The basic concept of OKR
OKR (Objectives and Key Results objectives and key results) is a best practice on management by objectives, is a summary of ideas and experience in business management practices. It is an open source system, organizations can follow on the basis of the basic ideas and principles, customize it. It comes from 1954, Peter Drucker put forward in the "Practice Management" in the "management by objectives and self-control", and in 1971, iMBO method Andy Grove at Intel launched (Intel's management by objectives system).
OKR target structure of the target is set by the system by setting OKR method comprises two components: a target (O, Objectives) and key results (KR, Key Results). Target = O (What you want?) + KRs (how? How to measure is complete?). In "This is OKR" in his book, John Doerr introduced the first OKR he did in life:
O: 8080 show excellent performance processors (compared to the Motorola 6800)
KR1: write five benchmarks.
KR2: the development of a sample.
KR3: preparation of training materials for field sales personnel.
KR4: Contact three customers, supporting materials can be used.
This is the standard structure with OKR set goals: O + KRs.
The key objectives and results, not arbitrary combination, but has constituted rigorous logical relationship. Usually we can amb (as measured by, stressed the measure) to express. This is by Bill Davidow Google's contributed, it was a "crushing action" responsible person [1]. "I will achieve (Objective), as measured by (Key Results)." That is, I will achieve (the target), by (key results) stressed the measure. For amb, we can do both of the following understanding: First, I hope to achieve (the goal), by (1 key results to the results of the key 5) to achieve. The key result is a measure of the key strategies or measures to achieve goals.
In the first OKR John Doerr, the "programming, develop sample preparation materials, customer verification" is the key strategies or measures to complete the "8080 processors show superior performance" of. Among them, "5", "1", "3" is a measure of the key strategies or measures. The relationship between the objectives and key results, just as the relationship between vision and execution, blueprints and plans. Second, I want to reach (target), as measured by (1 key results to the results of the key 5).
Let's look at "This is OKR" described in weight loss treasure (My Fitness Pal) a company OKR:
O: help more people around the world
KR1: 2014 annual additional 27 million users.
KR2: registered users reached 80 million.
The key result is a measure of whether a key indicator targets achieved. OKR in weight loss treasure, the "new user" and "registered users" is a measure to achieve "help more people around the world," the key indicators. If you can complete the 27 million new subscribers and 80 million registered users, then the "help more people around the world," the goal is realized. , Just as the relationship between the blueprint for relations with the roadmap objectives and key results.
OKR core idea
1, focus and commitment to the priorities ·
• Cycle set the appropriate rhythm for their OKR. Dual track that quarter OKR (for short-term goals) and annual OKR (for long-term strategy) deployed in parallel.
• To develop and implement plans to strengthen the commitment to leadership in the launch phase OKR senior management should be based.
• OKR specify a leader to ensure that each person spent in each cycle a certain time to choose what is most important. ·
• In each cycle, need to commit to complete the 3-5 highest goal, too many OKR will dilute and disperse the efforts of staff.
• By what decided not to give up, delayed or reduced accordingly what to improve effectiveness. ·
• In selecting OKR, to try to find those outstanding performance of the most influential target.
• The organization's mission statement, strategic plan or looking to set up OKR basis by the clear leader in a wide range of topics.
• The key results for each objective are not more than five, and these key outcomes are measurable, clear and time-bound.
2, collaboration and teamwork Contact ·
• by showing the team leader's contact with the target company's vision and priorities to motivate staff.
• operational excellence shortcut is transparent, open goals, employees until the CEO is true.
• Explain why OKR so important for the organization in plenary session. Then, repeat this important information until you feel tired so far.
• When deploying vertical level OKR driven by a high-level, front-line staff should be welcome to join, rather than communicate with each other on key results and appropriate to accept their views.
• grassroots innovation often arise from the edge of the company's rarely produced in the centers of power. Encourage bottom-up in the company's share OKR appropriate proportion (about half).
