OKR what are they? In a previous article, I told you about the OKRs, what they are, and the importance of setting goals. But is it enough to set goals and measure what matters to become an ‘OKR Master’? The answer is no! The Objectives and Key Results method (acronym OKR) requires not only a systematic application of the basic principles but also (above all!) a changing mindset.
Old habits in business strategies and work processes are the first obstacle to remove to successfully approach OKRs. Doing so takes time and the willingness to embrace change in corporate culture and mindset.
“You must unlearned what you have learned.” (master Yoda)
If you recognize yourself in this perspective, I am ready to lead you step by step towards learning the method and towards its application / implementation in your organization. I drop straight into the part and write my OKR:
O (objective): to train a ‘Jedi OKR’ with an exhaustive, interesting, and readable guide in a maximum of 15 minutes
KR1 (key result 1): understand what OKRs are
KR2 (key result 2): teaching to master the OKR method
KR3 (Key Result 3): Conveying knowledge through real OKR case studies
What are OKRs?
OKRs are a thought framework, as well as a case in point of the MBO (Management By Objectives) methodology of which they represent an evolution. Unlike traditional MBO management systems, the OKR method provides for the achievement of long-term objectives, through a flexible system of results.
The resilience of OKRs, i.e. their ability to resist and adapt to the rapid changes imposed by the market, is one of the secrets of the success of this methodology.
What are the Objectives and Key Results are ideated for? To set goals, measure results, and align teams in a collaborative and goal-focused way.
Continuous improvement is the ultimate goal. Individuals and teams are focused on the valuable result and find in it the motivation to advance faster than competitors and to overcome obstacles and unexpected events.
Who can use OKRs? Size doesn’t matter. Startups and non-profit organizations are able to use the OKR method effectively, just like the large companies that have made this method famous.
When is it convenient to use OKRs? The method based on Objectives and Key Results is particularly useful if the organization is growing and if the old MBO systems are no longer sufficiently performing to achieve the objectives.
How are OKRs implemented? You can use spreadsheets or specific OKR software.
OKR history from its origins to today
OKR is the management system by objectives theorized by Andy Grove, CEO of Intel, in the first half of the 70s of the last century.
Here is the video in which their inventor explains the OKRs what are.
Grove summarizes the principles of management by asking two questions:
- Where do I want to go?
- How far do I have to travel to reach the goal?
In 1974 when John Doerr joined Intel he was initiated into the OKR method. It will be Doerr himself, who became an investor in Google (startup in 1999), to propose it as an organizational model to the founders of the future giant of Mountain View.
It is thanks to Google, which in 2014 revealed how this methodology is the basis of its growth and innovation strategy, that OKRs are now widespread and used by large companies.
Google, but also LinkedIn, Twitter, Uber, Amazon, Microsoft, and many other big companies use OKRs to:
- Define and communicate strategic objectives
- Indicate which milestones are needed to achieve it.
How does the OKR method work?
As I promised you at the beginning of this guide, I would like to transfer you the practical and theoretical tools to master the OKR method.
This is not possible if we do not begin to delve into the details together so that we fully understand what OKRs are and how you can successfully implement them into your business or organization.
I summarize the key concepts of OKRs in a nutshell:
- The OKRs define and align the objectives of the organization, the team, and individuals.
- Each goal is linked to quantifiable key results.
- The objectives are qualitatively challenging and ambitious.
- The KRs are measured (minimum 3 maximum 5) and measurable (since they quantify progress).
When writing an OKR goal, you will use a verb such as: “Cut”, “Increase”, “Reach”, “Become” and similar.
When measuring KR you can use a percentage scale or any numerical unit, based on which you will check progress towards the goal.
To implement the actions necessary to achieve milestones (KR), you will create weekly plans to carry out progress towards the goal set quarterly.
The two Laws of the OKR method
When you decide to use OKRs you decide to use a system that has a substantial difference from traditional MBO management methods. The two Laws of the OKR method highlight this diversity:
- Making mistakes is contemplated
- Making improvements is imperative
Goals indicate a direction, communicate strategy and motivate people. Team and individual assessments are separate from business performance assessments, guided by OKRs. This assumption gives the opportunity to set the so-called ‘stretch objectives‘: objectives that contemplate the possibility of falling, or making a mistake, in an attempt to stretch as high as possible.
