11. Roofshots and Moonshots

Transcript

Sometimes we talk about “moonshots” and “roofshots” when we’re discussing OKRs.

So, let’s take a look at them. So, “moonshots” and “roofshots” each have a purpose, but a very different purpose.

Good practice is to start with “roofshots”. Now, in time the organization will likely adopt both, but the key thing is in the early stages of OKR adoption until you build some of that OKR capability, you should focus exclusively on roofshot OKRs. So, we often think of a roofshot OKR as a committed OKR – an OKR that is difficult but realistic to achieve, and thereby we are committed to achieving the OKR. Now a committed OKR is not easy, and the goal is to move people out of their comfort zone but also to achieve.

So, the goal is very much to move people out of their comfort zone. It’s really orientated around the whole area of continuous improvement.

So, roofshots are underpinned by your relentless continuous improvement and iteration.

Ideally, 80% of the organization’s efforts should be invested in roofshot OKRs. These are the OKRs that bring revenue in; they keep the lights on, and they keep the organization moving forward.

When you have gained some OKR muscle or capability in that space, it is then worth looking at moonshot OKR.

So, we might think of (it on the basis) that there is a maturity level to be achieved in OKRs. We go from roofshots and eventually progress to “moonshots”.

You will typically have only one or two moonshot OKRs. Think of the idea of aiming for the moon when you think of a moonshot OKR.

The culture has to be right, and your organization has to be failure tolerant if you are going to adopt moonshot OKRs. You are looking for individuals and teams to push the envelope on what is possible. It’s almost a sense of “to fail forward” and learn.

And the term moonshot is inspired from the Apollo 11 mission, which shot for the stars by attempting the impossible to put a man on the moon. moonshot OKRs are disruptive by nature. They are looking to propel the organization to a future and perhaps unachievable state. When we adopt moonshots in the OKR space we are really looking at developing groundbreaking technology or achievements. Think of the concept of a self-driving car. They require teams to rethink how they work and there is definitely a high risk of failure.

Moonshot OKRs are aspirational in their nature, and they seek to change the operating world. They are not just seeking to change the rules of the game, but to change the game itself.

Moonshots typically require an agile culture that is failure tolerant. Many organizations have a low risk of failure and therefore they are not suitable for moonshot OKRs.