The complete OKR setting checklist

Preparation

{This section of the document helps make sure you and your employees are fully prepared to adopt the OKR framework}

Key terminologies to know

• OKR stands for Objectives and Key Results, a goal management framework that helps companies define their goals and measure the outcome.
• The objectives in the framework are the qualitative descriptions of what you want to achieve. 
• The key results are the metrics used to measure your progress towards your objectives. A good KR should be specific, time-bound, quantitative, and verifiable. 
• The score is the scale between 0 and 1 that shows whether an employee missed or hit the target for the KR.

Understand OKRs

• Introduce with the team and  explain the following concepts to them: The history of OKR, Setting OKRs, OKRs grading system 
• Let them understand the importance of OKR to your team and the organization
• Set up an OKR setting session with the team

Brainstorming

Identify your objectives

Brainstorming

• Organize a brainstorming session with your team members
• Pose the question “What are the most important things we want to achieve in the next month/quarter/year?”
• Ask your team members to come up with their answers within a stipulated time (e.g. 1 hour)
• Remind them not to set overly ambitious objectives. Objectives should be simple and straightforward

Choose your objectives 

• Ask your team members to submit their ideas
• Ask team members why they think each objective matters

Choose your key results

Brainstorming

• Organize another brainstorming session with your team members
• Pose the question “What results (not outputs of effort) do you want to see (and can measure) if you reach the objective?”
• Ask your team members to come up with their KRs for the chosen objectives within a stipulated time (e.g. 2 hours)

Selecting your key results

• Have team members submit their KRs

{To decide the key results, ask your team members the following questions}

• Is the KR a perfect fit for the objective
• Can it help achieve the selected objective?
• Has a specific metric being chosen to measure your KR? (Example: When choosing a KR, “We want to sell X number of products by the end of a quarter” is wrong. Instead, it should be “We want to increase product A sale by 30% this quarter”)
• Has an owner been assigned to the KR?

{To choose the ideal objectives, managers can ask the following questions}

• Is the objective realistic?
• Is the objective tied to larger company goals?
• Why is this objective important? 
• What are the resources or limitations involved in accomplishing it?
• Is the objective measurable? (Example: Increase the number of company branches by 20%)
• When is the final deadline for achieving this objective?
• Using a scale, prioritize the objectives based on the order of importance
• Choose the 3-4 most relevant objectives 

• Preparation checklist to help team members understand OKRs basics before setting them.
• Step-by-step brainstorming checklist including: identify objectives, choose key results, then evaluate them.
• Action checklist to put your OKRs into practice and tracking their success.

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  Print out for easier handling and communication with your team.