WTF are OKRs?

Setting Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) is a common and important part of leading your team - making sure everyone knows what you're working towards. But they can be tricky to get right, and even harder to help others understand. If you're a leader that's ever searched for "What do OKRs look like?", this talk's for you! We'll start with what OKRs are, how they're measured, and how they should cascade through a business to make sure everyone is on the same page. We'll also cover how to use OKRs to work on what you actually want, not just what others want you to do.

Transcript

1. OKRs, WTF?
   Michael Heap (@mheap)
   
   
   Presented at You Got This, Sept 2022
   

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2. Me!
   I’m Michael
   
   
   I’m @mheap
   
   
   OKR Lover
   

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3. Me!
   I’m Michael
   
   
   I’m @mheap
   
   
   OKR Lover*
   * When done correctly
   

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4. 1. What is an OKR?
   
   
   2. How to build OKRs
   
   
   3. Things I learned the hard way
   
   
   4. Example OKRs
   
   
   

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5. 1. What is an OKR? (2 mins)
   
   
   2. How to build OKRs
   
   
   3. Things I learned the hard way
   
   
   4. Example OKRs
   
   
   

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6. 1. What is an OKR?
   
   
   2. How to build OKRs (3 mins)
   
   
   3. Things I learned the hard way
   
   
   4. Example OKRs
   
   
   

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7. 1. What is an OKR?
   
   
   2. How to build OKRs
   
   
   3. Things I learned the hard way (3 mins)
   
   
   4. Example OKRs
   
   
   

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8. 1. What is an OKR?
   
   
   2. How to build OKRs
   
   
   3. Things I learned the hard way
   
   
   4. Example OKRs (2 mins)
   
   
   

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9. Part 1
   
   
   What's an OKR?
   

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11. 
    
    Objective
    
    
    

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12. 
    
    Objective
    
    
    Key Result
    

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13. OKR:
    
    
    Objective
    
    
    Key Result
    

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14. OKR:
    
    
    A goal setting tool to communicate what you want to
    accomplish and what milestones you'll need to meet in
    order to accomplish it
    

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15. OKR:
    
    
    A goal setting tool to communicate what you want to
    accomplish and what milestones you'll need to meet in
    order to accomplish it
    

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16. How are OKRs
    different?
    

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17. Part 2
    
    
    How to build an OKR
    

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18. View Slide

19. You
    

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20. You
    Manager
    

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21. You
    Manager
    Team
    

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22. You
    Manager
    Team
    Colleague
    

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23. You
    Manager
    Team
    CEO
    Colleague
    

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24. You
    Manager
    Team
    CEO
    CTO
    Colleague
    

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25. You
    Manager
    Team
    CEO
    CTO
    Colleague
    Other Team
    

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26. You
    Manager
    Team
    CEO
    CTO
    Another Team
    Colleague
    Other Team
    

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27. Leader
    Team Team
    Personal Personal Personal
    

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28. View Slide

29. Exist in 100 years
    

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30. Exist in 100 years
    Increase
    Donations
    

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31. Exist in 100 years
    Increase
    Donations
    Attract new
    exhibits
    

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32. Exist in 100 years
    Increase
    Donations
    Attract new
    exhibits
    Target new
    demographics
    

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33. Exist in 100 years
    Increase
    Donations
    Attract new
    exhibits
    Target new
    demographics
    Decrease
    costs
    

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34. Exist in 100 years
    Increase
    donations by
    30%
    Attract new
    exhibits
    Target new
    demographics
    Decrease
    costs
    

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35. Exist in 100 years
    Increase
    donations by
    30%
    Run one visiting
    exhibit per
    season (4x/year)
    Target new
    demographics
    Decrease
    costs
    

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36. Exist in 100 years
    Increase
    donations by
    30%
    Run one visiting
    exhibit per
    season (4x/year)
    10% of our
    memberships
    held by ages
    18-25
    Decrease
    costs
    

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37. Exist in 100 years
    Increase
    donations by
    30%
    Run one visiting
    exhibit per
    season (4x/year)
    10% of our
    memberships
    held by ages
    18-25
    Reduce staff
    headcount by
    40%
    

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38. Exist in 100 years
    Increase
    donations by
    30%
    Run one visiting
    exhibit per
    season (4x/year)
    10% of our
    memberships
    held by ages
    18-25
    Reduce exhibit
    shipping costs
    by 5%
    

