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Objectives and Key Results

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Objectives and Key Results

The Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) capability supports creating objectives that are measured by key results. Each capability within the Planview Capability Framework has a distinct set of features and functionality, business processes, best practices, and analytics and reports that deliver value to customers in the form of specific business outcomes.

Enablers and Business Value

Definition

OKRs are an outcome-driven framework adopted by organizations who want to define key organizational goals and track progress toward achieving them.

OKRs can be created at varying levels, such as enterprise, portfolio, program, and team.

Business Value

We can create objectives at varying levels such as portfolio and program.

Business Value

We can define and measure the key results that show achievement of the objectives.

Business Value

We can track the activity history for the key result progress changes for auditability.

Business Value

We can align work activities with key results by connecting the relevant cards and work.

Best Practices

Align OKRs to business strategy

Connecting and aligning goals at every level of the organization is one of key benefits of the OKRs framework – everyone wins when they understand how their work fits into the big picture strategy of the organization. Using an objective hierarchy – where enterprise or corporate strategy-level objectives are defined, then teams define their objectives to align to the strategy-level or levels in between – allows organizations to have bidirectional goal alignment.

Use informal language for objectives

The purpose of objectives in the OKR structure is to challenge companies to reach toward lofty, intimidating goals. Many organizations choose to use simple and informal language to write their objectives – this is intentional. To be effective, objectives must be easy to communicate and easy to understand.

Define your objectives properly

Objectives are simply defined by what is to be achieved, and should be ambitious (big-picture, aspirational), qualitative (able to be defined verbally in concrete terms), actionable (able to be implemented in current conditions), and time-bound (a timeline should be defined in the objective itself). Look at examples of OKRs from other organizations to get a better understanding of how to define OKRs.

Define specific and measurable key results

Key results make your objective actionable and determine how progress toward your objective will be measured. Key results give team members a clear-cut way of knowing whether they’re making progress, and provide leadership a subjective way of assessing performance. Key results should be measurable, specific, time-bound, and verifiable. Look at examples of OKRs from other organizations to get a better understanding of how to define key results.

Track early versus lagging indicators

Ensure the metrics you measure for key results can be collected and analyzed during the time period specified for the OKR. Many business metrics – such as revenue – are lagging indicators, and not timely or accurate enough to determine the impact of one specific change.

Reevaluate OKRs if progress slows

It can be helpful to look for patterns in OKR scoring to gauge whether your OKRs are sufficiently “sized” for your organization or team. Similarly, if your organization is struggling to make meaningful progress on most of its goals, then you might need to adjust the size or quantity of your OKRs moving forward to make them more achievable.

Create shared OKRs

Create shared OKRs if your OKRs overlap with another team’s goals.

Processes and Reports

conceptual image_okrs.jpg

OKRs are an outcome-driven framework adopted by organizations who want to define key organizational goals and track progress toward achieving them. Defining OKRs creates organizational clarity by enabling organizations to answer the questions “Where do we want to go?” (objectives) and “How will we measure our efforts to get there?” (key results). OKRs can be created at different levels of an organizational structure – such as enterprise, portfolio, program, or team – and are connected using parent/child relationships. Linking organizational and team goals in a hierarchical way aligns work delivery to company strategy, and provides a single line of sight into value delivered by the organization.

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OKRs in AdaptiveWork Process Steps           

           

AP OKRs Process Flow.png


OKRs in AdaptiveWork process flow

           

Process Step Description
Create the project (team)     Create the project (or)
Create the program Create the program (or)
Create the portfolio Create the portfolio.
Add and define related objectives  From the project, program, or portfolio, add a related objective. Existing objectives may be reused, or a new objective may be created.

For more information:
Create and define the related targets

From the objective, add a related target. Existing targets may be reused, but more commonly a new target will need to be created.

Once the target is saved, define the target attributes and other information. Common fields to track are description, unit, unit type, unit scale, initial value, initial date, target value, target date.
Create and define the contributions    
 

From the target, portfolio, or work item, add a related contribution. 

Once the contribution is saved, add planned dates, values, and attributes. The unit field will always be inherited from the target that it is linked to.

The planned and actual value fields of all contributions linked to the same target will roll up to the direct planned and actual contribution values of that target respectively.
Add actual value and dates Keep planned value, date, actual value, and date fields up-to-date.

           

           

OKRs in AgilePlace Process Steps

           

AP OKRs Process Flow.png


OKRs in AgilePlace process flow

           

Process Step Description
Create and define objectives

Create and define an objective. Objectives should be ambitious, defined concretely, and possible to implement in current conditions and timebox.

OKR levels allow you to create a hierarchy for the objectives across your organization. Utilizing multi-leveled OKRs allows you to connect and track these objectives bidirectionally.

For more information:
Align with parent and child objectives

Connect the objective to relevant parent and child objectives across boards in AgilePlace and the strategic hierarchy in Planview Portfolios. These connections create goal alignment throughout your organization.

  • The Strategy scope type is used to connect to objectives found in Portfolios.
  • The Board scope type is used to connect to objectives found in AgilePlace.
Define current and target metrics (key results) for objectives

Define key results for objectives. Key results should be clearly defined, measurable, and easily verifiable within a realistic timeline.
Align key results with activities (cards)

Connect cards on boards to key results by adding or connecting activities to key results. Your OKR board will update to show the connected cards contributing to key result progress.
Monitor progress through key results

Board owners should periodically review and update the current state of key results to see whether they are making progress toward the objective.This updates the progress percentage complete for both the key result and the objective. The objective's progress is calculated as an average of the connected key results' progress.

           

TIP

  • Track progress towards OKRs using early indicators, such as website traffic, app usage, and in-app feedback.
  • Use direct customer feedback through social media engagement, focus groups, and other channels to assess the progress of any given initiative.
  • Objectives can be long-lived (one year or longer), while key results evolve as the work progresses.

           
Adjust strategic plan as necessary As progress toward key results is made, periodically review the overall strategic plan to ensure that focus remains on the right initiatives and activities.

           

           

OKRs in Planview Portfolios Process Steps

           

NOTE

Customers will need to onboard to Planview Admin to get access to OKRs in Portfolios.

           

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PF OKRs Process Flow.png


OKRs in Planview Portfolios process flow

           

Process Step Description
Create and define objectives

When creating an objective, identify an owner for the objective and supporting information such as start or end dates and tasks. Objectives should be ambitious, definable in concrete terms, and possible to implement in current conditions and timebox.

Utilizing multi-leveled OKRs allows you to connect goals bidirectionally across your organization. The strategic hierarchy allows you to track OKRs at all levels.

For more information:
Align with relevant parent and child objectives

Connect objectives using parent-child relationships across your strategic hierarchy and AgilePlace boards. These connections create goal alignment throughout your organization.

  • The Strategy scope type is used to connect to objectives found in Portfolios.
  • The Board scope type is used to connect to objectives found in AgilePlace.
Create and define current and target metrics (key results) for objectives 

Define key results for objectives. Key results should be quantitative, time-bound, and easily verifiable. 
Align key results with activities (work)

Connect work items to key results.  Your OKR board will update to show the work items contributing to key result progress.
Monitor progress through key results 

Monitor OKR health and periodically review and update the current state of key results to see whether they are making progress toward the objective. This updates the progress percentage complete for both the key result and the objective. The objective's progress is calculated as an average of the connected key results' progress.

           

TIP

  • Track progress towards OKRs using early indicators, such as website traffic, app usage, and in-app feedback.
  • Use direct customer feedback through social media engagement, focus groups, and other channels to assess the progress of any given initiative.
  • Objectives can be long-lived (one year or longer), while key results evolve as the work progresses.

           
Adjust OKRs as necessary  As progress toward key results is made, periodically review the overall strategic plan to ensure that focus remains on the right initiatives and activities.

           

Related Capabilities

Supported Solutions

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