{"id":13394,"date":"2020-08-30T15:47:51","date_gmt":"2020-08-30T19:47:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=13394"},"modified":"2020-09-12T21:58:25","modified_gmt":"2020-09-13T01:58:25","slug":"okr-tracking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/okr-tracking\/","title":{"rendered":"OKR Tracking: How to Create and Track Your OKRs"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

How does OKR<\/a> tracking work? How can you pick the best ways to track your OKRs?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

OKR tracking is the process of setting, maintaining, and evaluating your OKRs from start to finish. OKR tracking involves several phases, and it’s important to set up the most effective OKRs possible to make this process effective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read more about OKR tracking and how it works below. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

How to Implement OKR Tracking<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Unlike traditional business goals, OKRs aren\u2019t set in stone. OKRs are<\/a> \u201cliving, breathing organisms,\u201d and there are three phases to tracking an OKR\u2019s life cycle: setup, midlife tracking, and wrap-up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Setup Phase<\/strong> for OKR Tracking <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The first phase of OKR tracking is the setup phase. The setup phase is when you decide what cloud-based system you\u2019ll use to track your OKRs, determine the length of your OKR cycles, and designate your \u201cOKR shepherd.\u201d Refer to \u201cChecklist: Focus and Commit\u201d in Chapter 4. All of these actions will make tracking possible in the next phase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Midlife Tracking Phase<\/strong> for OKR Tracking<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Next in OKR tracking is the midlife tracking phase. Studies show that people are motivated by tangible signs of their progress toward a goal, and that making progress can be more motivating than receiving a bonus, receiving public recognition, or even achieving the goal itself.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

But for progress to be motivating, people need to see it. This is why midlife check-ins are so important. During this phase, employees check-in with their managers to discuss their OKR progress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ideally, check-ins happen weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annually. The frequency of these check-ins will depend on the length of time needed to achieve each key result, the quality of communication in the team, the size of the group, how geographically spread out it is, and current business needs. In addition to one-on-one meetings with employees and managers, teams and departments should meet regularly to evaluate progress toward objectives they share.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4 Mid-Cycle OKR Options<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

At these check-ins, you and your manager check progress toward the OKRs, identify obstacles and potential obstacles, and refine key results<\/a>. Discuss four options relative to each goal<\/strong> and track OKRs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Option #1: Continue <\/strong>the objective or key result\u2014If everything\u2019s going well and you\u2019re making progress, keep going.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Option #2: Revise <\/strong>the objective or key result\u2014If changes in your environment or workflow have caused the goal to get off track, update it. You may need to alter your process or the goal\u2019s timeline to get it back on track. You also may need to put other goals on the backburner so you have more time and resources to focus on this one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Option #3: Start <\/strong>a new objective or key result\u2014As conditions change, you may find you need to add new goals. If you already have five objectives, you may need to put one or two on the backburner to make room for the new goal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Option #4: Stop <\/strong>an objective or key result\u2014Some goals become irrelevant or impractical. Don\u2019t stubbornly cling to a goal just because you set it. If it no longer serves your larger purpose or the company\u2019s, toss it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Wrap-Up Phase<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The wrap-up phase usually happens at the end of the OKR cycle. During this phase, you analyze your methods, evaluate your progress, and reflect on your successes and failures. The wrap-up phase consists of three parts: objective scoring, subjective self-assessment, and reflection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Objective Scoring<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The employee and manager assign a score to the objectives. The simplest way to score an objective is to average the completion rates of its key results.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At Intel, employees use a scale of 0.0 to 1.0 to score key results based on how much of the key result was completed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n