• Team and horizontal sharing by linking OKR, break down barriers between departments. Cross-sectoral, cross-functional coordination and makes quick decisions possible, and this is the basis for competitive advantage.
• Identify all dependencies horizontal, cross-functional.
• When modifying or deleting OKR goal, make sure that all stakeholders are aware of this situation.
3, the responsibility to track
• establish a culture of accountability. Implanted continuous reassessment objective and honest grading system, and start from the top. When leaders openly admit their mistakes, the staff will make it easier to bear the risk of making mistakes.
• To use less extrinsic rewards to motivate employees to take more open, practical measures to measure their achievement.
• To make OKR is timely and relevant, designate a person to carry out regular inspections and progress updates. Regular inspection teams and individuals can make timely and correct errors or give up quickly.
• To maintain high performance, encourage every week between employees and managers OKR one on one meetings and sectoral meetings held monthly.
• With changes in environmental conditions, as long as suitable for the development of the organization, subject to change, add or delete OKR indicators, even in the middle stage of the assessment period. Google the company had a famous saying: the goal is not written in stone (the goal is not immutable). If you stubbornly insist on irrelevant or impossible to achieve, it would be counterproductive.
• At the end of the assessment period, plus the use of subjective self-assessment OKR rating method to evaluate past performance, celebrating the achievements made, as well as for future planning and improvements. Before entering the next appraisal cycle, take a moment to reflect on the completion of a cycle of work.
• To make OKR trend of the times, the need to invest in a dedicated, automated, cloud-based platform. Public, collaborative, real-time system is the most effective goal setting.
4, can not be fully extended and then challenge
• At the beginning of each cycle, the distinction between what must achieve the goal of one hundred percent (commitment type OKR) and those goals to be very hard to complete (challenging vision of OKR).
• the establishment of a free environment. In this environment, it allows everyone failure occurs, without being criticized.
• In order to stimulate people solve their problems and encourage them to make greater achievements, to set the target of some challenging - even if it means some quarterly targets may not be completed. But do not the target threshold is set too high, even OKR become unrealistic. When people know they can not complete the goal, the morale will be affected, even depressed.
• To achieve a leap in productivity or innovation, follow the "10-speed" principle Google's, and to replace the incremental OKR with exponentially. This is the company being subverted, pushed a new category of reasons.
• Design malleable OKR to comply with the organization's culture. A company's best "expansion" will limit the development cycle with the different needs of enterprises vary.
• When a team fails to complete the ductility OKR, if the goal is still relevant, need to consider the target to a next assessment cycle.
5, continuous performance management
• In order to become a real issue resolved before the "problem", and provide the necessary support for troubled employees, the annual performance management to persistent performance management.
• The forward-looking OKR the annual evaluation of feedback afterwards separate area to help achieve those ambitious goals. The goal achievement with a bonus check equated would lead to fraud and risk-averse behavior.
• a transparent, based on the strength of multi-dimensional performance evaluation ratings and staff to replace the competitive ranking. In these figures, the employees consider teamwork, communication and goal setting situations ambitions.
• rely on intrinsic motivation to motivate employees, such as providing purposeful work and growth opportunities, rather than simply financial incentives, these incentives will be more powerful elements of the role.
• To reinforce positive business results, while the development of structural objectives, implement CFR being implemented (focus on dialogue, feedback and recognition of sustainability performance management tool), OKR makes clear guidance becomes more concrete and effective. CFR ongoing program of work every day to ensure timely completion and to promote sincere cooperation between the employees.
• Performance between managers and employees drive communication, allowing employees to set work plans, and the manager's role is to study and guidance.
• Conduct performance feedback in two ways, one is the temporary feedback, the other is multi-directional, free from the constraints of the organization feedback. • Use anonymous "trends" survey, for special work or morale real-time feedback.
• In cross-functional OKR by peer feedback, and strengthen links between teams and departments.
• Use peer recognition to enhance employee engagement and performance. For maximum impact, performance recognition should be frequent, specific and highly visible, and tied to the top of the OKR.