The goals are very ambitious, to avoid the risk of fulfillment. Progress towards the goal is itself a goal.
OKR what are they and what are the advantages?
Organized alignment and transparent communication are two fundamental characteristics of OKRs, from which derive the advantages that the proponents of the method recognize and that you find listed here:
- Accountability is the sense of responsibility of each member of the organization with respect to its objectives, deriving from outlined and shared priorities.
- Decision making: OKRs improve decision-making, based on analytical data. The analysis resulting from the monitoring of what happens at a team and organization level tracks activities and processes and allows you to make informed decisions.
- Self-motivation: priorities and focuses involve people, making them participate in contributing to measurable results and thus progressing towards the goal. Not only productivity will benefit, but also motivation, an essential kick for the spirit of initiative and therefore for innovation.
The extreme synthesis of the advantages of OKRs is represented by the possibility of creating an organization understood as a single body, in which everyone is aware of what the unitary direction is, what they are doing and why the contribution of the individual is important.
How to start using OKRs?
The philosophical introduction to the OKR method ends here. Now, it’s time to learn how to define specific and functional OKRs for you and your organization.
Once again let’s go through the process together to understand how OKRs work and how to apply them in practice.
1. Set objectives
To use OKRs correctly, start by defining strategic objectives, which must be:
- Ambitious: the OKRs change the perspective and put the challenging commitment to improvement at the center of focus.
- Few: 1 is fine to start with, 3 begins to be burdensome even for OKR experts.
- Relevant: the objective is significant in the contribution of value.
- Transparent: communicates the final goal to function managers, so that the objectives of the teams and people are also aligned towards the shared goal.
2. Set the key results
Each goal has 3-5 KRs (Key Results) connected which are used to calculate how far you are progressing. Key outcomes can measure revenue, engagement, relative performance, or absolute growth. You will be able to write KR in various ways, for example:
- To increase ? from X value to Y value
- Diminish ? of X%
- Reach Y amount of?
3. Schedule weekly check-ins
The weekly planning of the OKRs serves to evaluate the initiatives functional to the results and to remove any obstacles along the path of progress.
4. Periodically update the OKRs
Weekly alignment of the organizational plan with respect to the objective and of the teams with respect to the results, allows you to reach the “Quarter”. At the end of each quarter, each work team proceeds with the evaluation of the monitored results: learning equally from progress and failure.
As I learned in the article on the Microsoft, Google, and LinkedIn OKR Case Studies, the error is preparatory to learning the OKR method.
This is how Microsoft’s Principal Lead Program Manager, Sandeep Chadda explains: “At Microsoft, mistakes are expected, inspected, respected and corrected”.
OKR what are the objectives?
The goal is the alpha and omega of the OKR method, the starting point, and the arrival point at the same time.
After all, the OKR formula is very simple and consists of two elements:
- (Objective) = Objective
- KR (Key Results) = Key Results
Or is it a concept expressed in words: a catchphrase that serves as a motivational mantra and a source of inspiration? The goal must aim high and thus stimulate maximum improvement (even beyond what is conceivable), in the shortest possible time. The Objective of an OKR is visible and clear: a beacon that illuminates the course of the entire organization.
The KRs are the numerical and quantitative part that measures the results obtained and the progress made, through the achievement of milestones.
To set a potentially strategic objective, I invite you to ask yourself the following questions and to answer with the utmost sincerity:
- Is the goal challenging enough?
- Can the goal be considered an aspirational goal?
- Is this goal related to other strategic business goals?
- How many quarters are required to achieve the goal?
- If I reach the set goal, what problems do I solve?
For those starting now with the OKRs, the advice is to find a balance in the goal: challenging enough to be engaging, but not too expensive to become impossible.
Achieving 100% of the goal in a Quarter helps to give morale to work for teams and encourages people to move the bar higher and higher, quarter after quarter.
When the OKR method has entered the company’s DNA, the goals will become so ambitious that 65% -70% will be considered the new 100%.
