OKR-Part-II
Objective Key Responsibilities
Align and Connect
“Some significant percent
of people are working on
wrong things. The
challenge is which ones.” -
Aron Levie- CEO, Box
The Same Page
- According to Harvard Business Review, companies with highly aligned
employees are more than twice as likely to be top performers.
- Unfortunately. Alignment is rare.
Example Top-Down: The
Sand Hill Unicorns
Fantasy Football
General Manager
Objective: Make $ for owner
Key Results:
1. Win Super Bowl.
2. Fill home stands to 90%+.
Head Coach
Objective: Win Super Bowl.
Key Results:
1. Passing attack amasses 300+
yards per game.
2. Defense allows fewer than 17
points per game.
3. Special teams unit ranks in top
3 in punt return coverage.
Offensive Coach
Objective: Generate 300-yards per
game passing attack.
Key Results:
1. Achieve 65% pass completion
rate.
2. Cut interceptions to fewer than
1 per game.
3. Hire new quarterback coach.
Defensive Coach
Objective: Give up fewer than 17
points a game
Key Results:
1. Allow fewer than 300 rushing
yards per game.
2. Increase number of sacks to 3+
per game.
3. Develop a Pro Bowl cornerback.
Special Team Coach
Objective: Improve to top 3 ranking
for punt coverage team.
Key Results:
1. Allow fewer than 10 yards per
punt return
2. Back 4+ punt over the season.
General Manager
Objective: Make $ for owner
Key Results:
1. Win Super Bowl.
2. Fill home stands to 90%+.
SVP of Marketing
Objective: Fill home stands to 90%
capacity.
Key Results:
1. Upgrade team branding.
2. Improve media coverage.
3. Revitalize in-stadium
promotion program.
Marketing Director
Objective: Upgrade team branding.
Key Results:
1. Target two colorful players to
new marketing campaign.
2. Create a more compelling team
slogan.
Merchandise Manager
Objective: Revitalize our in-stadium
promotion program.
Key Results:
1. Contact 10 souvenir companies.
2. Price out 5 options.
3. Present 3 ideas for stadium
giveaways by august 1.
Publicist
Objective: Improve media coverage.
Key Results:
1. Arrange for players to attend
two charity events per season.
2. Invite 20 sports reporters to
meet and greet.
3. Share photos of events on
social media.
General Manager
Objective: Make $ for owner.
Key Results:
1. Win Super Bowl.
2. Fill home stands to 90%+.
Adverse effect of Top-Down Approach
- A loss of agility.
- A lack of flexibility.
- Marginalized contributors.
- One dimensional linkage.
Solution: Bottom Up!
- Objective from CTO → Individual rather than CTO → Team → Lead →
Individual.
- The higher the goals, higher the performance.
- Cross-functional Coordination
Track for Accountability
In God we trust; all
others must bring data. -
W. Edwards Deming
Setup
- Make everyone’s goal more visible
- Drive engagement.
- Promote internal networking.
- Save time, money and frustration.
Midlife Tracking
- OKRs are adaptable by nature. They’re meant to be guardrails, not chains or
blinders.
- As we track and audit our OKRs, we have four options at any point in the
cycle:
- Continue: If a green zone (“on track”) goal isn’t broken, don’t fix it.
- Update: Modify yellow zone (“needs attention”) key result or objective to respond to changes
in the workflow or external environment.
- Start: Launch a new OKR mid-cycle, whenever the need arises.
- Stop: When a red zone (“at risk”) goal has outlived its usefulness, the best solution may be to
drop it.
Wrap-up: Rinse and Repeat
- Objective Scoring
- Self-assessment
- Reflection
Scoring: 0 to 1
- 0.7 to 1.0 = green. (We delivered.)
- 0.4 to 0.6 = yellow. (We made progress, but fell short of completion.)
- 0.0 to 0.3 = red. (We failed to make real progress.)
Self Assessment
OKR Progress Score Self-assessment
Bring in ten
customers
70% 0.9 Due to a slump in
the market. The
OKR was significant
tougher to achieve
I’d thought. Our
seven new
customers
represented an
exceptionally good
effort.
Self Assessment
OKR Progress Score Self-assessment
Bring in ten
customers
100% 0.7 When I reached the
objective only eight
weeks into the
quarter. I realized I’d
set the ORK too low.
Self Assessment
OKR Progress Score Self-assessment
Bring in ten
customers
80% 0.6 While I signed eight
new customers. It
was more luck than
hard work. One
customer brought in
five others behind
her.
Self Assessment
OKR Progress Score Self-assessment
Bring in ten
customers
90% 0.5 Though I managed
to land nine new
customers. I
discovered that
seven would bring in
little revenue.
Reflection
- Did I accomplish all of my objectives? If so, what contributed to my success?
- If not, what obstacles did I encounter?
- If I were to rewrite a goal achieved in full, what would I change?
- What have I learned that might alter my approach to the next cycle’s OKRs?
