OKRs: So simple! So then why isn’t everyone using them?

Our latest article about has been published on the Mind the Product website, but here's a quick snippet:

Many of us are familiar with the history of Objectives and Key Results (OKRs). When I first came across the methodology in 2013, I was wowed by stories of organisational alignment and focus from the likes of Google, Twitter and LinkedIn. I rushed out to buy John Doerr’s back catalogue.

After 7 years of implementing OKRs both from within and outside organisations, I have learned that they are not the silver bullet that I once thought they were. However, like most methodologies, there are some underlying principles which if implemented well can fundamentally shift organisational mindset and conversation.

Benefits of OKRs

1. Aligning teams and providing clarity‍
2. Focusing on value driven outcomes
3. Encouraging an experimental mindset
4. Transparency and purpose‍

Common OKR problems

1. OKRs sound simple but are deceptively hard to get right!
2. By the time OKRs are ready to cascade it’s the end of the quarter!
3. It’s difficult to get alignment right
4. The realisation that everything has to change!
5. The Exec team ask “what about my pet project?”
6. Not making OKRs transparent, with easily trackable progress, and learnable outcomes

Read the full article on the Mind The Product website

Or if you'd like to know more about our OKR software...