6. The importance of culture
• Let OKR top mission of the organization, vision and core values remain the same.
• cultural values is important, but the most important thing is to realize the value of corporate culture through action to convey through language.
• to enhance the optimal performance through collaboration and accountability. OKR is the overall goal, the key to these results is assigned to individuals and let them take their responsibility.
• To encourage the development of high culture, behavior support between support work behavior "catalyst" (OKR) and random acts of kindness between people of even such a "nutrient solution" (CFR) to build balance.
• Use OKR, improve transparency, clarity, purpose and overall direction; conduct CFR, develop a positive, enthusiastic, expand thinking, and have been improved every day.
• Before performing the OKR, pay attention to the need to address cultural barriers, in particular the issue of accountability and trust.
OKR-making
1. The top-down set goals
From top to bottom, the goal should be to establish order in the company to the department to the group to the individual.
2. a two-way communication objectives
Namely personal communication and managers, especially in the first quarter ended, the start of another quarter, to negotiate a good key results are. Because individuals can not only explain what they want, the above can also express what he wants you to do, the best situation is to get the two combined.
3. In each leadership team meetings to attend and present their team OKR final assessment of everyone together.
Commitment and vision type OKR type ORK
OKR There are two main forms, commitment and vision type OKR type OKR, it is essential to distinguish.
Committed OKR means OKR we will achieve, we are willing to adjust working hours and the allocation of resources to ensure that its objectives can be realized. Committed OKR index score should be expected 1.0. If the score is less than 1.0, you will need to explain why part of the unfinished, because it indicates that there is some errors in the team making the plan or implementation plan. On the other hand, the vision of the type OKR express our expectations for change in the world. However, we may not know how to get there, and to achieve this OKR the necessary resources. Vision type OKR were not necessarily able to achieve 100%, with an average score of 0.7 is relatively common.
OKR setting and tracking
OKR setting is usually an iterative cycle of the late advance in the current quarter will begin drafting OKR next quarter. I'm on the end of a quarter, next quarter, give a quarter of OKR be evaluated and scored in order to reach a situation of clear objectives, and finally confirmed the target for the next quarter.
In the middle of each quarter, we can cycle lasts months or weeks of tracking the implementation of OKR, so OKR tracking is iterative. So OKR management ideas and agile management is consistent.
The benefits of using Leangoo to the management and tracking of OKR
1, to enhance transparency and target delivery of real-time
Leangoo kanban is real-time collaboration platform for visual display OKR through billboards, open and transparent. OKR immediate manifestation of the organization in the Kanban system, you can also open continuously show OKR in the company through a number of big screen, all employees can see the billboards at any time, a very clear understanding of their OKR, users can view the owner directly, direct supervisor and objectives throughout the organization.
2, the driving motivation of the team.
Not only know what their target direction is the direction of the target partner, parent, organizations also very clear that when employees know what they are doing the right thing, to maintain the enthusiasm and fighting spirit is easier.
3, to promote sharing and collaboration
Transparent platform can guide the individual to work with colleagues in a common career interests.
4, enhance communication efficiency target
The traditional goal setting methods wasted in meetings, e-mail, electronic documents and slides and other things that a lot of time, with time, with the OKR management platform, on all relevant information can be ready when needed.
How to manage the system OKR in Leangoo
1, the card recorded by Leangoo OKR
Card Title: OKR described in O
Card check items: OKR described in KR
As shown below:
2, the development organization level OKR
Our new world Group, for example, take a look at how to develop organization-level marketing system ORK sales for the five new theater group in Leangoo the world. New World Group's entire sales system, including east, west, south, north, five sales theater.
In Leangoo new project, the project named "Group of the five theater OKR Management", select the project type "Lightweight collaboration", select the template "OKR management by objectives." After creating the project, OKR each quarter can be put on a billboard (of course, you do not have time to create four quarters, each quarter started to develop when OKR create it before), as shown below:
Group quarterly OKR billboards show a month within the group and the major theater in the current quarter and quarterly OKR. OKR structure Kanban each quarter as shown below:
The list is divided into five billboards in total, six lanes:
Table 1: companies and sectors, this column shows the companies and sectors, the company placed in the first lane, East and West in the theater were a lane five, a total of six lanes, each lane is displayed each quarter and theater each month during the quarter OKR.