Stretch and Amazing
If companies “don’t
continue to innovate,
they’re going to die - and
I didn’t say iterate, I say
innovate.” - Bill Campbell
BHAG BIG Hairy Audacious Goals
Two OKR Basket
Committed Goals
- Product Release
- Bookings
- Hiring
- Customers
Aspirational Goals
- Bigger picture
- Higher risk
- Future-titling ideas
Our Need to Stretch
Stretch: The Google Chrome
Story
Rethinking the Browser
Objective: develop the next generation client platform for web application.
The main key-result: “Chrome reaches 20 million seven-day active users by
year’s end”.
FallBack:
- The Mac version fell way behind schedule.
- Only Windows users would count towards the 20 million.
Digging Deeper
- In 2008, Larry and Sergey wrote beautiful OKR that truly captured people’s
attention:
- Objective: “We should make the web as fast as flipping through a magazine.”
- Sub-OKR: “Turbocharge Javascript” - By Pitchai
- Result: Project “V8”
- Always looking for the moonshot.
Try-Fail, Try-Succeed
- In 2009, We set another stretch OKR for Chrome - 50 million seven-day
active users- and failed again, ending the year at 38 million.
- For 2010, undeterred, I proposed a target of 100 million users. Larry believed
we should be pushing even harder. 111 million of users.
- End of Q3, our total user had serged from 87 million to 107 million, and
shortly after we reached 111 million.
Stretch: The YouTube Story
In a world where
computing power is
nearly limitless, “The true
scarce commodity is
increasingly human
attention.” - Satya N.
A better metric
- YouTube had figured out how to make money, but they still weren’t sure how
to grow viewership.
- Most satisfied viewership (watch time) begets more advertising. Which
incentivized more content creators, which draws more viewership.
A Big Round Number
- In Nov 2012, We took objective of “A billion hours of watch time per day by
2016”
- Objective: Reach 1 billion hours of watch time per day [by 2016], with growth
driven by:
- Key Results:
- Search team + Main App (+XX%), Living Room (+XX%).
- Grow kids’ engagement and gaming watch time (X watch hours per day).
- Launch YouTube VR experience and grow VR catalog from X to Y videos.
Getting Up to Speed
- Policy to stop recommending trashy, tabloid-style videos - like “World’s
Worst Parent”.
- By Feb 2014, YouTube was nearly a third of the way through the four-year,
mega-stretch OKR.
- The billion-hour OKR was a religion at YouTube, to the execution of nearly all
else.
- We wanted new users and so did our advertisers.
- By early october, daily watch time were growing well beyond our target rate.
And then one glorious Monday that fall, I checked again - and saw that we’d
hit achieved the stretch OKR many thought impossible, ahead of schedule.

OKR part-II

  • 1.
  • 2.
  • 3.
    “Some significant percent ofpeople are working on wrong things. The challenge is which ones.” - Aron Levie- CEO, Box
  • 4.
    The Same Page -According to Harvard Business Review, companies with highly aligned employees are more than twice as likely to be top performers. - Unfortunately. Alignment is rare.
  • 5.
    Example Top-Down: The SandHill Unicorns Fantasy Football
  • 6.
    General Manager Objective: Make$ for owner Key Results: 1. Win Super Bowl. 2. Fill home stands to 90%+.
  • 7.
    Head Coach Objective: WinSuper Bowl. Key Results: 1. Passing attack amasses 300+ yards per game. 2. Defense allows fewer than 17 points per game. 3. Special teams unit ranks in top 3 in punt return coverage. Offensive Coach Objective: Generate 300-yards per game passing attack. Key Results: 1. Achieve 65% pass completion rate. 2. Cut interceptions to fewer than 1 per game. 3. Hire new quarterback coach. Defensive Coach Objective: Give up fewer than 17 points a game Key Results: 1. Allow fewer than 300 rushing yards per game. 2. Increase number of sacks to 3+ per game. 3. Develop a Pro Bowl cornerback. Special Team Coach Objective: Improve to top 3 ranking for punt coverage team. Key Results: 1. Allow fewer than 10 yards per punt return 2. Back 4+ punt over the season. General Manager Objective: Make $ for owner Key Results: 1. Win Super Bowl. 2. Fill home stands to 90%+.
  • 8.
    SVP of Marketing Objective:Fill home stands to 90% capacity. Key Results: 1. Upgrade team branding. 2. Improve media coverage. 3. Revitalize in-stadium promotion program. Marketing Director Objective: Upgrade team branding. Key Results: 1. Target two colorful players to new marketing campaign. 2. Create a more compelling team slogan. Merchandise Manager Objective: Revitalize our in-stadium promotion program. Key Results: 1. Contact 10 souvenir companies. 2. Price out 5 options. 3. Present 3 ideas for stadium giveaways by august 1. Publicist Objective: Improve media coverage. Key Results: 1. Arrange for players to attend two charity events per season. 2. Invite 20 sports reporters to meet and greet. 3. Share photos of events on social media. General Manager Objective: Make $ for owner. Key Results: 1. Win Super Bowl. 2. Fill home stands to 90%+.
  • 9.
    Adverse effect ofTop-Down Approach - A loss of agility. - A lack of flexibility. - Marginalized contributors. - One dimensional linkage.
  • 10.
