Should everyone use OKR?

In the world of product development ,OKR It has almost become a conventional method of product organization , But are they suitable for everyone ？

Personally, I am OKR Fans of , But in recent months , Look at the same problem from different angles , There is OKR Is there always a question of value .

But before answering this question , Let's see first OKR, Because principles and concepts are often blurred .

Catalog
1 OKR It's easy ？
2 How can I do well OKR？
2.1 #1 – Goals should inspire us
2.2 #2 – The goal should be to focus on one issue
2.3 #3 – Key results （KR） Must be measurable
2.4 #4 – ambitious
2.5 #5 – Quantity is not equal to quality
2.6 #6 – OKR Not stagnant
2.7 #7 – OKR It's not a promise
3 Back to the main topic ： Everyone should use OKR Do you ？
4 To make a long story short
OKR It's easy ？
I admit that , At first glance , Goals and key results （OKRs） It seems really straightforward , Very direct .

At the top , We have a goal , It focuses on what we want to achieve .

then , In the second floor , We have key results , This is the measurable result we will strive to achieve , Bring us closer to our goal .

The third layer is about the initiatives or work segments we will strive to achieve these results .

Everyone should use OKR Do you ？
But then comes the following “ Challenge ”：

“ I won't do any work with customer value this quarter , Because we are building .”
It's hard to understand the difference between goals and key results .
Did not make KR Become measurable .
Misconception OKRs Is a commitment to deliverables or deliverables .
Define what seems achievable OKR, Instead of setting a higher goal , To inspire us to strive for more , Instead of just being satisfied with this .
The goal is too broad , So that it can't provide a focus .
Too many OKRs…
I can go on , But these are the main problems I've seen .

How can I do well OKR？
There are a lot about how to do well on the Internet OKR The literature of , There are also suggestions on what is the wrong approach .

I found that the best way is to read all these documents , And learn through trial and error .

If it helps , Here are some basic principles I use ：

#1 – Goals should inspire us
If a goal doesn't inspire me , Then I'm pretty sure I won't have the motivation to do anything incredible .
instead of .” Improve customer access .”
Things like this .” Improve the onboarding experience , To retain more valuable customers .”

#2 – The goal should be to focus on one issue
If you look at the second 1 Two examples in the article , You will find that the second example focuses on the problem of induction and reducing the loss of customers that will bring value .

#3 – Key results （KR） Must be measurable
If you're still building something , And there will be no direct customer contact before further development , So there is no measurable value , So you have two potential options ：

Or you'll improve your efficiency 、 Speed 、 Quality, etc , These should be your temporary indicators .
However , If you can't find a way to measure it at this time …… It just doesn't make sense to be a KR. therefore , Don't try to justify adding it .
If one OKR It can be realized based on considering the existing constraints , Then you're just not ambitious enough .

What is achievable ？ Now take out this number , Add... On top 20%. Now you have an ambitious OKR.

If at the end of the quarter , You can achieve 100% Of OKR, Then you need to be more ambitious next time .

Realization 70%-80% Considered a victory . Anything higher than expected is higher than expected . This is it. OKRs How it works .

#4 – ambitious
If OKR Is based on achievable goals that take into account existing constraints , Then your ambition is not big enough .
What is achievable ？ Now take this number and add... At the top 20%. Now you have an ambitious plan OKR.
If you can achieve 100% Of OKR, Then you need to be more ambitious next time .
achieve 70%-80% Considered a victory . Any of the above has exceeded expectations . This is it. OKR How it works .
#5 – Quantity is not equal to quality
added OKRs、KRs Or execution does not translate into more value .

Too many goals are unrealistic , It will affect morale , And create a feeling that you can never accomplish . Both teams and customers need to feel incremental achievements .

We want to build solutions that can scale and stand the test of time . This will be for our customers （B2C and C2C） Provide the best experience .

Be ambitious , But don't be completely unrealistic .

#6 – OKR Not stagnant
Research findings or experimental learning will improve our understanding of needs or problems .OKRs Should be updated in due course .

We should not change because of fear OKRs, They should be changed when the scope changes or something is abandoned .

Even if it's not finished OKR, It can also provide us with learning opportunities , For future reference .

#7 – OKR It's not a promise
Although we feel like we are committing to a deliverable or achieving a result , But it's not OKRs The content of .

They are not a substitute for the roadmap you will deliver or build .

They will help you stay focused on the meaning of construction , To try to achieve these results , But the real move is another job .

The result is based on what you assume you can achieve , And on this basis, add a little ambition . At best, this is a computational guess based on assumptions and historical knowledge .

With the accumulation of experience , You will become better at making these guesses , But at any time , You may be surprised either negatively or positively .

If you're never surprised or always hit the nail on the head , I suggest asking yourself , Did you stick to the first 4 Article principle ？

Back to the main topic ： Everyone should use OKR Do you ？
Before we solve this problem , I need to elaborate on , The reason is to easily explain ,OKR Not suitable for every organization or environment .

Sometimes , The timing is not right , add to OKR It will only increase chaos or chaos . for example , If you have implemented various frameworks , Such as KPIs、Norths Stars、 Planning, etc .

When going through a big change or rough period , Temporarily Closed OKR A quarter or two is OK .

Using different frameworks is also allowed , It's like OKR Match with the existing framework .

To make a long story short
At the end of the day ,OKR May not be the best way for you or your organization , You shouldn't feel obligated to use them , Just because all other product organizations seem to be using them .

In most cases I've seen , They are misused , Therefore, they are considered to be effective , Entirely for other reasons , So don't believe all the hype .

Don't be afraid to experiment . I'm in top-down and bottom-up OKR Good results are seen in the definition . I've seen the opposite .

At testing time , Always remember OKR Principles and objectives , If you're off track , You have to admit it , Otherwise you will do harm to the process .

Everyone should use OKR Do you ？
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