In any case, everyone’s effort must be to try to reach 100% to help produce even better results and innovative processes.
OKR what are NOT the objectives?
The goal in OKRs is not a practical task, nor a single activity in the process. Because the goal is qualitative and describes a result in the form of desire and/or ambition.
Let’s take a practical example. I want to increase revenue and try to link an OKR goal. Fixed as Goal: “Increase product sales revenue in Italy”. This is a good goal that represents aspiration and supports business growth.
Conversely, if I write an OKR in which O is equal to: “Write a product marketing plan for the Italian market”, the goal is neither stimulating nor strategic. In short, it is not a good goal.
And now I’ll test you. If I write as an OKR goal: “Understanding what the customer wants: needs and requirements”, am I setting a good Goal or a bad Goal? Although it is not measurable (the goal does not have to be unlike the key results), the one just described is a good Objective, because it is aspirational and clear. To make it even more functional, I will be able to limit it in time, or even not.
However, I will take steps to establish quarterly revision and alignment plans to analyze if and to what extent I am approaching the goal.
OKR what are the key findings?
The KR (Key Results) measures the milestones towards the goal. Just like the latter, the key results must also be established in advance. Since you need the KR to measure O, of which they represent the analytical component, it follows that the Key Results must be measurable, specific, and quantifiable.
Being quantifiable results, KRs can be classified objectively and are achievable however challenging.
“Yes. No. Simple “, so John Doerr, the first prophet of the OKRs, points out that the effectiveness of a system by objectives is closely linked to its simplicity. This is why each KR set must leave no room for interpretation.
In the OKR method, each goal is defined by a minimum of 3 to a maximum of 5 KRs which make progress towards the goal objective and tangible and define the methods of advancement. Each single KR has 3 elements inside:
- An indicator: a number, or a percentage
- One value: which is equivalent to the target
- A time frame: which represents the deadline.
For example: “1000 unique users per day by 30/6” is a KR, in which unique users are the indicator, 1000 is the target value and 30 June is the deadline.
OKR what are NOT the key findings?
KRs are not binary codes, but unique numerical values.
KRs are not tasks assigned to team members.
The key results are not tools for evaluating the team or the individual. It would be in contradiction with what has been expressed so far.
The result achieved, as well as the one to be achieved, is not the focus. The focus is on continuous improvement during the process.
As you may have noticed, I never mentioned the Key Performance Indicators (KPI) so as not to get confused. In any case, it is advisable, indeed strongly recommended, to integrate OKR and KPI (as I explained to you in this article), when you are familiar with the method in question.
OKR method: Output vs Outcome
In this chapter I call your attention to this image
Which of the two archers was more effective? The first archer who hit the target set by his team with a single arrow? Or the second archer who has successfully achieved a personal achievement?
The answer is: it depends on the race they want to play. If you think like a company that applies the OKR methodology, then the first archer is your champion. In fact, your organization is focused on defining key measurable results, rather than making a list of results based on the To-Do List.
At this point, I want to talk to you about the difference between Outcome and Output: a substantial point to understand what OKRs are and to internalize the method connected to them.
The Outcomes are measurable results aimed at adding value to the organization.
The Outputs are the activities to be done and the actions to be taken to move towards the goal.
Let’s take a practical example of the difference between Outcome and Output.
I want to write the marketing plan for a new product: this activity is neither qualitative nor quantitative. This is an initial Outcome, from which I can develop the following Outcome: write the marketing plan for a new product that will reach 4500 leads in the next quarter.
Outcome and New Mindset
I told you at the beginning of this guide that for effective implementation of the OKR method, a change of corporate and organizational mentality is necessary first of all.
The difference between Output and Outcome confirms my initial hypothesis.
On the one hand, we have the result of an action, for example, a completed document or a project delivered. Optimal! That assigned task has been done. And this is an Output.
On the other hand, however, we have a result that helps you measure whether this has been done and has brought value to the organization. And this is an Outcome.
Why does the Outcome become the paradigm of the new mindset promoted by the OKR method? Because it teaches you to focus on what drives the business forward, motivating people. The Outcomes allow you to define priority and important projects, avoiding the waste of time resources on something irrelevant and insignificant.
