What Goals and OKRs are and why you should use them
What are OKRs?
OKR (Objectives and Key Results) is an agile framework for setting goals in organizations. The abbreviation OKR (or OKRs) stands for Objectives and Key Results.
- Qualitative
- Simple and easy to understand
- Inspiring and motivating
- 3 - 4 Objectives per team
- Quantitative
- Clearly measurable
- S.M.A.R.T.
- 1 - 5 Key Results per Objective (important to keep focus)
- Time-bound (year, quarter, ...)
Why do so many companies use OKRs?
Used correctly, the OKR method can lead to more transparency, alignment, focus and agility in your organization.
OKR is more than "just" a framework for setting goals. OKRs finally bridge the gap between your organization's vision and mission and the operational level. By linking daily tasks, which in turn are linked to OKRs and annual or multi-year goals above them, clarity and transparency is promoted throughout the organization.
Other benefits include more intrinsic motivation of employees through self-organization and autonomy, as well as better alignment between teams and hierarchical levels.