After helping hundreds of teams get started with OKRs, I’ve developed a 3-phase approach to OKRs coaching that works every time.  Here’s a summary of each of the three phases based on a typical 8-month program to support you over the course of TWO OKRs cycles.  This approach works every time because we have a plan for addressing the inevitable problems we’ll uncover during our first cycle together.

Phase 1. Deployment Coaching (~Month 1)

First, we confirm why you are deploying OKRs. Then, we assess your existing strategy and any OKRs if you’ve already got some in place. Based on your unique situation and the goals of your OKRs program we define your deployment plan.

Examples of Deployment Parameters: The questions we must answer BEFORE deploying OKRs

1. Levels: At what level will we set OKRs?
2. Number: How many OKRs will we set?
3. Scoring: How will we score OKRs?
4. Cycle Time: How long is an OKRs cycle?
5. Types: What are the three types of key results? Do we allow milestones?
6. Tooling: Where do we draft, publish, and track OKRs? What templates do we use?
7. Performance Reviews: How will OKRs relate to performance reviews?
8. OKRs vs KPIs: How do we differentiate OKRs from KPIs?
9. Alignment: How will we ensure OKRs are aligned?
10. Bottoms-Up: How will we ensure most OKRs originate bottoms-up?

Your deployment parameters answer these questions and more. Even if you already have an OKRs program in place, it’s critical that we confirm these parameters. They are the foundation of your OKRs program. It goes quickly. We do this in several coaching sessions over a couple weeks.

Phase 2. Training (~Month 2)

The parameters defined in phase 1 inform your OKRs training program. We customize your training to define top-level and/or team-level OKRs. We may incorporate an OKRs expert training that creates a group of internal OKRs coaches (also known as OKRs ambassadors or OKRs experts). These internal coaches ensure your OKRs program is sustainable after we leave. We begin training workshops with an overview of OKRs with a focus on your unique set of deployment parameters. Most of the training workshop time is dedicated to interactive exercises to develop real OKRs. Remote training workshops run 2-3 hours. They work best with small groups of 5-10, but with online breakout rooms, we can accommodate 25 participants.

Phase 3. Cycle Coaching (~Months 2-8)

After delivering a training to introduce OKRs, we guide you through a 3-step OKRs Cycle: 1) Set and Align OKRs, 2) Check-In and Monitor, and 3) Reflect and Reset. Cycles typically run 3-4 months and I want to be there with you for two cycles. Here’s a quick overview of each of the 3 steps.

OKRs Cycle Step 1: Set and Align OKRs

While the OKRs training from phase 2 will include some form of OKRs drafting, you will not end the training with a final set of OKRs aligned and ready to publish. In this first step of the OKRs cycle, we help you refine, align, and ultimately publish your OKRs in a single location, your “OKRs Tracker.” This can be a dedicated software tool or you can use one of our field-tested OKRs Tracker spreadsheets which tend to work quite well when getting started.

OKRs Cycle Step 2: Check-In and Monitor

In step 1, defining OKRs, we effectively wrote down our goals. Publishing OKRs in a single location is a big win. Your team may be elated at this stage. In many cases, simply creating OKRs can lead to a feeling of increased focus, alignment, and engagement. However, your work is not done. We ensure you integrate OKRs into daily work throughout the OKRs cycle. Now we need to focus on those goals and execute. Without a coach, many teams simply go back to their desk and work on their to-do list. They do not integrate OKRs into their daily work.

OKRs Cycle Step 3: Reflect and Reset

Reflect and reset is my personal favorite step in the OKRs cycle. Unlike a retrospective that focuses on looking back, this step features both a reflection on the past as well as a reset into the future. Perhaps I like this step so much because I take credit for inventing it. Nonetheless, this is where the rubber meets the road. As OKRs coaches, we do not hold you accountable for achieving all your key results. However, we do hold you accountable for documenting learnings and applying these learnings to the next OKRs cycle. At the end of the period, we facilitate a Reflect & Reset session to document these learnings and ensure you apply them.

Who will do our OKRs coaching?

I am involved with every OKRs coaching project. However, we find it best to take a team-based approach so you have a dedicated OKRs coach that attends all your coaching and training sessions. Your dedicated coach is a certified coach on my team with at least two years of OKRs coaching experience and a track record of success. In addition to North America, our global coaching team can support organizations in Europe and Asia.

How long is a remote OKRs coaching program?

The ideal 2-cycle OKRs coaching program runs 8 months. This enables your first cycle to emphasize learning, not scale. During the first cycle, it’s best to carve out a pilot group for OKRs coaching rather than including the entire organization. The second cycle focuses on applying the learnings from the first cycle to the pilot group. In the second cycle, you refine your approach to OKRs with pilot teams and explore how best to expand the use of OKRs across the organization.

If you would like a phone call with Ben to discuss remote coaching, please fill out the form below.