In particular, the Outputs, otherwise also defined as tasks, projects, tactics, are important for the objectives, but they are not what measures success. Focusing on Outputs instead of Outcomes is an error in applying the OKR method.
Conversely, if you focus on measurable results, which bring significant value to the organization, you can take advantage of all the benefits of the OKR method.
What is the alignment in the OKR method?
To correctly apply the OKR method, you need to familiarize yourself with the concept of alignment. In fact, the whole system is based on an architecture of Teams, networked and aligned on the basis of numerical indicators. Here’s how I recommend that you approach this crucial step:
- Divide the organization into Teams (in smaller structures they may also correspond to corporate functions).
- Appoint, possibly with a shared decision, the Team leader of each group.
- Assign from a minimum of 1 to a maximum of 3 OKRs for each Team: limiting the number of Key Objectives keeps the organization focused on strategic priorities. For the same reason, the number of Key Results should be between 3 and 5.
Why is OKR alignment so important? Because it serves to ensure that the organization, or the company, really acts as a single body and moves compactly in the same direction. In the Aligned Team system, each group plays its part and each member knows exactly how his goal is related to the larger one.
The alignment levels OKR
To proceed according to the steps I have just illustrated to you, it is important to have a thorough understanding of the company and/or organizational structure. Not only how the general mechanism works, but also people’s roles and commitments. Otherwise, it will be impossible to implement steps number 1 and number 2 of the OKR alignment (division into Teams and appointment of Team leader).
After that, imagine two perfectly overlapping, but not identical, elements that represent Team and Organization. They are the two levels of alignment.
The Teams are responsible for the achievable objectives and the related key results. The company/organization is responsible for the challenging and strategic objectives.
Individuals will have objectives aligned within the Teams, which in turn will have objectives in line with those of the company. Conversely, without alignment, divisions, teams, and employees remain separate and can disperse resources on non-impacting actions, moving in various different directions.
Alignment and Cascading: not the same!
Here is another term with which you should familiarize yourself in order to get deeper into the OKR method: cascading. Often mistakenly confused with alignment, cascading refers to a technique of distributing objectives rather than aligning them.
I refer to what John Doerr writes in his book “Measure What Matters“: “Cascading makes an operation more coherent“.
In essence, the cascade distribution means ‘pouring’ the strategic OKRs in the medium and long term from top to bottom. So that each team and each employee are reached by cascading information.
OKR errors: misalignment
Getting the OKR alignment wrong can mean failing to apply the method. This is why it is essential to make an effort to avoid some mistakes. I’ll reveal 3, in my opinion very insidious:
- Indefinite strategic objectives
The first rule for correctly applying the OKR method is that strategic objectives are defined. Which I remind you must be aspirational and clear. If you skip this step it is impossible for teams to align, since there is no reference coordinate. This could have dire consequences: each team could set separate OKRs, potentially in contrast with those of the other teams.
- Confusing Alignment with Cascading
I do not dwell too much on this OKR error, because I have already told you about it. I simply summarize a concept: cascading the objectives from the highest to the lowest levels (board → management → divisions → Team → collaborators) does not mean aligning the OKRs. If done well, cascading has informational importance. In the decision-making part, the Teams, made up of experts, should have freedom of action in defining the areas for improvement on which to act to contribute to the business objective. In this way, responsibilities are also established with greater clarity. This brings us to the next point.
- Lack of responsibility
Since the Teams are more aware of their perimeter of action, it is up to them to determine what can be done to improve the processes within it. For this reason, they have a double responsibility: on the one hand to set the team’s goal and on the other to measure its key results. The role of the management will be to verify that all teams have set their OKRs. And management is also responsible for supporting the teams with timely and timely feedback.
OKR alignment example
There is no better way than an example to make a concept clear. If in the next chapters we will have the opportunity to further explore what OKRs are (also through the presentation of a case study that I managed personally), here I close the discussion on alignment with a practical case.
- Background: the Metasoft company produces subscription software
- Strategic objective: X turnover achieved on a quarterly basis
- Growth barrier: high customer churn rate
- Problem to solve: inadequate customer satisfactionHow do you proceed?
