI-assisted confidence scoring and trend indicators surface execution risk early.

How does the strategy execution workflow work end to end?

1
Vision & Strategy
Leaders define company mission, vision, and annual priorities in Inspire.
2
Connect Goals
Company OKRs connect to departments, teams, and individuals — alignment visible at every level.
3
Goal Check-ins
Employees and managers complete goal check-ins tied to active OKRs. AI generates agenda.
4
Performance Reviews
Quarterly or semi-annual reviews pull OKR progress, conversation history, and peer feedback automatically.
5
Business Reviews
Leaders run QBRs with live execution data. Identify blockers and recalibrate priorities in real time.
6
AI Insights
Performance narratives, risk indicators, and trend summaries surfaced automatically — ready for manager action.

Strategy Execution: Why It Matters

~10%
of organizations successfully execute their strategic plans
— Kaplan & Norton / Balanced Scorecard research
~5%
of employees understand their company strategy on any given day
— Harvard Business Review
10.1 mo
average B2B buying cycle — visibility into execution shortens the decision
— 6sense B2B Buyer Experience Report 2025

Learn About Inspire

Integrations and Capability

Integrations

Connects to Teams, Slack, Jira, Workday

Cloud and Software Security

Security

SSO, SCIM, SOC 2 Type II posture

Onboarding and Timeline Capabilities

Implementation

Live by Week 4. 30/60/90 plan.

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Frequently asked questions

Strategy Execution

How is Inspire different from other OKR tools?
Most OKR tools are goal repositories. Inspire connects your OKRs directly to continuous performance conversations, reviews, and manager coaching — so strategy actually drives daily behavior, not just quarterly slides.
 
Can we use Inspire just for strategy and OKRs to start?
Yes. Many teams start with Strategy + OKRs and expand to continuous performance and CFR over time. The platform is designed to grow with you. You can land on what you need today and expand as you scale.
 
How long does it take to see execution visibility?
Most organizations have OKRs connected across levels and check-in rhythms established within 30 days. Real visibility — where you can see execution trends and surface risks — typically emerges between days 30 and 60.
 
Does Inspire support goal-setting frameworks other than OKRs?
Yes. While Inspire is built around the OKR framework, it supports goals set as simple objectives, key results, or milestones. If your organization uses ‘goals’ rather than ‘OKRs,’ the platform adapts to that language and structure.
 
Solution 2 of 2

Continuous Performance (CFR)

For CHRO · VP HR · Chief People Officer · Head of People Ops

Inspire's continuous performance capability replaces fragmented HR processes — annual-only reviews, disconnected tools, and reactive recognition — with one continuous workflow built around CFR (Conversations, Feedback, Recognition). Employee performance connects directly to company goals, and managers have a system they'll actually use.

When Inspire is a fit

  • Performance reviews happen once a year, but they don't help people improve
  • Managers don't have a structured way to run regular performance conversations
  • Goals are in one tool, reviews in another, recognition is manual
  • You want to build a continuous performance culture, not just a compliance process
  • You're rolling out CFR and need a system that supports conversations, feedback, and recognition in one place

When it's probably not a fit (yet)

  • You need a payroll or benefits platform (Inspire is the continuous performance layer)
  • You're in a highly unionized environment with rigid compliance review requirements
  • You expect performance software to replace manager conversations (it structures them, not replaces them)
  • Managers aren't ready to participate in a defined conversation cadence

What is CFR?

CFR (Conversations, Feedback, Recognition) is the operating model Inspire uses for continuous performance management. Conversations are regular structured dialogues between manager and employee — replacing the once-a-year review with an ongoing rhythm. Feedback flows in real time, not just at review time. Recognition is peer-to-peer and manager-to-employee, tied to company values and visible to the organization.

What continuous performance problems does Inspire solve?

Problem: Annual reviews that don't help people improve

→ Continuous performance conversations build a record that makes reviews accurate, fair, and development-oriented.

Problem: Goals disconnected from performance

→ OKRs and goals are embedded in every conversation and review — no separate tracking needed.

Problem: Manager inconsistency across teams

→ Structured conversation templates and review workflows standardize the process without scripting the dialogue.

