Dear Andy,
My team just wrote our OKRs and we’re getting a little stuck. I’ve always thought of the Objective as the thing you want to do and the Key Results as the initiatives you’ll take on to make it happen? But after looking at some of the resources on WhatMatters.com, it looks like you recommend writing KRs as success metrics of the project. Can you explain this and maybe share some examples?
Thank you!
Toby
Hi Toby,
Thanks for writing in!
Your question is one we hear often – in fact, it may be one of the biggest pain points folks face when starting their OKR journeys. We do, indeed, recommend writing KRs as measurements of growth or change (or ‘success metrics,’ as you put it), rather than having them detail a work plan. Let me explain why.
The idea behind Key Results (and I always like to emphasize results) is that, when achieved, they should tell you whether or not you’ve reached your Objective.
Let’s say you were a professional basketball team whose Objective was to be the top in your region. You write an OKR that looks something like this:
Objective: Be the top team in our region.
KR: Add 3 hours to practice/week.
KR: Implement new weight training program.
KR: Hire new offensive coach.
KR: All team members adhere to nutrition program for three months.
Though these KRs are all excellent ideas that would, ideally, turn your team into the best in the region, the team would be better suited writing their KRs as measurements of success that describe what the best team in the region looks like.
You wouldn’t measure the quality of the team by the amount they practice or by the new additions to the staff, right? After all, a team can hire as many new coaches or add as many extra hours of practice as they like, but if the coaches are a bad fit or the time spent practicing isn’t used wisely, the team wouldn’t be any closer to becoming the top team than they were before.
Instead, that team should write KRs that describe the intended results of that work. What are they hoping will come of a new weight training or nutritional program? They’re hoping to become stronger and faster, which could be measured by increased 3-point shots or a reduction in turnovers. What is the goal of extra practices or new coaches? Ideally they’d win more games or score more points.
If I were asked to help write this team’s OKRs (and I am available to do that for any professional basketball teams out there… just saying…), I’d encourage them to write one that looks like this:
Objective: Be the top team in our region.
KR: Win 80% of regular-season games.
KR: Improve free-throw percentage by 8% compared to the previous season.
KR: Achieve a defensive efficiency rating of fewer than 100 points allowed per 100 possessions.
KR: Reduce turnovers by 15% through better decision-making and execution.
See how that works? The team should definitely write down and execute the initiatives they wrote in the initial OKR, but the KRs should measure the results of that work, they shouldn’t describe the work itself.
Thanks for writing in, Toby, and best of luck to you on your OKR journey.
Sincerely,
Billy from the What Matters Team
