2023 Guide to OKRs

Developing and setting impactful OKRs involves a thoughtful approach that considers an organization’s vision, strategic Objectives, and desired outcomes in the landscape within which they operate. Three of the things you need to do to ensure the effective adoption and implementation of OKRs inside your organization include: 

Ensure the Objectives are meaningful and relevant to people they are cascaded to: Your Objectives should be aligned with your organization’s vision, mission, and strategic priorities and cascaded or connected across functions. 

Make progress visible: Your Key Results progress should be visible and transparent widely across your organization, and you should use tools and methods to track OKRs and monitor your progress and performance. Approaches and tools that can assist include: 

1. Business review memos: Concise business memos that incorporate performance insights, successes, challenges, and updates to the action plan related to OKRs and overall organizational strategy. Business review memos are written as part of a regular business delivery and review cycle. 
2. Mission control boards: Dedicated physical or virtual spaces that provide relevant information in one place to allow teams and leadership to align on progress towards achieving Objectives. Mission control boards provide leaders with data to understand how work is progressing, how they can assist, and make necessary decisions to remove obstacles or reprioritize resourcing. 
3. Roadmaps: Visual representations of delivery plans and Objectives to show what will be delivered and when to provide insight into how the Objectives will be achieved. Roadmaps provide insight to significant stakeholders and sponsors interested in the process or outcome. 

Write OKRs that are self-explanatory:

Your OKRs should be clear and concise so that anyone can understand them without needing further explanation. They should also be specific and meaningful to convey the desired outcomes and actions. How to write OKRs that are self-explanatory, you should: 

1. Use simple and direct sentences: Avoid using words like “because” or “in order to” and use “as” instead. 

1. Use data instead of adjectives: Avoid using vague words like “much faster” or “better” and instead use percentages or specific numbers such as “reduce by 1.5 seconds”. 
2. Avoid jargon, acronyms, and buzzwords: Avoid using terms that are not widely understood or relevant, such as “pain points” or “synergy”, and use plain language instead. 
3. Avoid listing deliverables: Avoid using outputs or activities as Key Results, such as the “launch list feature” or “create report”, and instead use outcomes or impacts. 
4. Use nouns and past tense: Write your Key Results as if they have already happened, using nouns instead of verbs. For example, instead of “launch list feature”, use “list feature is live”. 
5. Confirm they pass the ‘so what?’ test: Ensure that there are meaningful implications. “More customers are using online channels” can be turned into “Online channel usage has increased sales by $200m”. 
6. Drive action: Use language that conveys what actions you need to take to achieve your Key Results. For example, instead of “improve employee engagement”, use “implement new OKRs initiatives to increase employee engagement”.