Hitting sixes with the OKRs Framework
When I first studied the OKR Framework I was quite intrigued by the fact that it is adopted by the companies like Intel, Google, LinkedIn, Uber, Microsoft to name a few. In curiosity, I found a brief history of the same — A person named Andrew Grove working with Intel in 1970s documented a book called Intel Management by Objectives. 5 Later in 1975, John Doerr, a salesman in Intel attended his course wherein he loved the fundamentals as OKRs and in 1999 he introduced this idea to Google.
The idea took hold and OKRs quickly became central to Google’s culture as a management methodology that helps to ensure that the company focuses efforts on the same important issues throughout the organization. In 2016 Doerr, published a book about the OKR framework titled “Measure What Matters” in 2018 and then there was no turning back for this particular framework. Larry Page, former CEO of Alphabet and co-founder of Google, credited OKRs within the foreword to Doerr’s book:
“OKRs have helped lead us to 10× growth, many times over. They’ve helped make our crazily bold mission of ‘organising the world’s information’ perhaps even achievable. They’ve kept me and the rest of the company on time and on track when it mattered the most.”
First thing first, What are OKRs?
Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) are a strategic framework used by teams and organisations to set challenging, ambitious goals with measurable results. They aim to create alignment and engagement around measurable goals. They Entail:
- Objectives: These are high-level, qualitative descriptions that define what you aim to accomplish. An objective should be inspirational and challenging to instil a sense of purpose and motivation. It should clearly articulate the desired outcome within a specific timeframe, like a quarter or a year, to ensure focus and urgency.
- Key Results: These are the quantitative benchmarks that measure progress towards the objective. They should be SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. Key Results are often set in numbers, such as percentages, growth metrics, or other data that provide clear targets to aim for.
The Rationale Behind Adopting OKRs
Implementing OKRs brings clarity and direction, aligns teams and individuals with the company’s vision, focuses efforts on critical goals, drives discipline and accountability, and fosters a sense of progress and contribution. This system not only propels organisations towards their strategic objectives but also enhances team cohesion and individual satisfaction by making visible the impact of everyone’s contributions.
Understanding the essence of this subject matter was quite difficult for me at least at the first place when I was first introduced to it for implementing it on a client project. Explaining the same without using the jargons is equally difficult too. To make it more relatable, in this writeup I will be associating this with one of my favourite game i.e. Cricket, even after my sentiments towards this game due to what happened on 19th November 2023 (Indian Cricket Fans would be able to understand the feeling and the emotion here).
In 2023 Mens Cricket World Cup, Indian cricket team’s objective was simple yet impactful: become the top team in the league. To achieve this, there were lot of diligence done from the complete staff. Can you Imagine internally they might have implemented OKRs, how it might have looked like? Seeing the output of the One Day Internationals played by the team one quarter before the World Cup, I can easily say that they would have defined lets say three key results:
- Improve bowling average by 20% over the next 3 months.
- Increase batting average by 15% in the next 2 months.
- Reduce fielding errors by 30% in the upcoming season.
These key results were specific, measurable, and time-bound, allowing the team to track their progress and make adjustments as needed. By focusing on these key areas, they were able to significantly improve their performance and ultimately achieve their objective of becoming the world champions. Though its just a game and someone has to loose, they ended up being on the loosing side in the finals!
Superpowers of OKR Framework
The OKR framework offers several benefits:
- Clarity and focus: OKRs ensure everyone is aligned on the overall objective and the specific steps needed to achieve it. Indian bowlers like Bumrah, Shami studied and practised a lot to hit the seam at the right spot on the pitch. Similarly, our batsmen knew how to keep up with the nerves and play each ball diligently moving step by step.
- Improved communication: Regular discussions and tracking of key results foster better communication and collaboration within teams. Remember the medal ceremony at the end of each game? Fielding coach was setting up an example of better communication and team bonding by announcing the medal winner (the one who did the best fielding of the day) through most innovative techniques
- Measurable progress: Key results allow you to track your progress objectively and make data-driven decisions. I am guessing this would be the job of the personnel sitting in the team dug out area behind the laptop and tensed face!!
- Commitment and Increased motivation: Setting committed OKRs guarantees that these goals are prioritized and pursued relentlessly within the set timeframe. Seeing tangible progress towards goals can be highly motivating and keep individuals and teams engaged.
OKRs beyond Cricket: A Framework for Everyone
While this writeup uses cricket as an example, OKRs can be applied to any field, from businesses and organisations to personal goals. Whether you’re aiming to improve your public speaking skills, learn a new language, or grow your business, OKRs can help you break down your goals into manageable steps and track your progress towards achieving them.
So, the next time you set a goal, consider using the OKR framework. Remember, just like the cricket team, with clear objectives, measurable key results, and a focused approach, you too can hit your goals out of the stadium!
Despite having OKRs, the team can fail in the game of cricket (Games being games! The better team at the end wins) but when it comes to organisations the OKRs may fail too. In the next write up I will be talking about few key mistakes while implementation of OKRs and when can it be devastating.
Bonus Add ons
A. OKR Checklist:
Setting OKRs
Define ~3 meaningful objectives
Objectives should be inspiring
3–5 key results per objective
Key results should be SMART
Upkeep
Revisit weekly / biweekly
B. Image of OKRs Framework tied with Story Map