1. Set a strategic goal
First, management sets a strategic goal for growth. If the number of customers on a quarterly basis is sufficient to reach the turnover budget in the same time frame, the customer churn rate is a limit to growth. The goal will therefore be to raise the level of customer satisfaction to ensure that customers renew their subscriptions and continue to use the product.
2. Communicate strategic objectives to Teams
After the business goal has been set, it is time to share it and question it. In fact, the opinion of the team leaders has weight and their point of view must be carefully evaluated. Feedback from team members can also be taken into account to recalibrate the goal. The sharing phase, in fact, coincides with that of involvement. The manager does not just communicate to the teams what has been decided, but explains how achieving that goal will help improve the company. If the agreement is unanimous at the level of management and Team leaders, the alignment process proceeds to the next level (Team).
3. Set up Team OKRs
The time has come for the various teams to establish key objectives and results to contribute to the company’s strategic goal. The message that reaches the Team leaders is: to implement customer retention, acting on customer satisfaction.
Each team takes time to brainstorm. Ideas are put on the table and the best ones, meaning sensible, relevant, and potentially impacting, are selected by the working group.
We join the product team of the Metasoft company. The macro objective is the further growth of revenue, improving customer loyalty. The Team Leader and other team members ask themselves:
- “How are things progressing?”
- “What’s going well?”
- “What are we doing wrong?”
- “How can we improve?”The area for improvement is the first focus.
The Team examines the reports and realizes that the process by which customers approach the product is problematic. Data analysis shows that just 18% of users complete the initial phase. Furthermore, among those who buy it, as many as 65% ask for more information on the features, which means that the use is not intuitive enough.
The identification of the objective and the related key results derives from the data analysis.
O = improve the approach phase to the product and the onboarding process
KR1 = Implement the onboarding process rate from 18% to 29%
KR2 = Increase the percentage of average software usage from 44% to 69% in the first month
KR3 = Decrease the percentage of customer support tickets from 65% to 35%
While the product team works on its own OKR, in parallel, in a synergistic and unidirectional way, the marketing team also studies the ways and means to make a contribution to the strategic goal. In this case, the working group focuses on the long-time-based relationship with customers and on the numbers related to Marketing Qualified Leads.
Finally, after the Team OKRs are approved and agreed upon, they are added to the OKR software so that they are automatically linked to the business goal.
When all the teams achieve their objectives, the company receives the expected push towards continuous progress and maximum improvement.
4. Review OKR
If every step goes smoothly, all that remains is to complete the OKR alignment with the general sharing and review phase.
The OKR method is extremely radical in implementing the principle of transparency. Feedback is needed at all levels of the alignment process: from management to the individual team member.
At least every quarter, thanks to the multi-level information, the Team has the opportunity to do a ‘retrospective’ on the performance of the OKRs.
OKR what they are: practical examples
Learning to write OKRs correctly is the first step in making them work. Equally important is identifying clear and demanding objectives that each division/department can ‘marry’ with a view to business improvement.
Once again I use practical examples not only to define what OKRs are but also to offer you the possibility to find the formula to apply them in your organization.
Examples of OKR Marketing
Objective: increase enrollment via e-mail to the company platform by 40% by the end of the second quarter (Q2)
Key Result 1: increase the email open rate by 40%
Key Result 2: decrease the bounce rate of the email by 15%
Key Result 3: Increase Email Click-through Rate by 20%
Examples of sales OKR
Objective: hit the monthly e-commerce sales target by the end of February
Key Result 1: Implement SEO to attract 100,000 additional visitors per month to the site
Key Result 2: use an online Ads campaign to bring at least 25,000 clicks
Key Result 3: Improve Social Media Traffic by 50%
Examples of OKR product development
Objective: prototype a new product by the end of the fourth quarter (Q4)
Key Result 1: Build a team of experts within 30 days
Key Result 2: Purchase the necessary raw materials and equipment by the end of Q1
Key Result 3: secure workers and the work area by the end of Q1
Examples OKR production
Objective: increase the number of pieces produced per month by 50% by the end of May
Key Result 1: create a process mapping and analyze it to photograph the current production process
Key Result 2: detect any possible inefficiency in the production line
Key Result 3: Purchase new equipment to speed up the process
Key Results 4: train employees in the efficient use of the new instrumentation
OKR case study: the history of FastEng
We are almost at the end of the time I asked you to give me. And at this point, you are a master of the OKR method. My mission is complete. Before closing, however, I would like to show you the way, through a case study that I followed personally and which can definitively illustrate the topic. To protect my client’s privacy, I changed the names, but their story is absolutely true.
