The document discusses OKRs (Objectives and Key Results), a goal setting methodology used by many companies. It provides examples of how OKRs help align teams, focus efforts on priorities, and measure progress towards goals. OKRs involve setting ambitious quarterly objectives with clear and measurable key results. When implemented properly with transparency, OKRs can increase productivity by ensuring individuals understand how their work contributes to overall company objectives.
2. “OKR is very good to align and focus your team on the main
things you are trying to work on as a company. I like the
structure and how it breaks down each department and
team.”
- Scott Wolfe Jr., CEO of Zlien
3. OKR
• Objectives and key results (OKRs) is a
popular method for setting and
tracking goals.
• First developed in the 1970s by the
late Andy Grove in Intel, it's now
increasingly popular and used not
only in big companies like Google,
LinkedIn and Twitter but in many
SMEs as well.
• OKRs can be used in any company,
with any team size and there really is
no downside for having clear goals.
The methodology helps people be
more productive and focused.
4.
5. Big Objectives
and Measurable
Key Results
• Objectives are set every quarter on
personal, team and company level and they
should summarize the most important
things that a person or the team has to do.
• Each objective should have three to four
clearly measurable key objectives. It’s very
common to use the SMART goals
methodology for that. SMART stands for
“specific,” “measurable,” “achievable,”
“relevant” and “time-bound.”
• For instance, “selling more products” is not
a good key results. Instead it should be “to
sell 20 percent more products than last
quarter in market.”
• Key results must be 100 percent
measurable and looking at your OKRs, you
should easily see, how well you’re doing.
6.
7. “I remember being intrigued with the idea of having a
beacon or north star every quarter, which helped set my
priorities. It was also incredibly powerful for me to see
Andy’s OKRs, my manager’s OKRs and the OKRs for my
peers. I was quickly able to tie my work directly to the
company’s goals. I kept my OKRs pinned up in my office and
I wrote new OKRs every quarter, and the system has stayed
with me ever since.“
- John Doerr
8. Google's Ambiguous Goals.
• It was John Doerr who originally introduced OKRs in
Google in 1999
• In Google, the quarterly goals are set as high as
possible to make people really push for the stars.
• At the same time, each goals have easily measurable
key results on a scale from zero to 1.0. It is a common
belief that if you can achieve 100 percent of all your
OKRs each quarter, you're not aiming high enough.
• The OKRs must be structured. In Google, each
individual and team has it's own objectives that
contribute to a higher (department) level objectives.
That helps to make sure that everyone is working in
sync.
• One other key thing about OKRs is openness. Anyone
in Google can see anyone's OKRs and so, everyone
knows what others are working on and how they
contribute to the whole.
9. “Something you want to accomplish over a specific
period of time that leans toward a stretch goal rather
than a stated plan. It’s something where you want to
create greater urgency, greater mindshare. Good
leaders show to each person in a company, that they
can make a real difference and OKRs help you with
that.”
- LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner
OKRs make Linkedin
mission actionable
10. What's the Difference Between OKRs and KPIs?
OKRs KPIs
Stands for Objectives and Key Results Stands for Key Performance Indicator
Action-oriented goals (objectives) and measures
(key results)
Number (metrics) that measure the health of
your business
Future focused and directional, trying to get
from point A to point B
Could be a result or leading indicator (Looking at
past results or future goals/targets)
Should be aggressive and bold, help move the
needle on something strategically important to
your organization
Monitors the "steady-state" and provides
benchmarks; Should prompt actions when the
numbers are off track
Have a set time period (quarter, year, etc.), and
changes from quarter to quarter or year to year
as you progress
Usually measured on an on-going basis, may
have many of the same KPIs from quarter to
quarter and year to year, but the targets might
change
11. How to Use KPIs and OKRs
Together
• You may have a set of monitoring
KPIs that you will always track just
to know how healthy your business
is, whether or not they are tied to
any specific goals or OKRs for the
year or the quarter.
• For example, you’ll always want to
keep a finger on the pulse of
financial indicators like revenue or
profitability. You may also have key
metrics around employee health or
customer retention that are always
going to be on your dashboard.
• Just remember that OKR stands for
Objectives and Key Results, while
KPI stands for Key Performance
Indicator, and this should help you
sort them out. Keep in mind that
the best practice is to use both
OKRS and KPIs.
12. What KPIs and OKRs have in
Common
• Both should be specific, clear and
measurable. We recommend using Red-
Yellow-Green success criteria for both.
• You should focus on a few of each that
are truly key. (Both acronyms contain the
letter K for key - which means both
require you to make choices to focus on a
few things that are most important.) You
should have 3-5 OKRs at a given time and
no more than 8-12 KPIs.
• You can have OKRs and KPIs for the
company as a whole, for departments or
teams, or for specific roles, individuals, or
projects.
• Both can help you run your business by
aligning everyone around well-defined
goals and clear measures of success.
• They can be set for an individual or a
team, but even the team ones need an
owner that is accountable for the results.
13. “It makes it easier to align what every individual of the
company wants to achieve each quarter. For Mavrck, it's a
great system for prioritizing resources and for making sure
everybody is focused on the right goals. OKRs help them to
make trade-off decisions. For example, if they have a new
potential priority, OKRs help them to compare it to what
they already want to achieve.”
- Lyle Stevens, co-founder and CEO of Mavrck
14. Key Takeaways
• I can think of no reasons, why
implementing a clear goal setting
system in a company would do
harm. From Google to two-people
teams, OKRs are a “one size fits all”
solution and your competitors
probably already know that.
• OKRs can be managed in an Excel
spreadsheet or using a specific tool
like Weekdone and taking the time
every quarter, will save you a lot of
time along the road.