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39. Exist in 100 years
    Increase
    donations by
    30%
    Run one visiting
    exhibit per
    season (4x/year)
    10% of our
    memberships
    held by ages
    18-25
    Reduce exhibit
    shipping costs
    by 5%
    

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40. Exist in 100 years
    Increase
    donations by
    30%
    

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41. Increase donations by 30%
    

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42. Increase donations by 30%
    "Super
    supporter" tier
    with 20%
    conversion rate
    

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43. Increase donations by 30%
    "Super
    supporter" tier
    with 20%
    conversion rate
    5 interactive
    screens showing
    museum running
    costs
    

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44. Increase donations by 30%
    "Super
    supporter" tier
    with 20%
    conversion rate
    5 interactive
    screens showing
    museum running
    costs
    10% of
    donations are
    one-off from
    email campaign
    

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45. Increase donations by 30%
    "Super
    supporter" tier
    with 20%
    conversion rate
    5 interactive
    screens showing
    museum running
    costs
    10% of
    donations are
    one-off from
    email campaign
    Gift Aid
    education
    fl
    yers
    

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46. 5 interactive screens showing museum running costs
    

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47. 5 interactive screens showing museum running costs
    Research and
    report on top 3
    screen
    manufacturers
    

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48. 5 interactive screens showing museum running costs
    Research and
    report on top 3
    screen
    manufacturers
    Build software
    to power the
    screens
    

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49. 5 interactive screens showing museum running costs
    Research and
    report on top 3
    screen
    manufacturers
    Build software
    to power the
    screens
    Choose
    locations for the
    screens in the
    museum
    

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50. 5 interactive screens showing museum running costs
    Research and
    report on top 3
    screen
    manufacturers
    Build software
    to power the
    screens
    Choose
    locations for the
    screens in the
    museum
    Get health and
    safety sign off on
    installations
    

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51. View Slide

52. Research and report on top 3 screen manufacturers
    

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53. Research and report on top 3 screen manufacturers
    5 interactive screens showing museum running costs
    

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54. Research and report on top 3 screen manufacturers
    5 interactive screens showing museum running costs
    Which helps us increase donations by 30%
    

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55. Research and report on top 3 screen manufacturers
    5 interactive screens showing museum running costs
    Which helps us increase donations by 30%
    Exist in 100 years
    

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56. OKRs for
    prioritisation
    

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57. Will it make the boat
    go faster?
    

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58. Part 3
    
    
    Things I learned the
    hard way
    

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59. The OKRs themselves
    don't matter
    

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60. “ The real value in OKRs lies in the
    process leading up to defining them, not
    the objectives and results themselves.”
    - kiloreven on HN
    

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61. OKRs don't fix
    dysfunctional
    organisations
    

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62. If you don't have a
    baseline, set one
    

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63. Pair quantity metrics
    quality metrics
    

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64. Focus on outcome
    over output
    

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65. Gift Aid
    Education Flyers
    Increase donations by 30%
    

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66. Gift Aid
    Education Flyers
    Increase donations by 30%
    Increase the
    number of Gift Aid
    donations by 20%
    

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67. Limit the number of
    OKRs you're working
    towards
    

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68. Hitting 100% of your
    OKRs is a mistake
    

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69. It will take you
    multiple attempts to
    get OKRs right. Be
    patient
    

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70. Part 4
    
    
    Example OKRs
    

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71. [Allbirds]
    
    
    Create the lowest carbon footprint in our industry
    1. Supply chain and shipping infrastructure
    100% zero waste
    
    
    2. Pay 100% carbon offset for calculated
    carbon dioxide emissions
    
    
    3. 20% of material is compostable
    
    
    4. 75% of material is biodegradeable
    

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72. [Fitness]
    
    
    Run a 10k in under 50 minutes by March
    1. Go for a run 3x/week for at least 30
    minutes
    
    
    2. Increase distance of run by 1km every
    week
    
    
    3. Decrease time per km by 5 seconds
    every week
    

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73. [You!]
    
    
    Give OKRs a try in your organisation
    1. Organise an OKR knowledge sharing
    session for your team
    
    
    2. Build a set of 2-3 Objectives, with 2-4
    Key Results each
    
    
    3. 100% commitment to trying OKRs for
    the next 6 months
    

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74. Thanks!
    I’ve been @mheap, you’ve been awesome.
    

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