Becoming More Productive Through OKR Implementation

OKR approach works for giants such as Google. It’s both a method and philosophy which is generally attributed to Andy Grove the “Father of OKRs”, who introduced the approach to Intel during his tenure there and documented this in his book High Output Management.

Grove’s simple yet effective concept is explained by John Doerr: “The aim should make your heart flutter. The key result has to be measurable. But in the end, you can look, and without any arguments: Did I do that or did I not do it? Yes? No? Simple. No judgments in it. What can be improved”.

During the last strategic session, we’ve worked on the implementation of this principle in Innovecs with the certified trainer Konstantin Koptelov. To make it effective, we’ve created a multi-level process where C-level management and all departments are involved, and targets are synchronized.

Key Points of the OKR Planning Approach

OKR or Objectives and Key Results is an instrument of synchronization and motivation in a team. It is used to set goals and achieve results. This instrument unites the tasks of the entire company, a separate team, and individuals, and describes expected measurable results.

Here are the key peculiarities of the OKR approach:

• You and your team independently set goals for each quarter based on the general goal set on the company level.
• When setting goals, you choose a goal that is interesting for you and that can lead to achieving necessary results most effectively. You create the metrics based on which your team will be able to measure the progress.
• Achieving the goal is not connected to the bonuses. It means you do not have to minimize your goals to get some payment encouragement. Alternatively, the goal has to be difficult to achieve. However, it will be significant for the company.
• Your OKRs have to inspire the team. You arrange meetups to discuss all goals. If you feel that your tasks are boring for you or that they do not suit your personality, discuss it with the team and share the changes you want to implement.
• The final word is to be simple. Do not complicate your OKRs. Make them clear and easily understandable to all team members.

An important thing is a constant synchronization. The OKRs of all departments have to be accessible to every member of any team. Everyone regularly tracks his key metric and provides this data to the rest of the team.

OKR implementation should be a great experience for both Innovecs’ teams and, we believe, the clients in the upcoming 2020.