#pm_library: “Radical Focus”

This time I added a second book about OKRs to #pm_library. Today I want to share my impressions after listening to “The Radical Focus” by Christing Wodtke.

The PM world tends to criticize/ride OKRs more often than focus on their positives. OKRs are a tool like any other — keep using them if it improves your product. Let it go if you don’t see the benefits of using it. The main advantage of using OKRs is to keep the focus on the chosen goal and a way to make the whole company/organization move in that direction.

While the previous book on OKRs — “Measure what matters,” focused on the “why” of using OKRs, “Radical Focus” is about “how” to implement and use OKRs.

Christina Wodtke decided to talk about the introduction and optimization of OKRs using a fictitious, fictionalized story. Thanks to that, especially for audiobook listeners, it is easier to follow and engage with content. So we get to know the fate of Hanna and Jacek, trying to start their tea startup.

I learned two things from the book that usually eluded me when working with OKRs:

• Pick and monitor some health check metrics. In addition to setting ambitious development goals (key results), you should also check essential product and business metrics to see if other (sometimes even more critical) metrics suffer when trying to accomplish your key results.
• During OKR check-ins, not only verify the progress of the metric but also ask all teams what they are doing to influence the given metrics. What specific actions each team member is taking, and what is the priority of these actions?

The second part of the audiobook is different than the first part. Autor is giving up the fiction story and sharing stories and tips on dealing with the challenges of OKRs to t various companies. I didn’t find it exciting or inspiring. Each company and team is so different that guidelines add little. They understand the idea of OKRs, i.e., the “radical focus” mentioned in the title.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who needs help with OKRs. Check out this book if you must use OKRs and feel they are holding you back instead of helping you. I also recommend it to anyone who thinks they do many different things in their work and do not translate into a visible effect.