- “The hero”
The protagonist of this story is called Rash Rajendra, an Indo-American entrepreneur. Rash was born in Mumbai and at 10 he moved with his family to the United States, where he had the opportunity to embody the American Dream thanks to his willpower and his undoubted skills. And so when he got the Standford scholarship, it was clear to everyone that he was going to be successful.
After graduating with honors, Rash received proposals from prestigious companies, eager to grab that talent. However, his vocation had always been another. He wanted to build his own company and create products that people would love.
The light bulb went on when he began experimenting with augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) for fun. Rash understood that these technologies could be applied in many other fields: from e-learning to video assistance, to telemedicine.
- “The Joy”
Rajendra starts FastEng with some initial investor capital and a small bank loan. The first location of the business is a small space (suitable for a startup) in a coworking in Washington.
The professional network built at the university and a bit of luck (which never hurts!) Allow Rash to create software for its first customers after just one month of activity.
An app to ‘measure’ the sunlight and understand which type of houseplant is most suitable. Another application for creating 3D models of products to be sold in a marketplace.
And so, after just over a year, FastEng already had 40 employees spread across 5 different countries. Although they weren’t corporation numbers, they were respectable sizes for a niche company.
Growth brought joy and repaid the many hours spent in coworking. But as it grew, FastEng slowed down. After 13 months, the first customer had terminated a contract because the product was not delivered on time.
Rash was beginning to feel that things weren’t going in the direction he wanted.
- “Chaos”
A customer complains about the lack of support. After purchasing Rash’s video course on virtual reality, he did not have access to the private area. Erika, the Customer Representative, missed the email and no one replied to the customer. For weeks.
Mark, the developer, is remaking the same module for a new client. For the thirtieth time.
Filip, the Sales Manager, is furious that he has been promised (according to him) a new product to be presented as a demo. And it’s still waiting for it.
Josh, a designer, and Ryan, another developer, argue why the application structure they have to prepare for a client is not yet final and disagree on what the features should be.
Customers arrive at an ever slower pace. As the processes become more complex. Rash is forced to manage the daily problem-solving activity and does not have time for the growth strategy.
- “The solution”
I met Rash through a mutual friend. He explained to me that the business idea had a lot of potentials, but at the moment not everyone was rowing in the same direction. He told me he tried everything: delegation, centralization, meetings, incentives, fear, and laissez-faire. No result, if not to make the collaborators who were struggling to follow a lousy boss unsafely.
We dedicated a few days to the assessment and the discovery was enlightening: FastEng’s problem was neither the leadership nor the working group. Rash is a charismatic and generous leader, albeit a bit moody at times. The crew on board has the right characteristics, in terms of talent, dedication, and motivation.
So what’s wrong? Why is FastEng struggling to achieve what it was born for, what it knows how to do and what is required by the market?
The answer is simple: you need the right direction to put into practice a tactical and strategic delegation
OKR Case Study: Driving by Objectives
FastEng is not a big company, far from it. Yet its size requires organization.
When they were 5 people, Rash could handle everything in mind. He knew that customer X needed Y. The process roadmap for that customer was all in his head. As well as the company roadmap.
The situation became more complex as the working group began to expand. And even more complex since some of the staff were no longer physically in the office with Rash.
At present in FastEng no one had any idea of the direction. Although they were all professionals who did not need to be guided in their daily tasks, they needed to be aligned with the business objectives. In short, it was time to explain where the ship was going.
The entire team was involved from the start to introduce the change in management methodology necessary to set the course. For three weeks the working group was formed with targeted workshops explaining what OKRs are and why they could be useful.
