Implementing OKRs: It Takes a Team

Implementing OKRs: It Takes a Team

Who is responsible for making OKRs work in your organization?

Three key OKR roles

There are the three key roles: the Champion, the Conductor, and the Shepherd.

The OKR Champion

First, the Champion.

This person has the authority to adopt OKRs as a goal-setting system. They might be the manager of a team or department. But for OKRs to be successfully adopted across an entire organization, that Champion usually sits near or at the executive level. In fact, you’ll often hear John push for that person to be the CEO.

The Champion enthusiastically supports the implementation of OKRs. They enable the system to take root in the organization. The Champion’s endorsement lends an OKR program legitimacy and credibility. Without both, it will be hard to generate the enthusiasm and collective commitment needed for success.

The OKR Conductor

The Conductor leads the mechanics of the OKR program and aligns goals with action plans. This role is often played by the chief operating officer.

The Champion and Conductor can be the same person. But we’ve seen a successful pattern where the Champion brings the enthusiasm and the Conductor brings the accountability.

The Conductor keeps the trains running on time and they own the OKR calendar. They set expectations for how OKRs will be used in the organization. Ideally, the Conductor is someone with operational responsibilities.

We love our partners in human resources, and they can be advocates for OKRs. But to give OKRs the best chance to make OKRs work, the Conductor should be someone who’s responsible for both the products and services your organization delivers.

The OKR Shepherd

Finally, we have our OKR Shepherds.

These are the people across your organization who facilitate the OKR cycle: creating, tracking, grading, and reflecting. Think of an OKR Shepherd as a coach, or a project manager, or cheerleader. It’s their job to ensure that teams hit their deadlines.

To ensure that an OKR cycle is well-executed, a Shepherd guarantees that meetings happen on schedule, reflections are recorded, and OKR tracking and software tools are being used appropriately.

At times, the Shepherd might need to nudge a team leader or an OKR owner who’s lagging at some point in the process. Shepherds send emails. They set calendar invites. They own the integrity of OKRs throughout the cycle.

Being an OKR Shepherd is a great leadership opportunity for someone who wants to play a central role in achieving an organization’s priorities. And in a really large organization, there will be many Shepherds, perhaps one per department or business unit.

Regular meetings of all the Shepherds help to keep efforts and OKRs aligned throughout a cycle. In particular, it can help flag other teams when cross-departmental work is needed to accomplish an OKR.

Champion, Conductor, Shepherds: It takes a team to run a great OKR program. Build a strong support network, and you’ll optimize your chances of success with your OKR practice.