    Solution: Bottom Up! -Objective from CTO → Individual rather than CTO → Team → Lead → Individual. - The higher the goals, higher the performance. - Cross-functional Coordination
  • 11.
  • 12.
    In God wetrust; all others must bring data. - W. Edwards Deming
  • 13.
    Setup - Make everyone’sgoal more visible - Drive engagement. - Promote internal networking. - Save time, money and frustration.
  • 14.
    Midlife Tracking - OKRsare adaptable by nature. They’re meant to be guardrails, not chains or blinders. - As we track and audit our OKRs, we have four options at any point in the cycle: - Continue: If a green zone (“on track”) goal isn’t broken, don’t fix it. - Update: Modify yellow zone (“needs attention”) key result or objective to respond to changes in the workflow or external environment. - Start: Launch a new OKR mid-cycle, whenever the need arises. - Stop: When a red zone (“at risk”) goal has outlived its usefulness, the best solution may be to drop it.
  • 15.
    Wrap-up: Rinse andRepeat - Objective Scoring - Self-assessment - Reflection
  • 16.
    Scoring: 0 to1 - 0.7 to 1.0 = green. (We delivered.) - 0.4 to 0.6 = yellow. (We made progress, but fell short of completion.) - 0.0 to 0.3 = red. (We failed to make real progress.)
  • 17.
    Self Assessment OKR ProgressScore Self-assessment Bring in ten customers 70% 0.9 Due to a slump in the market. The OKR was significant tougher to achieve I’d thought. Our seven new customers represented an exceptionally good effort.
  • 18.
    Self Assessment OKR ProgressScore Self-assessment Bring in ten customers 100% 0.7 When I reached the objective only eight weeks into the quarter. I realized I’d set the ORK too low.
  • 19.
    Self Assessment OKR ProgressScore Self-assessment Bring in ten customers 80% 0.6 While I signed eight new customers. It was more luck than hard work. One customer brought in five others behind her.
  • 20.
    Self Assessment OKR ProgressScore Self-assessment Bring in ten customers 90% 0.5 Though I managed to land nine new customers. I discovered that seven would bring in little revenue.
  • 21.
    Reflection - Did Iaccomplish all of my objectives? If so, what contributed to my success? - If not, what obstacles did I encounter? - If I were to rewrite a goal achieved in full, what would I change? - What have I learned that might alter my approach to the next cycle’s OKRs?
  • 22.
  • 23.
    If companies “don’t continueto innovate, they’re going to die - and I didn’t say iterate, I say innovate.” - Bill Campbell
  • 24.
    BHAG BIG HairyAudacious Goals
  • 25.
    Two OKR Basket CommittedGoals - Product Release - Bookings - Hiring - Customers Aspirational Goals - Bigger picture - Higher risk - Future-titling ideas
  • 26.
    Our Need toStretch
  • 27.
    Stretch: The GoogleChrome Story
  • 28.
    Rethinking the Browser Objective:develop the next generation client platform for web application. The main key-result: “Chrome reaches 20 million seven-day active users by year’s end”. FallBack: - The Mac version fell way behind schedule. - Only Windows users would count towards the 20 million.
  • 29.
    Digging Deeper - In2008, Larry and Sergey wrote beautiful OKR that truly captured people’s attention: - Objective: “We should make the web as fast as flipping through a magazine.” - Sub-OKR: “Turbocharge Javascript” - By Pitchai - Result: Project “V8” - Always looking for the moonshot.
  • 30.
    Try-Fail, Try-Succeed - In2009, We set another stretch OKR for Chrome - 50 million seven-day active users- and failed again, ending the year at 38 million. - For 2010, undeterred, I proposed a target of 100 million users. Larry believed we should be pushing even harder. 111 million of users. - End of Q3, our total user had serged from 87 million to 107 million, and shortly after we reached 111 million.
  • 31.
  • 32.
    In a worldwhere computing power is nearly limitless, “The true scarce commodity is increasingly human attention.” - Satya N.
  • 33.
    A better metric -YouTube had figured out how to make money, but they still weren’t sure how to grow viewership. - Most satisfied viewership (watch time) begets more advertising. Which incentivized more content creators, which draws more viewership.
  • 34.
    A Big RoundNumber - In Nov 2012, We took objective of “A billion hours of watch time per day by 2016” - Objective: Reach 1 billion hours of watch time per day [by 2016], with growth driven by: - Key Results: - Search team + Main App (+XX%), Living Room (+XX%). - Grow kids’ engagement and gaming watch time (X watch hours per day). - Launch YouTube VR experience and grow VR catalog from X to Y videos.
  • 35.
    Getting Up toSpeed - Policy to stop recommending trashy, tabloid-style videos - like “World’s Worst Parent”. - By Feb 2014, YouTube was nearly a third of the way through the four-year, mega-stretch OKR. - The billion-hour OKR was a religion at YouTube, to the execution of nearly all else. - We wanted new users and so did our advertisers. - By early october, daily watch time were growing well beyond our target rate. And then one glorious Monday that fall, I checked again - and saw that we’d hit achieved the stretch OKR many thought impossible, ahead of schedule.