OKR Framework®: Operation is the key

OKRs stand for Objectives and Key Results. In itself, it is a governance system that can help you make better decisions. OKRs are simple, and in their simplicity lies their beauty. They combat the complexity of consolidating a system and its priorities into a handful of objectives and results.

Every time we delve into the possibilities that we open up by making them, we realize that they can be much more than that. It all depends on the flavor you want to give them. The power of using them is not only in their definition, it lies in the herbs you want to accompany this system with.

The operation

OKRs do not inherently have a framework, a tracking model or anything like that. They are just objectives and results. Experience tells us that we need to look beyond the design and evidently, a framework or a working method is necessary.

The challenge is not only in the definition, but in ensuring that these defined OKRs can be validated (remember that OKRs are hypotheses that are validated). To do this, we need to look at planning, monitoring, partial reviews and learning spaces.

OKR Framework®

• Planning: This space seeks to determine the conditions for execution. This planning can be for the complete cycle (3, 6 or even 12 months), or it can be partial (1-4 weeks). The longer the cycle to be planned, the less in-depth the planning should be (and have more specific spaces every few weeks). The deliverables or outputs of this space are the scheduled work plan, the dependency plan and the risk plan.

• Synchronizations: Short, periodic meetings that help us keep the various actors informed about the work that the team is carrying out throughout its operation. They occur at the team level with variable frequencies (daily or every other day) and at the level of main stakeholders (weekly). The objective is for the system to be aware of the team's progress and its main impediments.

• Partial reviews: Space to review the progress of OKRs in the cycle. It can be done monthly or every half of the cycle. Its objective is to monitor the evolution of OKRs, update dependency plans, risks and make necessary adjustments. The team can make projections if necessary and make joint business decisions (with the stakeholders involved). It has variable duration.

• Improvement meeting: The team reflects on the actions it has taken regarding the execution, the design of its OKRs and the connection or interrelation with its main stakeholders. They propose improvement actions and each member takes tasks to work on or to follow up on. It does not have a specific cadence and should be held at least once a month. The duration is variable, seeking to make it as short as possible.

• Quarterly Business Review: A large-scale process in which multiple teams working under OKRs share their final (or projected) results. These results are consolidated and shared in the Executive Business Review, where business decisions are made. Based on this, new business priorities are determined and communicated so that the teams can establish their new OKRs. It lasts between 3 weeks and a month. It takes place at the end of the work cycle.

The OKR Framework® is designed to create the conditions for the team to operate in a highly complex and uncertain environment. The responsibility does not fall on specific roles but on the entire team, which must self-organize to carry out each event. This framework can be adopted by teams that practice agility as well as by teams that have a traditional operating model.

Conclusion

OKRs require a model that allows the team to operate in an orderly and more structured manner. This should not be an excuse to increase bureaucracy, but rather to maximize interactions. It does not require roles or adding meetings unnecessarily, but rather to optimize or improve existing ones.

The OKR Framework® is just another tool, a means to a business end, not a goal in itself. You can adopt what you consider necessary and in the way you think necessary. It is a container, not a method.