Problem: Recognition is reactive, not cultural

→ Peer-to-peer recognition tied to company values, visible organization-wide.

Problem: No early warning on disengagement

→ Engagement signals in conversations and recognition patterns surface early indicators for managers.

Problem: HR has no data between reviews

→ Real-time dashboards show manager engagement rates, conversation completion, and performance trends.

How does the continuous performance workflow work end to end?​

How does the continuous performance workflow work end to end?

1
Goal Setting
Individual goals connect from OKRs or are set independently with manager input.
2
Regular Conversations
Weekly or bi-weekly manager–employee conversations (10–15 mins) with AI-generated agenda items tied to goals.
3
Peer Feedback
360 feedback requests tied to review cycles or triggered by milestones.
4
Manager Review
Structured reviews pull conversation history, OKR progress, and peer feedback automatically.
5
Recognition
Peer-to-peer and manager-to-employee recognition tied to company values.
6
Development Plans
Post-review development goals set and tracked through the next review cycle.

The Continuous Performance Gap

14%
of employees strongly agree performance reviews inspire improvement
— Gallup
~58%
of HR leaders say their performance systems fail to drive engagement or high performance
— Deloitte Global Human Capital Trends
70%
Managers account for at least 70% of the variance in employee engagement, by not being equipt with the right tools to coach
— Gallup

Learn About Inspire

Integrations and Capability

Integrations

Connects to Teams, Slack, Jira, Workday

Cloud and Software Security

AI Trust

What AI writes. What humans review.

Coaching and Support Capabilities

Coaching

Accelerate results — add process coaching.

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Frequently asked questions

Continuous Performance

Does Inspire replace our existing HRIS?
No. Inspire is a continuous performance layer that sits on top of your HRIS — it doesn’t replace it. Your HRIS (Workday, ADP, SAP SuccessFactors, BambooHR, UKG, Dayforce, or another) still owns core employee data, payroll, and compliance. Inspire owns the work your HRIS isn’t built for: OKRs and goal alignment, ongoing 1-1 conversations, mid-cycle and 360 feedback, performance agreements and appraisals, and recognition. Inspire integrates with 40+ HRIS systems directly so employee records, org structure, and goal data stay in sync — no double entry, no parallel system of record.
How do you drive manager adoption of performance conversations?
Adoption comes from making the right behavior the easiest behavior. Inspire gives managers structured 1-1 and performance-agreement workflows, AI-assisted agenda items pulled from each direct report’s active OKRs and recent check-ins, and reminders inside the tools they already work in — Microsoft Teams, Slack, and Outlook. Performance cycles are configurable, so the cadence fits how your business actually runs (bi-weekly, monthly, or quarterly) instead of forcing a once-a-year ritual. Manager dashboards show conversation completion, mid-cycle comments, and goal progress across the team, so leaders can spot quiet teams early. The combined effect: less admin, more coaching, and a clearer line of sight from a daily 1-1 to the strategy it’s tied to. 
Can we customize our review process?
Yes. Performance cycles in Inspire are configurable end-to-end. Admins set the cycle dates, the steps in the cycle (Performance Agreement, mid-cycle comments, self-assessment, 360, appraisal), the terminology your organization uses, instructions at each step, who approves at each level, and the goal frameworks (OKRs, SMART goals, or simple objectives and key results) the cycle pulls from. Cadence is flexible too — annual, semi-annual, quarterly, or continuous. The result is a process that matches how your organization already runs reviews, not one you have to re-architect around the tool.
How does Inspire connect OKRs and performance without tying compensation to OKRs?
OKRs and performance reviews are connected in Inspire, but they aren’t the same conversation. OKRs are designed for stretch and learning — they drive focus and alignment to strategy. Performance reviews look at the full picture: outcomes, behaviors, growth, and contribution. In Inspire, OKR progress and 1-1 history are pulled into the Performance Agreement and appraisal automatically so the review is grounded in real work — not from memory. Inspire keeps OKR progress and performance-review outcomes in separate workflows, so your organization controls whether — and how — OKR scores influence comp decisions. Most modern organizations decouple the two on purpose: tying comp directly to OKR scores tends to push people to set safer goals, which defeats the point of OKRs.