Using OKR for Project Management: Do’s and Don’ts

Temps de lecture : 7 minutes

Project management can be complex, with so many individual tasks and deadlines to track, resources to move around, and last-minute changes to juggle. If you want everything to go smoothly (as we all do!), you need to find a way to keep your team aligned and everyone working towards a shared outcome.

Chances are you’ve already set goals for your project. But how do you truly optimize them? How do you make sure that you don’t only complete your project (and complete it on time) but have a positive impact as a result?

Using the OKR methodology can be an incredible way to achieve those lofty business goals you have in mind. It can help you define and track goals to clarify your vision and ensure all stakeholders are on board, too. The question is, how do you do it effectively? 

This article will outline practical do’s and don’ts for implementing OKRs so you can set meaningful objectives and avoid pitfalls.

What is OKR?

Put simply, OKR (Objectives and Key Results) is a goal-setting framework that aims to set ambitious and measurable goals. You’re likely familiar with KPIs, whether you use KPI for demand planning to make sure your company can meet customer needs or for digital marketing to track the impact of campaigns. You may even already set KPIs for your projects.

But OKR is different from KPI, and very much worth adding to your strategy. It’s more about the big picture. And you’ll typically use it in project management as a way to align your employees’ day to day efforts with your big picture company goals. 

Here’s a breakdown of how OKRs usually work in project management:

1. Objective (O)

• The Objective is a clear and inspiring goal that you want to achieve. In project management, this could be launching a product or achieving specific project milestones.
• It’s qualitative and answers the question: What do we want to achieve?
• Example: Deliver a user-friendly mobile application. 

2. Key Results (KR)

• Key Results are measurable outcomes that indicate whether you’ve achieved the objective. 
• They are quantitative and trackable, often using metrics or deadlines and they answer the question: How will we measure success?
• Example:
  • Complete the app’s user interface by September 30.
  • Achieve a 95% user satisfaction rate during beta testing. 
  • Ensure all core features are bug-free by the end of Q3.

The Do’s and Don’ts of OKR for Project Management

Now that you understand what OKR for project management is, it’s time to dive into best practices. These can be split simply into do’s and don’ts, so you know exactly what works and what doesn’t when setting strategic goals.

Do’s

1. Set Ambitious but Achievable Objectives

Objectives should challenge and inspire your team. You need them to aim high, but they also need to be grounded in reality. 

Finding the balance isn’t always easy, but if you can set ambitious yet achievable goals you can really inspire your team. These sorts of project goals will also encourage your staff to push their limits without becoming overwhelmed. When you aim slightly beyond what feels comfortable, it forces everyone to think creatively and strive for excellence.

A goal like, “Secure 10,000 RSVPs to our launch party before the early-bird deadline on 5 August,” is motivating and aspirational. It stretches your team to innovate and outperform your competitors. That said, it also has a clear timeline and focus, so it remains achievable. 

PS: Want to know how renowned organizations like Google and Netflix set ambitious and achievable OKRs? Check out this article with examples of company OKRs. 

2. Regularly Review and Adjust

Your OKRs aren’t set in stone. As projects evolve, you’ll need to regularly review your progress and engage in some risk identification and mitigation strategies. You might even need to make adjustments if you want continuous improvement.

Changes in project scope or unexpected external factors, for example, might require a shift in focus. Flexibility is key to keeping your goals relevant and achievable throughout the life of the project.

It’s a good idea to schedule regular OKR check-ins during team meetings. These check-ins provide you and your team a chance to look at how you’re heading toward your goals. You can also use these check-ins to make any needed tweaks. 

You can use tools like Holaspirit’s OKR feature to schedule those check-ins and regularly adjust your goals. With Holaspirit, you can define and visualize OKRs at all levels of the organization (individual, team, company). This helps employees better understand how their work contributes to achieving company goals.

3. Make Key Results Measurable

Each key result needs to be measurable so that progress can be tracked in an objective, concrete way. 

Using specific metrics or deadlines means you eliminate any guesswork and provide a clear target for your employees to aim for. This makes it easy to see whether you’re on track or if adjustments are needed.

