A friend asked for tips on setting up OKRs. I gave him five pointers on what not to do:
OKRs work differently in a creative business than in a SaaS company. Teams used to objectives and metrics can go deeper than those who aren’t. Adjust expectations based on your team's culture.
OKRs should guide daily execution, not just high-level thinking. If they’re too broad, your team will lose interest. Use a separate framework for strategy and let it shape your OKRs. Keep OKRs actionable and short-term.
If the process is too complex, momentum will stall. Scope OKRs based on your culture, keep them tied to daily work, and focus on small wins first.
Setting objectives is easy. Defining key results is hard. The more actionable the OKRs, the more your team needs guidance. Be involved and help them succeed.
OKRs should integrate into existing routines. Otherwise, they’ll be forgotten. Tie them to your strategy reviews, team meetings, or tools like 15Five for status updates.
These were the key points I shared.
What did I miss?