{"id":13342,"date":"2020-09-01T15:55:18","date_gmt":"2020-09-01T19:55:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=13342"},"modified":"2020-09-12T21:57:35","modified_gmt":"2020-09-13T01:57:35","slug":"okr-checklist-measure-what-matters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/okr-checklist-measure-what-matters\/","title":{"rendered":"Your OKR Checklist: The Complete OKR Process"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What’s an OKR<\/a> checklist? How can your checklist help you decide on and achieve your goals<\/a> in business?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An OKR checklist is used to track the OKR process<\/a>. Once you decide on your objectives and priorities, you can create your OKR checklist to ensure you stick to the process. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

See below to find out how to write your OKR checklist. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

OKR Checklist: Focus and Commit<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Once you\u2019ve focused your priorities, you need to commit to the OKR process. Use this checklist to set up the OKR system and get your entire staff to commit to it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Start with the Executive Team and Upper Management <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

First on your OKR checklist is to start with upper management. Use the company\u2019s mission statement and strategic plan to create top-line OKRs. There are three reasons to start at the top, and to start small:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. Executives and managers need to know their own OKRs before their direct reports can align their individual goals with those of the company. Often, organization-level key results<\/a> will trickle down the hierarchy, becoming the objectives of departments, who will then create their own key results to meet those objectives.<\/li>
  2. In the beginning, implementing OKRs won\u2019t be a smooth process. Work out the biggest kinks before you continue the rollout to other tiers. It may take several phases before you implement OKRs company-wide.<\/li>
  3. You need to establish buy-in. Employees won\u2019t commit to the process if their bosses don\u2019t publicly model and commit to it. Establish your own commitment first before asking for anyone else\u2019s. To this end, create your own personal OKRs, independent of your team\u2019s OKRs.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Decide on the Length of Your OKR Cycle <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    While individual objectives may have their own deadlines, your team should be operating according to the same general goal-setting schedule, or OKR cycle. For most companies, there are two OKR cycles, quarterly and annual, running simultaneously. Annual cycles are for long-term OKRs, and quarterly cycles are for short-term OKRs that support the longer-term objectives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    A quarterly OKR cycle is appropriate for businesses in markets that change quickly, such as technology. The short time frame of three months per quarter helps create a sense of urgency and deter procrastination. But the timeframe of your OKR cycle will depend on your particular business and field. Your OKR cycle might be monthly or semi-annually.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Choose a Cloud-Based Management System<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    In order to effectively track OKRs<\/a>, you first need a place to store and share them. This is an important part of the OKR checklist. General-purpose software, such as Microsoft Word, can only get you so far. One Fortune 500 company had to completely revise their OKR system after starting with Word: They realized that quarterly goals in Word from all 82,000 employees resulted in 328,000 distinct Word files annually. These files were public, but did anyone have the patience to read them? If nobody knows your OKRs, are they really transparent?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    A better system is a cloud-based OKR system, many of which include mobile apps, analytic tools, automatic updating, and integration with other services. (Shortform note: Cloud-based OKR systems include WorkBoard<\/a>, Ally<\/a>, Culture Amp<\/a>, Asana<\/a>, and many others.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The benefits of a cloud-based OKR system:<\/p>\n\n\n\n