OKRs - Objective and Key Results

OKRs also encourage team members to fail smart and fail fast.

Using aspirational OKRs empowers your team to achieve a stretch goal

How to write OKRs!

Write powerful Objective

1, An objective is where you want to go

2, An objective should be qualitative

3, An objective follow and measured key results

Write powerful key results

1, The key result is how you'll go there

2, The key results are the quantitative

3, The key results are always time-bound

Remember three important things...
Key: Use the highest business value target as key.
Clear: Use high school-level English and avoid acronyms and jargon.
Measurable: If it doesn't have a number, it's not a key result."
Results: A really good OKR has three to five KRs.

Design the OKR:
O → KR → Tactics (Executions)

Step 1: The executive team needs to choose the objective.

What the company must do in the following year.

Step 2: The executive team communicates the objective with their direct reports.

Team members challenge the objective and the thinking behind it.

Then they work with the executive team to edit the objective.

Step 3: The team of direct reports sets three to five KRs

Step 4: Assign KR owners.

KR owners are selected for each of the three to five KRs.

Each KR is owned by the most appropriate leader in the group.

Note: Executive leadership should not set the OKR without their direct report's input

What gets measured gets managed.

If it doesn't have a number, it's not a key result.

Manage and follow up on OKRs:

Step 1: Set your cadence.

Set an agreed-upon meeting and reporting cadence.

Measure OKRs monthly, quarterly, and annually.

Step 2: Create a report on OKR performance

From a single source of truth or project plan where all KR owners track

Tracks the tactical timeline progress and deliverables.

Step 3: Set the predetermined [Monthly/Bi Monthly] milestones.

Step 4: Trust your leaders.

OKR implementation:

Step 1: Start with a small pilot.

Plan to roll out different levels or groups of OKRs in phases.

Step 2: Build time to reflect on your OKR process each month/ quarter.

This will help you collect feedback and improve your OKR

Be patient as you begin this process. Adoption won't happen overnight.

Step 3: Make sure you've designated central ownership / common team.

You'll likely meet resistance from certain departments.

Shared OKR Model

Step 4: Maintain consistent management.

Have a regular cadence with built-in reflection in real-time in the OKR period.

Have a dedicated OKR PM reporting up and down the organization

Note: OKR implementation can't be a sales initiative.

If you have an OKR owned by sales, engineering may be resistant to buy-in.

Measuring OKR implementation success:

Step 1: Have an annual design cadence to check the progress.

Step 2: OKRs should be a byproduct of a longer-term strategic plan

Step 3: Check how many accessed single source of truth OKR

Step 4: Check how the team understands the OKR

Creating a culture of accountability:

Step 1: Inspiring Objectives

Step 2: Cultural Integration / Repeat the OKR

Step 3: Training, Education, Coaching

Step 2: Check how the team understands the OKR