List 2: in the first quarter target, and showcase the company's first quarter OKR each theater, each theater company and OKR may be more, generally 3-5 OKR, not too much.
List 3: January show in January and each theater company OKR
Table 4: In February, showing February OKR and various theater companies
Table 5: March March OKR show and various theater companies
The card can also customize the field (Enterprise Edition features) show OKR branch or progress, whether reached by tag or other identification.
3. Develop various theater (department) own OKR
According to the first quarter of the Target Group, the major theater develop their own OKR, inside the theater if there are sub-sector can continue graded, if not set directly to the people.
Each region in Leangoo in new projects to South Region, for example, the project named "Southern Theater OKR Management", select the project type "Lightweight collaboration", select the template "OKR management by objectives." After creating the project, OKR each quarter to create a kanban, named "the first quarter of the southern theater OKR Kanban", as shown below:
Theater quarter OKR billboards show a month in the theater department and every employee in the current quarter and quarterly OKR. Southern first quarter structure theater OKR Kanban as shown below:
This total is divided into five Kanban list:
Table 1: departments and personnel, this column shows the department and personnel department on the first lane, a lane below each employee, each month in each lane shows the department and each employee quarters and quarters OKR .
List 2: quarterly goals, departments and show each employee's quarterly OKR, OKR may be more, generally 3-5 OKR, not too much.
List 3: January show in January of each employee and department OKR
Table 4: In February, showing each employee and department in February OKR
Table 5: March show in March OKR department and each employee
Precautions: This example is for a sales-oriented team, it is usually not a team to complete a goal. Corresponding to the type of teamwork scene, such as product development, software development and so on, if you use agile management thinking, goal-setting to Agile teams level on it, track work within the management team used quick thinking to keep track team.
4, iterative cycle progression OKR track
It is not enough just to develop OKR, after the key is to have OKR, the team can have a strong executive power, efficient collaboration to achieve their goals. OKR successful experience from Intel, Google and other high-tech companies, which have strong agile gene. Therefore, the process of reaching OKR requires more emphasis on transparent, iterative, continuous improvement, collaboration, these key elements. Circulating a OKR by Leangoo billboards iteration tracking, collaboration can promote transparency and continuous iterative improvement.
Progress tracking OKR, we usually recommend setting week iterations, which is a weekly cycle track. Management Week iterative work needs to be carried out around the monthly target, all of each month to build a billboard. As shown below:
Iterative tracking circumferential month OKR kanban structure shown below:
The Kanban total of seven lists, each person a lane:
1) staff: a team member's name, one for each lane
2) January: monthly target
3) January-do: work items in order to achieve monthly goals, it needs to be done
4) To Do This Week: In order to achieve the monthly target, this week's work to be done
Work carried out in this week: 5) carried out this week
6) has been completed this week: This week the work done
6) Archiving: Archive previous work done
to sum up:
For an organization, it is essential to develop a reasonable OKR around the right strategic direction, but simply work out OKR, put them in a document which is of no value. Therefore, OKR clear out the need to establish visual communication and coordination mechanism, and to perform continuously track, constantly adapt and adjust, so as to promote real floor strategy. Use Leangoo platform to manage and track OKR can enhance the enthusiasm of immediacy, transparency and driven team passed OKR promote sharing and collaboration, improve the efficiency of communication and collaboration to help companies quickly landed OKR.
Author:
Eric Liao, Liaojing Bin
Scrum senior expert, agile coach, OKR practitioners, Leangoo and Scrum Chinese Founder
References:
John Doerr - "This is the ORK", CITIC Publishing Group
Qiong Yao - "OKR Manual", CITIC Publishing Group
Andy Grove - 'Only the paranoid survive ", CITIC Publishing Group