1. OKR Anatomy

Transcript

OKRs define goal achievement into two distinct components:
The first is the objective. So the objective is what you want to achieve and the second part is the key result; how you will achieve and measure those goals. So we think about the objective as being the “what”, and these are typically expressed as qualitative statements. Whereas the key results are expressed as quantitative statements; the idea being that each objective should have somewhere between two and five key results.

Objectives are directional statements of intent which are aspirational in nature and encourage individuals and teams to stretch and to very much attempt to achieve the impossible. The key results are specific date and metric-driven. Key results ground the objective they serve as the benchmark to assess progress towards achieving the objective.
Key results are further supported by initiatives which we often refer to as projects in the real world, and those initiatives require actions on the journey to delivering the key results. It is fundamental, though, that initiatives should not be simply tasks.

The goal is always to ensure your objectives and key results are aligned across the organization and make a contribution to the overall strategic intent of the organization.

The objective is what the individual or organization wants to accomplish. The key results are how we’re going to go about getting it done.