The Beginner Guide to OKR | Mind Map

The goal

to ensure everyone is going in the same direction, with clear priorities, in a constant rhythm

The Components

Doerr’s Goal Formula

I will ________ as measured by ____________.

1) what you will achieve 2) how you are going to measure its achievement

The structure

I will (Objective) as measured by (this set of Key Results)

The Objectives

memorable qualitative descriptions of what you want to achieve

short

simple

ease to memorise

inspirational

engaging

not boring

motivate and challenge the Team

no number

The Key Results

a set of metrics that measure your progress towards the Objective

quantitative

number

measurable

The Key Results model

If we are successful with ________, we will have more ________ and/or less __________

Activity-based Key Results

start with verbs such as

launch, create, develop, deliver, build, make, implement, define, release, test, prepare and plan

Value-based Key Results

Increase/Reduce ABC-metric from X to Y

X is the baseline (where we begin)

Y is the target (what we want to achieve)

separate the OKRs from the activities/tasks that we plan on doing to achieve the OKRs

The initiatives

What we are going to do to reach our OKR: projects, tasks or activities

The Core concepts

AGILE GOALS

using shorter goal cycles, adapt and respond to change

SIMPLICITY

easy to understand

set goals

lightweight process

invest resources in achieving the goals, not on setting

TRANSPARENCY

to create alignment in the organization

OKRs are public to all company levels

NESTED CADENCES

annual

a strategic cadence with high-level, longer term OKRs for the company

quarterly

a tactical cadence with shorter term OKRs

tactical OKRs for the teams, with a mid-quarter review

weekly

an operational cadence for OKR tracking results and initiatives

for tracking results

Tracking Results with the Weekly Check-in

BIDIRECTIONAL GOAL SETTING

OKRs do not cascade

a market-based approach that is simultaneously bottom-up and top-down

AMBITIOUS GOALS: MOONSHOTS AND STRETCH GOALS

average you should achieve only 60-70% of them

Use the stretching analogy

Take you out of your comfort zone;

Make you go after targets that you think you can’t reach (at least not yet);

Make you achieve things you couldn’t do before;

Should be hard but not as hard as to harm (or demotivate) you.

DECOUPLING REWARDS

OKR is a management tool, not an employee evaluation tool

ADOPTING OKR

Adopting OKR is a journey, not an event

The common mistakes

Using OKR as a task list

Including tasks as Key Results

Setting too many OKRs or Key Results

Not aligning your OKRs

Set it and Forget it

Setting non-measurable Key Results

Setting OKRs top-down

OKRs do not cascade

Creating OKRs in silos

Including OKRs in a compensation formula

Trying to copy Google blindly

Tips for writing good OKRs

For Objectives

Fit the culture

informal and fun

use slangs, internal jokes and even profanity

For Key Results

Value based

Separate metrics from initiatives

OKR Cheat Sheet

https://felipecastro.com/resource/CheatSheet_EN.pdf

The benefits

Agility

faster adjustments

better adaptation to change

increasing innovation

reducing risks and waste

Alignment and cross-functional cooperation

improve collaboration

solve interdependencies

unify competing initiatives

Reduced time and resources for setting goals

Clear communication

understand the goal

prioritization

Employee engagement

each individual can contribute

connects the employees with the company’s objectives

increasing engagement

Autonomy and accountability

free to choose how to achieve OKRs

responsibility

Focus and discipline

Bolder goals

set ambitious, challenging goals

The Typical OKR Cycle

Describes a model to create a more refined and execution-ready strategy

The executive team then validates the company OKRs, gathering feedback from the team

Teams develop their Tactical OKRs using the bidirectional approach described above

Teams map interdependencies and ensure alignment with other teams and initiatives.

For companies using quarterly OKRs, it is common to review the OKRs halfway down the quarter during a mid-term OKR review

Teams have weekly check-ins to track results and initiatives

CI

OKRs that haven’t been achieved in the previous cycle are re-evaluated

included in the next quarter or discarded