OKR: Objectives & Key Results.

The OKR methodology is a simple and effective framework for goal and result management. The methodology creates common understanding, interaction and clear focus on the most important tasks that leads to the success of the company's overall goals.

We experienced that Futureworks worked well both individually and collectively. Our employees received reminders about important processes, which lead to a better structure in the workplace with the right mindset to complete tasks.

Alexander Wøyen

Country Manager

What are OKRs?

Objectives & Key Results

Objectives & Key Results (OKR) are a powerful and effective method for goal- and results management that helps companies prioritize the most important tasks in order to achieve their goals.

OKRs are an effective way of converting your company's strategy, vision, mission and values into clear goals. Every organizational activity is linked to the attainment of these goals.

OKRs helps companies stay focused, and makes it easier to prioritize activities that will help the company in the future, both in the short and long term.

Why use OKRs?

Priorities, focus, teamwork.

OKRs are a unique method gets your company to consciously focus on value-creating activities. If you're not careful, it's easy to lose focus! Requests must be dealt with, important deadlines are approaching, and distractions are lining up. We at Futureworks know all about it.

With OKRs you'll clairify your company's long-term goals. These goals are then broken down into short-term sub-goals and value-creating activities.

Not only does this give employees a greater degree of ownership related to your main goals, but it raises awareness which directly contributes to a better corporate culture, increased performance and a higher degree of independence and a sense of responsibility.

By constantly focusing on the most important tasks, your co-workers avoid being dragged into urgent, but not important issues, and questions that "constantly arises" cease to appear. Futureworks ensures ownership of what matters most and through clear focus, your organization will enjoy increased performance, better leadership and improved business management.

How to use OKRs?

What, how, why.

Objectives are the major overarching goals that are meant to define:

What are we going to achieve?

Why is this important to us?

We recommend setting 3-5 Objectives per key area or team. Objectives should be:

Meaningfull

Inspiring

Engaging

Concrete

Objectives set the course for your company. Combined with strategy, vision, mission and values, clear OKRs are one of the most important tools to ensure good leadership and continuous progress.

Key Results should define how your company will reach its goals. What are the most important results that we need to accomplish? Each Objective should consist of 3-5 Key Results.

The Key Results should specify which activities lead to the greatest results.

How many Objectives & Key Results?

3-5 Objectives, 3-5 Key Results.

We recommend 3-5 Objectives per year, then 3-5 Objectives per quarter within each area.

Each Objective should typically have 3-5 Key Results which upon completion will ensure that we reach each our Objectives.

Yearly Objectives do not necessarily need to have Key Results. Yearly Objectives are guidelines for how Quarterly Objectives should be set by the organization every quarter. They provide a strategic direction for what the organization should focus on quarter by quarter.

How often should you set OKRs?

Yearly, quarterly.

Objectives and Key Results should normally be set for the whole year and the upcoming quarter. You may also use OKRs for a project period divided into appropriate time periods.

How often should you follow up on the status and progress of your OKRs?

Weekly, quarterly.

We recommended following up on the status of all OKRs on weekly basis. Here the owner of each OKR gives a short status report on a scale from 1-10 (confidence score) on how sure he / she is that the Key Results / Objectives will be reached in time. A module for this is avaialble in our system.

Futureworks also has a risk analysis feature for each Objective that provides an assessment of probability and consequence. This is an excellent management tool.

At the end of each quarter, the company should analyze the annual OKRs, then check out the last quarter's OKRs. Next it's time to set the upcoming quarter's OKRs, for the company and each department or area.

To make this easy and efficient, we have designed a simple template / agenda for weekly, monthly and quarterly OKR meetings.

We create results for our customers.

Alexander Wøyen

Country Manager

LeadDesk

Lars Skjelbred-Eriksen

Vice President Sales & Marketing

Hatteland Technology

With OKRs we have been able to put into words what we want to achieve, and to set specific short-term and long-term goals.

Soheil Seyedi

CEO

Dreamwork

Futureworks has contributed to a better corporate culture with more openness, and it also highlights new ways we can achieve common goals.

Rune Kilstad

Senior Vice President

Evry

I have worked with Futureworks in three different divisions at Evry, a company with more than 9,000 employees. We created results beyond what we thought possible in all three divisions.

John Doerr

Hear what the master of the OKRs, John Doer, has to say about the benefits of setting the right goals.

"Our leaders, some of our great institutions, are failing us. Why? In some cases it's because they're bad, or unethical. But often they've taken us to the wrong objectives. This is unacceptable. How are we going to correct these wrongs? How are we going to chose the right course? Today I'm going to share with you what really makes a difference. How and why [great teams] set meaningful and audacious goals. The right goals, for the right reasons."

About us

We at Futureworks have a long background in corporate coaching. For over 30 years, we have helped companies in various industries with performance management, performance coaching and OKR.