Setting Up for Next Cycle

Setting Up for Next Cycle

Now that you’ve graded and reflected on your OKRs, let’s get set up for the next cycle. Based on what you’ve learned from your last set of OKRs, ask:

• What can you do even better in the next cycle?
• What do you want to do more of?
• Is there anything you want to stop or avoid doing?

Your answers to these questions are the inputs to seed your next set of OKRs. After an honest team conversation about the prior cycle, you may decide to do one of several things:

Continuing an OKR for another cycle

1. Retire an OKR

You might retire an OKR. Maybe you hit 70 percent or higher on it, and the goal no longer needs to be a top priority for the team. You’ve accomplished enough to move on to a new priority. Or maybe your environment has changed, and the OKR is suddenly less relevant. Or perhaps it’s no longer under your control.

2. Rewrite an OKR

Maybe you realize you’d set the wrong priority, or you made it too ambitious or too easy. Or the OKR steered your team toward the wrong target. Take this new information to rewrite the OKR.

3. Revisit an OKR

The OKR might still be a meaningful top priority. Maybe you ended on a yellow or red. Though the Objective wasn’t met, you and the team still believe the priority was correct.

So now, revisit your tactics. What are other actions can your team take to achieve this OKR in the cycle ahead? If the OKR is important, you’ll need to be creative in how you’ll reach the goal.

And remember, as you move into the next cycle, you’re going to have more time. So should you be changing your KRs and setting tougher targets? Do you need to be raising your ambition?

But what happens if there’s little change or progress over several, consecutive cycles? What if your team is tired of this OKR? Do a gut check: Is this OKR still a priority? If not, throw it out.

4. Recraft an OKR

But if it’s still a priority, take the time to recraft the OKR.

Return to the basic questions:

• What outcome are we trying to achieve?
• What needs to be true for our team to deliver that outcome?

Missing an OKR

What happens if you ended up with all reds and no progress at all?

When we’ve missed all of our goals by a lot, reflection can help us build our goal-setting muscle.

• Did we set the bar too high?
• Did we miss a critical component?
• Are we tracking and acting on data in time?
• Was the Key Result even something under our control?

We put in this work: tracking and grading – as preparation for the next cycle. The effort we invest makes us a better team, and sets us up for greater and greater success.

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Keep Practicing OKRs

And now, believe it not. That was it! The end of our lessons. It’s time for you to begin your own vibrant OKR practice outside of this course.

There’s a learning curve in setting OKRs. Even seasoned OKR users slip up at times. But there’s always something to be learned in every cycle. That’s why we call OKRs a “practice.”

Thank you for taking the time to take this course and invest in your leadership skills. We are cheering you on to help your teams achieve great things.

Keep up the momentum – and keep measuring what matters!