Mastering the OKR Cycle: Crafting, Sharing, Locking, Tracking, Grading, and Reflecting

When discussing OKRs (Objectives and Key Results), each phase plays a vital role in ensuring clarity, alignment, and continuous improvement. Below is a breakdown of each phase:

Crafting:

• Define clear, ambitious objectives aligned with the overall strategy of the organisation. These should inspire action and progress.

• Develop specific, measurable key results that clearly demonstrate progress toward the objective. These should be outcomes-focused and quantifiable.

• Collaborate with teams to ensure buy-in and alignment. Engaging relevant stakeholders early on ensures everyone understands the goals and is committed to achieving them.
  

Sharing:

• Communicate the OKRs to all relevant stakeholders within the organisation. Sharing OKRs across the company promotes transparency and understanding.

• Cascade OKRs down to different team levels to ensure alignment. This ensures that all levels of the organisation are working toward the same overarching goals and that there’s clarity on expectations.
  

Locking:

• Finalise the OKRs after feedback and adjustments, marking them as the official goals for the cycle. Once the OKRs are locked, they become the guiding targets for the upcoming period.

• At this stage, all necessary tweaks are made to ensure the OKRs are clear and realistic, and the team is committed to executing them.
  

Tracking:

• Monitor progress regularly on key results using data and metrics. Frequent tracking ensures you stay on top of how things are progressing and highlights where attention is needed.

• Conduct check-ins to discuss progress and identify potential roadblocks. Regular check-ins allow for early intervention if something is going off track.
  

Grading:

• Evaluate the achievement of each key result at the end of the cycle. This typically involves a scoring system (e.g., percentage or color-coded system) to assess how much progress has been made.

• Assess overall performance against the objectives. Grading the OKRs helps quantify success and identifies areas for improvement.
  

Reflecting:

• Analyse what went well, what could be improved, and what lessons were learned from the OKR cycle. This reflective phase is crucial for gaining insights into the effectiveness of the OKRs.

• Discuss adjustments for future OKRs based on the reflections. The goal is to improve the OKR process continually, making each cycle more effective than the last.
  

Key Points About OKRs:

• Focus on outcomes: OKRs emphasise the desired results rather than just activities or tasks.

• Ambitious but achievable: Key results should challenge teams while remaining attainable to keep motivation high.

• Regular review and feedback: Continuous monitoring, feedback, and check-ins are essential for staying on track and making adjustments if necessary.

• Alignment across teams: Effective OKRs align individual and team goals with the broader organisational strategy, ensuring everyone is working towards common objectives.