Business Blog - OKRs and Goal Setting

OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) is the goal-setting methodology first introduced by Andy Grove at Intel in the mid-seventies.

In this article, we’ll address these subjects and others, explaining how goal setting software can boost your organization’s performance against top corporate initiatives.

At Atiim, we build simple yet powerful OKR Software that allows small and mid-sized businesses to manage and collaborate on their objectives, at scale. Our goals platform is rooted in Objectives and Key Results (OKRs), and it helps companies and teams set clear objectives, improve internal alignment, focus on what truly matters, and ultimately achieve better results.

In his 2018 NY Times bestseller, “Measure What Matters,” John Doerr relates that as the OKR (Objectives and Key Results) methodology continues to gain popularity, more companies are, “adopting dedicated, cloud-based OKR management software.”

Regardless of your goal setting methodology, the right goals and the right software will be crucial to your success. Whether your organization functions with MBOs and KPIs, a Balanced Scorecard system, or our preferred choice, OKRs, (Objectives and Key Results), scaling the operating process is difficult in the absence of the right software.

To optimize performance and to implement the OKR (Objectives and Key Results) methodology at scale, you’ll need a dedicated software platform.

At some point during the onboarding process, each of our new clients will ask us how to develop their initial OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) and request examples of effective Objectives.

In his 2018 NY Times bestseller, “Measure What Matters,” John Doerr relates that as the OKR (Objectives and Key Results) methodology continues to gain popularity, more companies are, “adopting robust, dedicated, cloud-based OKR management software.”

Television commercials, YouTube videos, TED Talks, even everyday conversation today seems to be filled with references to “What Matters Most.” The phrase works for any number of applications. We think this focus on What Matters originated with John Doerr’s 2018 NY Times bestseller, “Measure What Matters.”

Recently, Paul R. Niven, noted Author, Strategist, and OKR Consultant sat with Atiim CEO, Kyle Silberbauer, to discuss the evolution of the OKR (Objectives and Key Results) methodology.

OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) is the modern goal-setting methodology that aligns everyone in the organization to the company’s most important priorities. The protocol, which has garnered massive interest in the past few years, has served as the catalyst for an entirely new segment in SaaS computing; cloud-based OKR Software.

As enticing as the title may be, we first need to establish the best goal setting and tracking methodology. In our book, as it is in John Doerr’s New York Times bestseller, “Measure What Matters,” that methodology is OKRs (Objectives and Key Results).

(Why Free Goal Tracking Fails)

In a TED Talk last year titled, “Why the Secret to Success is Setting the Right Goals,” John Doerr relates how Andy Grove of Intel described his new strategy execution protocol, OKRs:

Since the publication of John Doerr’s NY Times bestseller, “Measure What Matters,” OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) have become increasingly popular.

In his New York Times bestseller, “Measure What Matters,” author John Doerr referred to OKRs as being, “like Swiss Army knives, suited to any environment.”

You’ve read John Doerr’s New York Times bestseller, “Measure What Matters.” The OKR methodology intrigued you to the point of testing the protocol with your teams.

When first implementing OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) many of our clients have difficulty in identifying the most effective initial Objectives. “How do we set the right corporate goals” is one of the most frequently asked questions of our Customer Success Managers during the onboarding process.

One of the most common questions we are asked about OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) is if they can be used with KPIs. The answer is yes, and it’s easier than you may think because companies that use OKRs inevitably also use KPIs.

In the OKR (Objectives and Key Results) space, software providers have followed one of two very different paths. Several providers have focused their platforms and services on the CFR (Conversations, Feedback, and Recognition) adjunct to OKRs.

In 2018 venture capitalist John Doerr gave a presentation at a TED conference titled, “Why the Secret to Success is Setting the Right Goals.” That talk has now been translated into nine languages and viewed over one and a half million times.