WTF are OKRs?

Setting Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) is a common and important part of leading your team - making sure everyone knows what you're working towards. But they can be tricky to get right, and even harder to help others understand. If you're a leader that's ever searched for "What do OKRs look like?", this talk's for you! We'll start with what OKRs are, how they're measured, and how they should cascade through a business to make sure everyone is on the same page. We'll also cover how to use OKRs to work on what you actually want, not just what others want you to do.

Transcript

1. OKRs, WTF? Michael Heap (@mheap) Presented at You Got This, Sept 2022
2. Me! I’m Michael I’m @mheap OKR Lover
3. Me! I’m Michael I’m @mheap OKR Lover* * When done correctly
4. 1. What is an OKR? 2. How to build OKRs 3. Things I learned the hard way 4. Example OKRs
5. 1. What is an OKR? (2 mins) 2. How to build OKRs 3. Things I learned the hard way 4. Example OKRs
6. 1. What is an OKR? 2. How to build OKRs (3 mins) 3. Things I learned the hard way 4. Example OKRs
7. 1. What is an OKR? 2. How to build OKRs 3. Things I learned the hard way (3 mins) 4. Example OKRs
8. 1. What is an OKR? 2. How to build OKRs 3. Things I learned the hard way 4. Example OKRs (2 mins)
9. Part 1 What's an OKR?
11. Objective
12. Objective Key Result
13. OKR: Objective Key Result
14. OKR: A goal setting tool to communicate what you want to accomplish and what milestones you'll need to meet in order to accomplish it
15. OKR: A goal setting tool to communicate what you want to accomplish and what milestones you'll need to meet in order to accomplish it
16. How are OKRs different?
17. Part 2 How to build an OKR
19. You
20. You Manager
21. You Manager Team
22. You Manager Team Colleague
23. You Manager Team CEO Colleague
24. You Manager Team CEO CTO Colleague
25. You Manager Team CEO CTO Colleague Other Team
26. You Manager Team CEO CTO Another Team Colleague Other Team
27. Leader Team Team Personal Personal Personal
29. Exist in 100 years
30. Exist in 100 years Increase Donations
31. Exist in 100 years Increase Donations Attract new exhibits
32. Exist in 100 years Increase Donations Attract new exhibits Target new demographics
33. Exist in 100 years Increase Donations Attract new exhibits Target new demographics Decrease costs
34. Exist in 100 years Increase donations by 30% Attract new exhibits Target new demographics Decrease costs
35. Exist in 100 years Increase donations by 30% Run one visiting exhibit per season (4x/year) Target new demographics Decrease costs
36. Exist in 100 years Increase donations by 30% Run one visiting exhibit per season (4x/year) 10% of our memberships held by ages 18-25 Decrease costs
37. Exist in 100 years Increase donations by 30% Run one visiting exhibit per season (4x/year) 10% of our memberships held by ages 18-25 Reduce staff headcount by 40%
38. Exist in 100 years Increase donations by 30% Run one visiting exhibit per season (4x/year) 10% of our memberships held by ages 18-25 Reduce exhibit shipping costs by 5%
39. Exist in 100 years Increase donations by 30% Run one visiting exhibit per season (4x/year) 10% of our memberships held by ages 18-25 Reduce exhibit shipping costs by 5%
40. Exist in 100 years Increase donations by 30%
41. Increase donations by 30%
42. Increase donations by 30% "Super supporter" tier with 20% conversion rate
43. Increase donations by 30% "Super supporter" tier with 20% conversion rate 5 interactive screens showing museum running costs
44. Increase donations by 30% "Super supporter" tier with 20% conversion rate 5 interactive screens showing museum running costs 10% of donations are one-off from email campaign
45. Increase donations by 30% "Super supporter" tier with 20% conversion rate 5 interactive screens showing museum running costs 10% of donations are one-off from email campaign Gift Aid education fl yers
46. 5 interactive screens showing museum running costs
47. 5 interactive screens showing museum running costs Research and report on top 3 screen manufacturers
48. 5 interactive screens showing museum running costs Research and report on top 3 screen manufacturers Build software to power the screens
49. 5 interactive screens showing museum running costs Research and report on top 3 screen manufacturers Build software to power the screens Choose locations for the screens in the museum
50. 5 interactive screens showing museum running costs Research and report on top 3 screen manufacturers Build software to power the screens Choose locations for the screens in the museum Get health and safety sign off on installations
52. Research and report on top 3 screen manufacturers
53. Research and report on top 3 screen manufacturers 5 interactive screens showing museum running costs
54. Research and report on top 3 screen manufacturers 5 interactive screens showing museum running costs Which helps us increase donations by 30%
55. Research and report on top 3 screen manufacturers 5 interactive screens showing museum running costs Which helps us increase donations by 30% Exist in 100 years
56. OKRs for prioritisation
57. Will it make the boat go faster?
58. Part 3 Things I learned the hard way
59. The OKRs themselves don't matter
60. “ The real value in OKRs lies in the process leading up to defining them, not the objectives and results themselves.” - kiloreven on HN
61. OKRs don't fix dysfunctional organisations
62. If you don't have a baseline, set one
63. Pair quantity metrics quality metrics
64. Focus on outcome over output
65. Gift Aid Education Flyers Increase donations by 30%
66. Gift Aid Education Flyers Increase donations by 30% Increase the number of Gift Aid donations by 20%
67. Limit the number of OKRs you're working towards
68. Hitting 100% of your OKRs is a mistake
69. It will take you multiple attempts to get OKRs right. Be patient
70. Part 4 Example OKRs
71. [Allbirds] Create the lowest carbon footprint in our industry 1. Supply chain and shipping infrastructure 100% zero waste 2. Pay 100% carbon offset for calculated carbon dioxide emissions 3. 20% of material is compostable 4. 75% of material is biodegradeable
72. [Fitness] Run a 10k in under 50 minutes by March 1. Go for a run 3x/week for at least 30 minutes 2. Increase distance of run by 1km every week 3. Decrease time per km by 5 seconds every week
73. [You!] Give OKRs a try in your organisation 1. Organise an OKR knowledge sharing session for your team 2. Build a set of 2-3 Objectives, with 2-4 Key Results each 3. 100% commitment to trying OKRs for the next 6 months
74. Thanks! I’ve been @mheap, you’ve been awesome.