If you’re looking into writing OKRs, then you’re likely familiar with the acronym, which stands for “Objectives and Key Results.” It is a goal-setting framework that helps to drive organizational alignment.
A key feature of OKRs is that they allow you to map multiple key results to a single objective. The formula is quite simple. Objectives are goals and intents; Key Results are time-bound and measurable milestones under these goals and intents.
EXAMPLE
Objective: Increase brand awareness
Key Result: Increase web traffic by 1M visitors
Key Result: Finish year with 10k Instagram followers
Key Result: Appear in seven local publications
ROLLOUT
To drive organizational alignment, we recommend that OKRs are set at the company-wide level first, and then shared with all employees. This visibility provides employees with insight into key corporate objectives that they can consider when they craft their own goals.
NUMBER of OKRs
We recommend no more than two or three OKRs per team. Several OKRs will dilute the attention and effort that teams can give to them. Choose the most compelling OKRs, track your progress towards your goals, and use the data from previous OKRs to determine your next objectives.
TRANSPARENCY
All employees should know who is working on which OKRs, and the desired outcomes. Transparency increases interdepartmental collaboration and encourages employees to support each other.
SPECIFICITY
All key results should be quantifiable and time-bound. By having numbers and percentages on key results, teams can be better informed for future goal-setting. Additionally, a firm deadline creates a sense of urgency, and a higher likelihood of completion.
MEASUREMENT
We recommend evaluating OKR completion on a quarterly basis. This helps to keep employees accountable, and better inform goal-setting for the next quarter. However, goals can be discussed and updated on a weekly basis during 1:1s. This helps drive alignment between employees and managers.
ALIGNMENT WITH COMPANY GOALS
No matter how compelling an OKR is, it’s of little use if it isn’t aligned with company goals. Ideally, each level of the company has an OKR supporting the level above it individual OKRs support team OKRs, which support department OKRs, which support big-picture company OKRs. The company OKRs are based on the organization’s values and mission. When each level supports the next, the organization is much more likely to attain its most important objectives
Sidenote: Outside of changing the terminology, the Bridge platform does not treat OKR’s and Goals differently.