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Okrs

#+CATEGORY: Talk #+LINK: https://www.mindtheproduct.com/how-to-write-okrs-that-dont-suck-by-adrian-howard/

• Can introduce a lot of flailing around

• Nothing happens as a result of OKRs

• They're not magic.

• Red flags:

  • OKR all the things; all metrics become an OKR
  • OKR doesn't give direction (eg. increasing revenue vs going to a new market)
  • Quant objectives (something you'd like to happen)
    • Make them Key Results instead
  • Output based Key Results
    • No ability to steer or make decisions
    • Except when the output is the point
  • Top down OKRs
  • Individual OKRs
    • Will either miss it and do better work for team level
    • Or do it and miss the top level objective
    • Fine for personal development
  • Changes every quarter
  • Nobody actually uses the OKRs
    • Should be used on a daily basis
  • Goodhart's law (measure becomes the target)
  • Tools first

• OKRs are for strategy deployment

  • Escaping the build trap
  • Right level of goals and objectives to actually act
  • The teams have to set the Key Results:
    • align rather than cascade
  • Retrospect on the OKRs
  • Run pre-mortems
    • Explore different alternatives
  • Whiteboards & Spreadsheets first
  • OKRS are strategy deployment
    • Lead the organization to things that the org wants to do

— Kunal