OKRs Playbook

The Inspire Objectives module is designed to provide organizations with a highly customizable and user-friendly process for setting and executing Objectives and Key Results (OKRs). This playbook serves as a step-by-step guide for OKR Champions on launching their organization’s OKR plan in Inspire. Much of the information and approach in this playbook is based on Paul Niven’s expert guidance from his 25+ years of corporate strategy and OKR consulting and several of his best-selling books including OKRs for Dummies that was released in August of 2023.  Throughout this process, your Inspire Client Success team will be there to support you, offering insights and guidance to ensure a smooth execution of your strategy cycles and OKR management while you create your own company specific OKRs playbook that identifies the critical information necessary to be successful. The five steps for success with Inspire OKRs are:  

Step 1 - Preparing to Write Corporate OKRs 

Step 2 - Create your Corporate Strategy OKRs in Inspire 

Step 3 - Communicate and Train OKRs throughout the organization 

Step 4 - Managing with OKRs  

Step 5 – Complete the Checklist for the Ten “Musts” to Ensure OKRs Success 

Step 1 - Preparing to Write Corporate OKRs 

These initial steps lay the groundwork for a successful OKR implementation by ensuring that leadership is aligned with your organization’s "why" behind OKRs, key roles are identified, and a clear communication strategy is in place. Additionally, setting the cadence for OKR reviews and aligning them with corporate strategy ensures that OKRs remain an integral part of organizational planning and execution.

Step 2 - Create your Corporate Strategy OKRs in Inspire 

In this step, you will focus on strengthening the strategic foundation of your OKR implementation. This includes updating and aligning your mission, vision, and values, creating a Strategy Map to visualize your strategic objectives, gaining additional insights through Inspire's learning resources, and crafting your Corporate Strategy using the combination of LTKRs and CKRs. These actions collectively ensure that your OKRs are firmly rooted in your organization's strategic framework, promoting alignment and progress toward your mission and vision.

Step 3 - Communicate and Train OKRs throughout the organization

This step centers around building foundational OKR knowledge and skills within the organization. It involves setting initial training dates, effective communication of the OKRs implementation plan, conducting basic training sessions, and planning for more advanced training. This strategic approach ensures that employees across all levels of the organization are well-prepared to embrace OKRs as a powerful tool for goal setting and performance management.

Step 4 - Managing with OKRs  

Now you are putting OKR practices into action within the organization. This involves team-level OKR reviews and coaching, training sessions for successful OKR execution, establishing and attending regular review cadences, conducting coaching sessions, mid-cycle reviews, end-of-cycle strategy reviews, and post-cycle retrospectives. These activities promote a continuous improvement cycle, ensuring that OKRs remain a valuable tool for goal achievement and performance enhancement.

Step 5 – Complete the Checklist for the Ten “Musts” to Ensure OKRs Success (based on OKRs for Dummies Chapter 15) 

This comprehensive checklist is designed to guide your organization in the successful implementation and ongoing management of OKRs. These ten key items encompass everything from understanding the "why" behind OKRs and establishing key roles to providing training, maintaining consistency, fostering a culture of learning, and seeking professional support when needed. This checklist serves as a roadmap to ensure that your OKR initiative remains purposeful, adaptable, and effective in driving organizational success.