Avoiding the Stumps: Overcoming Common Pitfalls and Missteps in the OKRs Journey
In the previous write up I mentioned about the great things about OKRs and how teams or organisations can reap the benefits from this framework. However, one should acknowledge that “with great powers comes great responsibilities”, organisations and teams should take care of the downsides too. Be it during the initial bits of OKRs or during the implementation or running the framework, pondering upon these mistakes may curtail you from committing them. So lets deep dive into how to avoid getting clean bowled while implementing OKRs!
OKRs Mistake #1: Failing to differentiate between committed and aspirational OKRs
The organization must clearly communicate whether an OKR is committed or aspirational to set the right tone and expectations; A committed OKR is like a promise: “We will achieve this goal, and we will allocate resources and effort accordingly.” while An aspirational OKR, however, is more like a stretch goal: “We aim to achieve this, and while it’s not guaranteed, we will push our boundaries and innovate to get as close as possible.”
An example of failing to differentiate between committed and aspirational OKRs could be — a cricket team setting an aspirational OKR as “Win every match in the international series,” treating it as a committed goal. This lacks realism given the unpredictability of sport and might not account for the growth and development opportunities within the team. As a result, the team might prioritise short-term victories over long-term development, or face undue pressure that could impact performance negatively. Conversely, a committed OKR like “Improve team’s fielding efficiency by reducing dropped catches by 50%” is achievable and measurable, focusing on specific skills improvement that contributes to winning matches but doesn’t unrealistically promise victory in every game.
Similarly, When a software development company ambitiously aims to, lets say — “Revolutionise mobile e-commerce” by Q4 as a committed OKR, it underscores a firm promise to deliver, driving the team to prioritise this project above all else. Yet, if this goal is overreaching without a feasible plan, it risks becoming an impractical commitment. Alternatively, if they deem enhancing the user interface by Q3 as merely aspirational, despite its critical role in app success, it may not receive the focus it needs, potentially diminishing the app’s quality and user satisfaction. The key is balancing ambition with realism in OKRs to align resources effectively and maintain team motivation.
OKRs Mistake #2: Business-as-usual OKRs
OKRs are often written principally based on what the team believes it can achieve without changing anything they’re currently doing, as opposed to what would push the company’s growth and impact. This brings laziness in the system and growth driven approach will be largely missed. Think about a cricket team setting an objective to “Maintain current bowling and batting averages throughout the season.” This type of OKR does not push the team or its members to enhance their skills or strategies significantly; it merely asks them to continue performing at their current level. It lacks the ambition to improve or achieve beyond the status quo, which is crucial for fostering growth, overcoming competition, and achieving higher standings in leagues or tournaments. In contrast, a more effective OKR would challenge the team to “Increase the team’s bowling strike rate by 15% and batting average by 10% by the end of the season,” encouraging players to enhance their performance and contribute to tangible team improvement.
OKRs Mistake #3: Sandbagging
A team’s committed OKRs should strategically utilise a significant portion of their resources, leaving some capacity for unforeseen circumstances, while the sum of committed and aspirational OKRs should stretch beyond current resource availability to encourage growth and optimisation. Teams that achieve their OKRs without fully deploying their resources might be underutilising their potential or overly conservative in their goal setting. This situation signals to senior management the need for reallocating resources to areas where they can be used more effectively to drive organisational progress and innovation.
Imagine a software development team setting an OKR like “Improve system performance by 2%.” This might sound reasonable, but what if they’re aware of optimisations that could yield much greater gains? This scenario, akin to a cricket team aiming for a small win against a weaker opponent, reeks of underutilised potential.
Setting such conservative goals sends the wrong message to management. It implies the team isn’t pushing for innovation or leveraging available talent. A more impactful OKR, like “Enhance system performance by 20% to support real-time data processing for all clients,” would be a game-changer. It would force them to explore new technologies, streamline code, and optimise processes. This, in turn, would drive significant growth and demonstrate effective resource allocation.
In short, sandbagging OKRs hinders progress. By setting truly ambitious yet achievable goals, teams can unlock their full potential and propel the organization forward.
OKRs Mistake #4: Low-Value Objectives (aka the “Who cares?” OKRs)
OKRs must promise clear business value — otherwise, there’s no reason to expend resources doing them. Low-Value Objectives (LVOs) are those for which, even if the Objective is completed no one will notice or care.
