Business question: Any good reading on implementing OKRs at a *smaller* company?
Business question: Any good reading on implementing OKRs at a smaller company?
Prefer something concise, if possible. Would rather not try to sift through a bloated business book on the topic. 🙂
Josh, I have a OKR component in my software.
Maybe we can have a call and I could suggest some tips?
Hey Josh,
I'm a big fan of baremetrics and excited to see you're interested in OKRs. Although I've never had a large enough team to need Perdoo's OKR tool, their OKR Guide and their Google Sheet Template are fantastic for getting started with OKRs.
I recommend looking at their definitions of objectives, key results, and initiatives and then jumping straight into filling out the sheet with baremetrics OKRs. Our team did this and we get better at honing in on how to effectively set goals each week when we review.
I don't always feel like it's working, but there's no doubt that we get way more stuff that matters done than operating without them.
You probably found this already since it links to the previously shared youtube videos:
https://rework.withgoogle.com/guides/set-goals-with-okrs/steps/introduction/
Not smaller company but is relatively concise.
The book "How Google Works" covers it a little as well but probably not what you are after.
Hope you already have seen Google Ventures Startup Lab | GV partner Rick Klau's youtube video on OKRs and hows it was done at Google since 1999 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJB83EZtAjc
Yeah been writing on this topic a lot (b/c we're releasing a goals feature). Something should publish soon at www.clickup.com/blog
I found “measure what matters” book valuable for this purpose because it includes OKRs from YouTube, U2, Bill Gates’ foundation along with short interviews where founders/managers are sharing stories about their implementation of OKRs.
I started with OKRs in my small company Bybrand https://www.indiehackers.com/product/bybrand .
The experience of Buffer in https://open.buffer.com/okrs-experiment/ helped me. Well, I finalized the Objectives and Key Results on Friday. 😊
I got lucky, January is a great date to start with OKRs.
It seems that the Buffer no longer uses OKRs, I do not know why.
"From founder to CEO" has good tips on pragmatically establish OKR's. Keep it very simple, use a single excel, make OKRs visible and part of your meeting structure.
Then this book also describes the habits needed to meet your OKR's; Make sure you have the discipline to spend time every day on establishing your goals. Preferably a few hours in the morning.