And that was how the OKR method entered FastEng.
OKR case study: the definition of OKRs
First of all, together with Rash, we defined the company objectives, shared by the various departments. It took over 2 weeks and the process was tiring: everyone contributed, understanding how management was the key to getting FastEng off the ground.
Here I summarize some business OKRs and OKRs for Marketing.
1st OKR Company
O: making customers happy enough to speak highly of us at dinner with friends
KR1: Exceed Net Promoter Score 8.0
KR2: Do at least 10 telephone interviews with customers (or customer employees) per month to qualify the level of satisfaction
KR3: Prepare a plan with 10 improvements every three months
2nd OKR Company
O: get stellar revenue results
KR1: reach $ 1,000,000 at the end of Q1
KR2: Increase profit by 6% in the next quarter
KR3: Reduce the cost of manual operations by 10%
3rd OKR Company
O: automate whatever is possible
KR1: Prepare a plan for at least 10 items to automate
KR1: Save a person at least 20 hours a month with an automated process
KR3: keep the cost of automation constant over time
4th OKR Company
O: make colleagues happy and motivated
KR1: organize at least one “family Outdoor” monthly outing
KR2: Achieve an employee satisfaction level of at least 4.5 out of 5
KR3: Organize at least two AMA interest workshops per month
OKR Marketing example no. 1
O: show a clear and direct message in line with our values
KR1: carry out at least 10 user research sessions to verify creativity
KR2: Get at least 10 positive feedbacks from published infographics
KR3: Prepare a work plan for at least 5 improvements per month
OKR Marketing example no. 2
O: pass all user metrics
KR1: Exceed 50,000 unique blog visitors
KR2: Get at least 500 new emails per day
KR3: Having at least 5 new leads per week
OKR Marketing example no. 3
O: improve the content and distribution
KR1: Bringing our content to at least two other media
KR2: Get at least 100 online shares for high-value content
KR3: Have at least one article published in the media
OKR case study: implementation in FastEng
Implementation of the OKRs was fast. Within a month they had all understood what they had to do and how to measure it.
We had agreed to review the OKRs once every two weeks, to mark the progress and progression of the OKRs.
The OKRs were modified at least three times and readjusted as the team became familiar with what they needed to accomplish.
Similarly, we proceeded to modulate the OKRs every time a team realized that the objectives set were not ambitious enough. An event that I happened to observe more often than you think.
Conclusion
The new generation OKRs, the ones I told you about in this guide, have evolved. From a management methodology based on business objectives, they have become bearers of culture. The change in mentality is what has allowed the OKR method to become a hot topic in management and business strategy today.
Alignment, transparency, enhancement: that’s what OKRs are. These keywords, in my opinion, perfectly summarize the essence of OKRs.
The road has been traced and now I can let you proceed independently, thanks to the support that the OKR method can provide when you want to implement the company’s objectives through key results.
Who am I and why did I tell you what OKRs are?
I am Luciano Castro, a senior manager with more than 15 years of experience as CTO and CEO in multinational companies and startups. My passion for OKRs, like that for Agile and Lean methodologies, comes from my experience in the field of consultancy. I currently collaborate with companies of various sizes and I love to grow the business, investing and making my know-how available.
I am a member of the Evaluation Committee of the most important Italian Business Angels Network. For professionalism and technical skills, I was appointed by the Ministry of Digital Transformation in Italy to lead the Recovery Fund’s Cloud Program (1 billion euros).
The team is made up of professional Project Managers and Product Managers, experts in Scrum, Waterfall, Design Thinking, and Lean. We count more than 2000 successfully completed projects. We have certifications in PMP, Agile, Scrum, ISTQB, ITIL, and Microsoft.
But, as important as numbers and certifications are, they are not the plus of our team. Luciano Castro & Partners is made up of passionate and dedicated people. We work hard to find the right methodology and the most suitable approach for professionals and companies. We plan, organize, monitor every stage of the process or product.
Mentoring and coaching are not just words for us: we support your idea and make your company grow from strategy to action.
Sources
https://www.whatmatters.com/faqs/okr-meaning-definition-example