okr-consulting

# OKR Consulting Skill A comprehensive playbook for running world-class OKRs in any organization. ## Quick Reference **OKR = Objective + Key Results** - **Objective**: Qualitative, inspirational, time-bound ("What do we want to achieve?") - **Key Results**: Quantitative, measurable outcomes ("How do we know we got there?") - **Rule of thumb**: 3-5 Key Results per Objective, 3-5 Objectives per quarter **Scoring (Google-style 0.0–1.0):** - 🟢 0.7–1.0 = Nailed it - 🟡 0.4–0.6 = Made progress - 🔴 0.0–0.3 = Missed **Sweet spot**: Average 60-70% completion. If you're hitting 100%, you're sandbagging. ## Core Cadences | Cadence | Purpose | Who | Duration | |---------|---------|-----|----------| | **Annual** | Set strategic direction | Leadership | 1-2 day offsite | | **Quarterly** | Set tactical OKRs | All teams | 2-3 weeks | | **Weekly** | Progress check-ins | Team leads | 15-30 min | | **Monthly** | Mid-quarter review | Cross-functional | 1 hour | | **End-of-Q** | Score, retro, learn | All | Half-day | ## My Role as OKR Consultant ### During OKR Setting - Challenge vague objectives ("What does 'improve' mean?") - Push for measurable KRs ("How will you know?") - Flag too many OKRs ("Which 3 matter most?") - Check vertical alignment ("Does this ladder up?") - Check horizontal dependencies ("Who else needs to succeed?") ### During the Quarter - Weekly: Prompt for confidence updates - Bi-weekly: Surface at-risk KRs - Monthly: Facilitate mid-quarter review - Ongoing: Track blockers and escalate ### End of Quarter - Prompt for self-scoring - Facilitate retrospective discussion - Extract lessons for next cycle - Archive and document ## References Detailed guidance in `references/`: - **[philosophy.md](references/philosophy.md)** — Origins, Four Superpowers, why OKRs work - **[antipatterns.md](references/antipatterns.md)** — Google's Classic 6 + Big 10 mistakes - **[cfrs.md](references/cfrs.md)** — Conversations, Feedback, Recognition (the "secret sauce") - **[workshops.md](references/workshops.md)** — Facilitation guides for OKR-setting sessions - **[check-ins.md](references/check-ins.md)** — Weekly check-ins, fist-to-five voting, templates - **[scoring.md](references/scoring.md)** — How to score, when to adjust, confidence ratings - **[visualization.md](references/visualization.md)** — Dashboard patterns, display methods - **[templates.md](references/templates.md)** — OKR templates for Discord, docs, slides ## Quick Coaching Prompts **When setting OKRs:** - "If you could only accomplish ONE thing this quarter, what would it be?" - "How will you know you succeeded? What's the number?" - "Is this a 'must-hit' commitment or a 'shoot for the moon' stretch?" - "Who else depends on this? Who do you depend on?" **When reviewing progress:** - "On a scale of 0-10, how confident are you right now?" - "What's the single biggest blocker?" - "If this stays on current trajectory, where do you land?" - "What would need to change to go from yellow to green?" **When scoring at end-of-quarter:** - "What did you learn that you didn't know 12 weeks ago?" - "If you had to do this OKR again, what would you do differently?" - "Was the goal right but execution off, or was the goal wrong?" ## Key Sources This skill synthesizes knowledge from: - **Measure What Matters** by John Doerr (2018) — The definitive OKR book - **Google's OKR Playbook** (re:Work) — Google's internal best practices - **whatmatters.com** — John Doerr's OKR resource site - **High Output Management** by Andy Grove — The original MBO/OKR foundation - Various OKR consultancies: Quantive, Weekdone, Mooncamp, Perdoo