In cricket, focusing on vanity metrics can lead teams astray. An objective like “Increase practice sessions by 20%” sounds productive, but doesn’t guarantee success. A better objective would be “Improve the team’s batting average by 10% through focused practice on handling spin bowling.” This clearly ties activity to a measurable and impactful outcome.The same pitfall applies in software development. Don’t get caught in the “Who cares?” OKR trap. Setting an objective like “Increase GitHub repository stars by 20%” might look good, but doesn’t translate to user satisfaction or business growth. Opt for objectives that directly impact your core mission, like “Reduce app load time by 30% to enhance user experience.” This connects development efforts to a clear goal of happier users and potentially higher retention rates.
Effective OKRs shouldn’t just look busy, they should drive meaningful progress towards your ultimate goals. Focus on objectives that directly correlate to improved performance, user satisfaction, or business success.
OKRs Mistake #5: Insufficient KRs for committed Os
OKRs consist of objectives, the desired outcomes, and key results (KRs), the measurable actions to achieve these outcomes. For effective OKR completion, it’s crucial that achieving all KRs equates to fulfilling the objective. A frequent mistake is setting KRs that are necessary but not comprehensive, leading teams to bypass challenging yet essential tasks, undermining the objective’s achievement.
A cricket team setting an objective to “Win the World Cup,” with a key result of “Win all group stage matches.” While winning all group stage matches is critical, it is not sufficient on its own to achieve the broader objective of winning the World Cup. This approach neglects other necessary components such as winning knockout matches, maintaining team fitness, and strategic planning against specific opponents. The key results are too narrow and fail to cover all aspects required to comprehensively achieve the objective.
Relating this to a software development company, an equivalent mistake might be setting an objective to “Become the leading app in the market,” with a key result of “Increase the number of app downloads by 50%.” While increasing downloads is important, it alone is insufficient for becoming the market leader. This KR overlooks other critical factors like user retention, customer satisfaction, feature innovation, and response to user feedback. Just as winning all group stage matches doesn’t guarantee a World Cup win, increasing app downloads alone won’t ensure market leadership without considering the full spectrum of actions needed to truly satisfy and retain users, thereby achieving the overarching objective.
OKRs Mistake #6: Counter Productive OKR’s
In cricket, a counterproductive OKR might be setting an objective to “Increase fast bowling speed,” with a key result to “Add 10 mph to each bowler’s delivery speed,” without considering the impact on accuracy or injury risk. This focus might lead to faster deliveries but could result in more wides, no-balls, or even injuries, ultimately harming team performance. Translating this to a software development context, an equivalent could be a company aiming to “Accelerate product release cycles,” with a key result of “Halving the development time for new features.” While this might lead to quicker releases, it could compromise product quality, increase bugs, and reduce customer satisfaction, proving counterproductive to the company’s goal of enhancing its product offering and customer experience. Both examples show how focusing narrowly on one aspect, without considering broader implications, can lead to efforts that are more detrimental than beneficial.
OKRs Mistake #7 : Non weighted Key Results
This emphasises the need for balance and prioritisation among Key Results (KRs) tied to an Objective. For effective OKR implementation, it’s crucial that all KRs contribute equally to the achievement of the Objective, ensuring that scoring 1.0 on all KRs equates to fully meeting the Objective. Additionally, KRs should require a comparable effort to accomplish, preventing any imbalance in resource allocation or effort. This approach ensures focused and efficient progress towards strategic goals.
In cricket, aiming to “increase batting average” and “reduce extras” might sound good, but without weighting them, the team might prioritize the wrong one depending on the opponent. Similarly, a software company aiming to enhance user experience might get lost between “reducing app loading time” and “increasing user feedback” without clear weights. Weighting KRs ensures resources are directed towards the most impactful improvements, whether it’s mastering the bat against strong bowlers or prioritising speedier app loading for a smoother user experience.
Long story short, Align Your Sights, Focus on Meaningful Metrics, Embrace Adaptability and Maintain a Balanced Perspective. By following these principles, you’ll transform OKRs from a theoretical framework into a powerful tool for driving success. Now get out there, refine your game plan, set your sights on ambitious goals, and watch your team or organization score some truly remarkable wins! Remember, with OKRs, the sky’s the limit, but a solid foundation in practicality is your winning formula. So, step out onto the field, embrace the challenge, and get ready to hit a six!
[Bonus] Reiterating and elongating the previous checklist for OKRs implementation:
