OKRs / Paul R Niven.

Title :

OKRs

Author:

Format:

Books

Summary:

"Your one-stop guide to implement Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) effectively In business, OKRs--that's short for Objectives and Key Results--are the gold standard for communicating and delivering on what you want to accomplish and how you'll get there. OKRs For Dummies provides you with step-by-step guidance for following in the footsteps of some of the world's leading organizations. Drive focus on what matters most, align and engage teams, and generally maximize the benefits OKRs have to offer, thanks to this easy-to-use guide. You'll learn how to roll out an OKR system that closes the gap between strategy and execution, and helps people at every level organize their daily decisions around shared and important goals. It's time to get strategic with OKRs. Business owners, team leaders, C-suite executives, and coaches will love this friendly how-to manual for joining the OKR movement"--Publisher's description.

Language:

English

ISBN - ISSN:

9781394183487

1394183488

Physical Description:

xiii, 314 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

General Note:

Includes index.

"Learning made easy"--Cover.

Contents:

Introduction -- Part 1: Introducing OKRs -- Part 2: Preparing to create OKRs -- Part 3: Creating OKRs -- Part 4: Managing with OKRs -- Part 5: The part of tens -- Index.

Subject:

Achievement motivation.

Series:

First Title value, for Searching:

OKRs / Paul R Niven.

Holds: Copies:

Available:*

Library	Audience	Home Location	Material Type	Shelf Number	Status
Searching... Central	Adult	Non-fiction	New books	658.4012 N734	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

Your one-stop guide to implement Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) effectively

In business, OKRs--that's short for Objectives and Key Results--are the gold standard for communicating and delivering on what you want to accomplish and how you'll get there. OKRs For Dummies provides you with step-by-step guidance for following in the footsteps of some of the world's leading organizations. Drive focus on what matters most, align and engage teams, and generally maximize the benefits OKRs have to offer, thanks to this easy-to-use guide. You'll learn how to roll out an OKR system that closes the gap between strategy and execution, and helps people at every level organize their daily decisions around shared and important goals. It's time to get strategic with OKRs.

Understand the OKR methodology and determine the benefits for your organization Learn how to craft sound OKRs for every level and department of your business Discover best practices and common pitfalls to ensure success when applying OKRs Focus on the three aspects of the OKRs process: Adoption, Engagement, and Alignment

Business owners, team leaders, C-suite executives, and coaches will love this friendly how-to manual for joining the OKR movement.

Author Notes

Paul R. Niven is an author, management consultant, and noted speaker on the subjects of Strategy,; OKRs, and the Balanced Scorecard. Clients include: Anheuser-Busch, T. Rowe Price, Humana, Meta, Adidas, Mercedes-Benz, Dun & Bradstreet, County of San Diego, eBay, Hulu, United States Navy, and more.

Introduction	1
About This Book	2
Foolish Assumptions	3
Icons Used in This Book	3
Beyond the Book	4
Where to Go from Here	4
Part 1 Introducing OKRs	5
Chapter 1 Achieving Goals with OKRs	7
OKRs Are a Goal-Setting System	8
Seeing the Value in Goal Setting	9
Examining the Components of OKRs	11
Defining an "objective"	12
Writing a basic objective	12
Defining a key result	13
Writing key results	13
Comparing OKRs to Other Goal-Setting Systems	15
OKRs versus Smart goals	15
OKRs versus KPIs	16
OKRs versus 4DX	16
OKRs versus BSC	17
Chapter 2 The Benefits of OKRs	19
Overcoming Common Organizational Challenges with OKRs	20
Acknowledging the difficulty of executing strategy	20
Recognizing the challenge of sustaining growth	23
Working with the threat of disruption	25
Understanding How Your People Will Benefit from OKRs	26
Focusing on what matters most	26
Aligning from top to bottom and beyond	27
Increasing engagement	30
Driving accountability with strategic knowledge	32
Rising to the next level through visionary thinking	32
Working within a system that is easy to understand and use	33
Part 2 Preparing to Create OKRs	35
Chapter 3 First Things First: Identify Why You Are Creating OKRs	37
Knowing How Not to Kick Off Your OKRs journey	38
Avoid having your administrative assistant call consultants	39
What to do instead	40
Don't embark on a change effort lightly	40
What to do instead	41
Getting to Your "Why" for Creating OKRs	41
Determining your unique reason for implementing OKRs	42
Knowing your why is crucial	43
Chapter 4 Filling Vital OKRs Roles within the Organization	47
Securing an Executive Sponsor: A Critical Component	48
Understanding Executive Sponsorship and Why It's Important	49
Possessing knowledge of OKRs	50
Defining success and why you believe in OKRs	50
Championing the use of OKRs at the senior leadership level	50
Approving funding for the initiative	50
Determining your OKRs "playbook" with the champion and executive team	51
Serving as a final point of escalation on OKRs issues	51
Seeing sponsorship in action	52
Gaining executive sponsorship	53
Choosing Your OKRs Champion: A Vital Role for OKRs success	55
Understanding the role of an OKRs champion	56
Picking the perfect OKRs champion	59
Grasping why the champion is critical to OKRs success	60
Bringing OKRs Ambassadors On Board	61
Understanding the Role of an OKRs Ambassador	61
Serving as internal OKR expert and evangelist of the system	62
Coaching teams on creating and reviewing OKRs	63
Helping teams distinguish between business-as-usual work and OKRs	63
Acting as a point of contact for all things OKR-related for their area	63
Serving as liaison with other ambassadors and the champion	64
Outlining the Profile of an OKRs Ambassador	64
Maximizing OKRs Success with Ambassadors	66
Chapter 5 Determining Where and When to Create OKRs	67
Determining When to Use OKRs	68
Creating OKRs at the Company Level Only	68
Some benefits to starting at the top level	69
More benefits of starting at the top	69
Now for the disadvantages of top-level OKRs	70
Prerequisites for company-level OKRs	70
Creating OKRs at Both the Company-and Team Levels	71
Deciding which teams and units to include	71
Deciding between following the org chart or linking dependent teams	72
Creating customer-based OKRs	73
Creating Individual OKRs for the Entire Organization	73
Yes, Google does it, but you may not want to	73
More issues with individual OKRs	74
Considering Other Options for Where to Create OKRs	76
Piloting at a business unit or team	76
Using OKRs for projects	79
Using OKRs for support groups	80
Setting the Right Cadence for OKRs	82
Timing company-level OKRs (Hint: Annual works best)	82
Determining whether quarters or trimesters are right for you	85
Setting the OKRs timeline	87
Chapter 6 The Raw Materials of OKRs: Mission, Vision, and Strategy	89
Agreeing on the Definitions of "Mission," "Vision," and "Strategy"	90
Mission: Stating Why Your Business Exists	91
Yes, you need to take the time to create a mission statement	91
Knowing what makes an effective mission statement	93
If you already have a mission statement	95
Vision: Creating Your Picture of the Ideal Future	97
Understanding the ins and outs of vision statements	98
Knowing what makes an effective vision statement	98
Quantified and time bound	99
Brainstorming your vision statement	101
Strategy: Getting Your Priorities Straight	102
Understanding why strategy is critical to OKRs	103
Getting started with strategy	104
Playing 21 Questions	106
Part 3 Creating OKRs	109
Chapter 7 Preparing to Create OKRs	111
Training Your Organization for OKRs Success	112
Grasping why training is critical	112
Preparing for training	116
Getting your training off to a good start	118
Working with the Training Curriculum	120
Starting with a story	121
Giving your participants a history lesson	122
Defining your terms	122
Illustrating an effective OKR with an example	123
Distinguishing between the types of key results	123
Sharing the characteristics of OKRs	124
Learning by doing	124
Finishing strong	128
Knowing whether virtual training is effective	129
Being prepared	130
Determining Your OKRs Philosophy	132
Weighing whether to use business-as-usual activities for OKRs	133
Creating a dashboard of "health of the business" metrics	135
Chapter 8 Rolling Up Your Sleeves, Part 1: Creating Objectives	137
Working with the Various Types of Objectives	138
Looking ahead: Annual objectives	138
Facing the here and now: quarterly or trimester OKRs	141
Dealing with necessary on-the-fly objectives	142
Walking through the Process for Creating Objectives	143
Asking the fundamental objective setting question (based on the cadence)	143
Making a list of possible objectives	145
Sequencing your list	146
Choosing the most important objectives	148
Using your formula	150
Exploring Other Ways to Help You Set Objectives	151
Using rituals	152
Drawing on the wisdom of crowds	153
Considering what's holding you back	154
Incorporating the Characteristics of Effective Objectives	155
Making it qualitative	156
Making it meaningful to you	157
Ensuring that it's doable in the time period	158
Aligning it vertically and horizontally	158
Keeping it easy to read and understand	159
Controlling the necessary resources	160
Providing business value	161
Chapter 9 Rolling Up Your Sleeves, Part 2; Creating Key Results	163
Looking at the Types of Key Results	164
Metric key results	164
Milestone key results	166
Walking through the Process of Creating Key Results	168
Determining your business impact key result by asking the fundamental question	169
Telling the story of success using leading key results	171
Don't look for perfect key results	173
Using the formulas	175
Incorporating the Characteristics of an Effective Key Result	177
Making it quantitative	178
Shooting for stretch - but ensuring that it's attainable	179
Limiting the number of key results	181
Making it specific	184
Ensuring that it's a key result, not a task	186
Fighting the "You can't measure what we do" syndrome	187
Chapter 10 Making Your OKRs Even Stronger	189
Ensuring Alignment among OKRs	190
Using vertical alignment to drive strategy execution	190
Think connecting, not cascading	192
Achieving horizontal alignment by managing dependencies	194
Answering Some FAQs about OKRs that You're Sure to Get	197
What if I can't measure business impact during the quarter?	198
What is the difference between committed and aspirational OKRs?	200
Is it okay to use meeting-based key results?	201
Can OKRs change during the quarter?	203
How do you position your teams for success in creating OKRs?	205
Are there any shortcuts to creating OKRs?	207
Part 4 Managing with OKRs	211
Chapter 11 Holding OKRs Review Meetings	213
Determining Your Meeting Cadence	214
Holding weekly meetings	215
Holding monthly meetings	218
Conducting end-of-period retrospectives	220
Getting the Most from Your OKRs Meetings	223
Scheduling meetings in advance	224
Asking simple questions	226
Keep focusing on learning	227
Managing your expectations	229
Keeping the meeting moving	230
Evaluating the meeting	232
Chapter 12 Scoring and Analyzing OKRs Results	235
Scoring OKRs	236
Understanding What and How to Score	237
Scoring example 1: Maximizing the impact of a national sales conference	237
Interpreting the scores	238
Scoring example 2: Maximizing a rental investment	239
Interpreting the scores	240
Scoring milestone key results	241
Deciphering your OKRs scores	241
Analyzing OKRs results	243
Considering OKRs software versus "old school" methods	244
Choosing the best option for you	246
Knowing What to Look for in Selecting OKRs Software	247
Corporate strategy and strategy execution tools	247
Guidance for team OKRs	248
Integration capabilities	249
Planning and capabilities	250
Reporting capabilities	251
Administration capabilities	251
Other important software capabilities	252
Chapter 13 Making OKRs Stick	253
Laying the Foundation for OKRs Success	254
Viewing OKRs as a journey, not a project to complete	255
Celebrating success	256
Knowing how OKRs fit	257
Providing an expert's credibility for the doubters	260
Knowing how to fast-track your success	260
Supplying ongoing guidance	260
Knowing What to Look for in a Consultant	261
Maximizing Your OKRs Success	262
Providing ongoing training	263
Supplying resources and support	264
Continuously evaluating and refining	266
Using the system	268
Part 5 The Part of Tens	271
Chapter 14 Ten Common Questions about OKRs	273
Do OKRs Link to Performance Reviews?	274
Should You Link OKRs to Incentive Compensation?	274
.How Many OKRs Should You Have?	276
How Do You Overcome Resistance to OKRs?	277
What's in It For Me? Why Should I Care about OKRs?	277
Where Can I Find a Library of Potential OKRs for My Business?	278
What Do We Do When We Can't Control the Key Results?	279
How Do You Balance Stretch OKRs with a High-Achievement Culture?	280
How Do You Know Whether OKRs Are Right for Your Organization?	281
Can Business-as-Usual (BAU) Activities Serve As OKRs?	282
Chapter 15 Ten "Musts" to Ensure OKRs Success	283
Know Why You're Implementing OKRs	284
Have an Executive Sponsor, Champion, and Ambassadors in Place	284
Provide Training (and Lots of it) to Those Who Will Be Creating OKRs	285
Create an OKRs Playbook	286
Don't Go Too Far Too Fast	287
Ensure Consistency in How Your Teams Write OKRs	288
Don't Set Them and Forget Them	289
Go Beyond the Numbers to Learn from OKRs	290
Learn and Evolve over Time	291
Get Professional Help If You Need It	291
Chapter 16 Ten Tips for Creating Effective OKRs	293
Know the Organization's Strategy	293
Learn How to Write a Technically Sound OKR	294
Make Objectives a CRAFT Project	295
Be Specific	296
Always Tell the Story of Success with Key Results	296
Don't Look for Perfect Key Results	297
Balance the Equation	298
Align Vertically and Horizontally	299
Make It a Collaborative Effort	300
Focus on What Really Matters	301
Index	303

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Summary

Summary

Author Notes

Table of Contents