Dear Andy,
I work on a product development team that is very deliverable-focused, with strict deadlines to meet every quarter. Meeting these deadlines tends to consume most, if not all, of our attention, and as a result, our OKRs often end up on the backburner. With a long queue of projects to get through, we’re struggling to connect our daily work to the broader, high-level OKRs.
I’ve also come across the idea that OKRs shouldn’t be treated like project management plans, and I’m a little confused about the distinction. From what I understand, the Objective is the overall aim of a project, and the Key Results are the milestones that help track progress.
But how exactly do these differ from a project management plan? How can we ensure our OKRs don’t just end up as another list of deliverables, but something that truly drives our focus?
Sincerely,
Lucy
Hi Lucy!
Whenever your product team’s OKRs are essential to the company’s success (for instance, launching key features or products for new markets), it’s time to prioritize the project queue with the company-wide Objectives.
For OKRs to succeed, prioritize them over existing projects
A helpful example comes from Brazilian fintech Nubank. While Nubank initially focused on growing its presence in Brazil, the company had always wanted to go global. So when it set a company-wide Objective to expand to new countries, it initially upset deadlines and deliverables in queue for the Brazilian market. That was a tough conversation for some teams, but understanding the highest-level goals helped them rally around the new project queue.
OKRs prioritize where teams devote time and resources. They may require teams to shift away from a “first-in, first-out” approach, and to have more conversations to ensure daily actions align with strategic priorities.
But the general rule is: Align teams to tackle OKRs first. If you don’t have the resources to do your OKRs on top of other “must haves,” that’s worth a conversation too, just like Rick Klau had while in a government position for the State of California.
How OKRs align project plans with the value they create
Now, regarding the difference between OKRs and project management plans: You’re right! OKRs describe what success looks like, and how it will be measured. OKRs do more than ensure that things happen on time and on budget (which are important, but lie more in the domain of project management).
OKRs add a layer that aligns project deliverables with the value that’s being created by finishing them. They provide context for why this work is a top priority, so it stays on top for the right reasons. In our experience, the combination of the two tools allows teams to spot more efficiencies, more synergies, and often better products.
In other words, project plans organize specific deadlines, tasks, and deliverables, while OKRs ensure that those efforts align with what matters most to the business right now. If OKRs are a compass, then your project plan is a GPS that takes you from Point A to Point B turn by turn.
Thanks for writing in, Lucy, and best of luck to you and your team on your OKR journey.
Sincerely,
Billy from the What Matters Team
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