Instead of just setting a vague goal like “improve user engagement,” add a specific key result to achieve, such as “increase user engagement by 20% by the end of Q4.” See how much more measurable that is? 

Key results like this provide a clear benchmark and timeframe. They make it easy to measure project success and keep everyone focused on a real outcome they can grasp. You should also keep accessible info about your chosen key results and how they’ll be measured in your company knowledge library. 

4. Use OKRs to Foster Collaboration

When different departments work together, you can promote a sense of teamwork and create a more well-rounded approach to problem-solving. 

Collaboration across teams—whether it’s marketing, product, engineering, finance, or other departments—allows for different perspectives. So make use of it when you’re setting your OKRs! 

For example, an objective focused on improving customer satisfaction might see several departments working together. The sales and marketing team might use data from their CRM to provide insights into customer feedback. 

The product team could refine features based on that input and engineering could ensure the technical implementation is smooth.

Then your finance team could look at customer behavior and purchase history data from their financial planning and analysis (FP&A) AI tools to set a price point that aligns with customer preferences.

You can bring clarity to these accountabilities by setting team OKRs that will directly be linked to company OKRs, and assigning them to relevant roles.

Don’ts

1. Don’t Confuse Tasks with Key Results

Sure, tasks are important for managing day-to-day work. But they aren’t the ultimate goal. Key results should represent the actual results you’re aiming to achieve. 

Think of it as a shift from “what we’re doing” to “what we’re accomplishing”. That way, you can make sure everyone is focused on the big picture rather than smaller tasks. 

For example, instead of a task-oriented key result like “Complete 5 client meetings,” aim for an outcome that reflects success, such as “Close deals worth $500K by the end of Q3.” This way, you’re measuring the result of those meetings, not just the number of meetings themselves.

2. Don’t Set Too Many OKRs

Focus is critical when setting OKRs. Having too many objectives will quickly spread your project teams too thin. They’ll also make it difficult for everyone to concentrate on what really matters. 

To avoid this, aim for 3-5 Objectives per team or project. This helps maintain clarity and keeps everyone focused on what will have the biggest impact.

3. Don’t Neglect Bottom-Up Input

Leadership and project managers typically set the high-level OKRs. But everyone can still get involved. When your team has a hand in crafting OKRs, it’s great for employee engagement as they’re more likely to feel invested in these OKRs and motivated to achieve them.

This doesn’t mean just calling out for OKR ideas. Instead, take a structured approach. For example, conduct OKR workshops where team members can contribute their ideas and perspectives. These sessions will enable collective discussion on organizational goals and how best to measure progress. 

Also read: 4 best practices to develop collective intelligence in your company

4 Don’t Rely Solely on OKRs for Success

The OKR methodology can be incredibly useful for project management, but they can’t do everything. Instead, use them in conjunction with other tools and approaches.

To get the most out of OKRs, it’s best to integrate them with a project management software. No need to look for different tools though, since Holaspirit offers features for both OKRs and project management. Our Projects feature allows you to associate an OKR with each project, track progress using clear metrics and deadlines, and get a clear view of what needs to be done. 

OKRs and project management software are a winning combo. Project management software helps with task management and resource allocation, while OKRs provide clear and measurable project goals to guide your efforts and measure success. 

Also read: 4 steps for managing a project in the most effective way

Final Thoughts: The One OKR for Project Management Do to Remember

We’ve covered lots of do’s and don’ts, but to conclude this article, there’s one ‘do’ to always remember. Regular communication and transparency is essential if you want to make OKRs work in the long run. 

While putting in place the above tips, always keep your team informed about the status of OKRs. Regular check-ins and open communication channels will help identify issues early so that everyone stays on the same page as you work towards success.

So in addition to OKR and project management software, consider implementing a communication platform. Talkspirit offers several features (chat groups, video conferencing, news feed, drives, office suite, etc.) that can facilitate communication and collaboration across teams. Contact our team to discuss your organizational needs and find the solution that fits you.