Forum Discussion
Is there a way to have an OKR that has no end (time period)
We have a purpose/objective for every role/responsibility a person is assigned to. This helps those role holders understand what they are ultimately working toward. Sort of the ultimate objective at a high level. These are written in a way that really doesn't have an end or completion. Under those we have very specific key results/metrics, that allow us to track progress. We may or may not group these key results further into objectives (these do have an end, so it is easy).
I am trying to work out if it is possible to have a time period that doesn't have an end. It is a little cumbersome to have to change the time period on each of these objectives even yearly. There are a bunch of them.
My option is to not lists these role style objectives in Viva Goals. But it is currently nice to see how the other objectives and key results link to these purpose statements.
3 Replies
Yes, it is possible to have an OKR that has no end (time period). However, it is not recommended.
The purpose of OKRs is to set ambitious goals with measurable results that can be achieved within a specific time frame. This helps to focus and motivate teams, and to track their progress towards achieving their goals.
If an OKR has no end date, it is difficult to measure progress and to know when the goal has been achieved. This can lead to teams becoming demotivated and losing sight of their goals.
In your case, it sounds like you have a set of high-level objectives that are not specific enough to be measurable or time-bound. These objectives could be called "purpose statements" or "mission statements". They can be helpful to provide context and direction for your team, but they should not be used as OKRs.
Instead, you should create specific OKRs that have measurable results and a clear time frame. These OKRs should be aligned with your purpose statements, but they should be specific enough to be tracked and achieved.
For example, if one of your purpose statements is "To provide excellent customer service", you could create an OKR with the following objective: "Reduce customer wait times by 50% by the end of the quarter". This OKR is specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound.
By creating specific OKRs, you can ensure that your team is focused on achieving measurable results within a specific time frame. This will help to keep your team motivated and on track to achieving their goals.
Here are some additional tips for creating effective OKRs:
- Make sure your OKRs are aligned with your company's overall goals.
- Keep your OKRs short and concise.
- Use measurable metrics to track your progress.
- Set ambitious but achievable goals.
- Review your OKRs regularly and make adjustments as needed.
I do understand. I did make mention that the specific ones I am talking about are in fact more of a purpose statement. We do have OKR like you mentioned though (most of them are key results though). For us, it is just nice to be able to align them to these purpose statements because it links the actual measurable to the purpose of the role who owns the set of objectives. However, Viva goals doesn't seem to let me not select or have some sort of open end date. So, I may just use a different tool to manage the different purpose statements and keep Viva goals to the more traditional OKR.
I do have a question about your example though, because it points out an issue I keep run into regularly.
Objective: Reduce customer wait times by 50% by the end of quarter.
Key Result: Reduce customer wait times by 50%.
I often run into the objective and the Key Result basically being the same thing. Especially, in Viva Goals where something like Reduce Customer wait times by 50% seems to be what you would make the key result. So what i have been doing is something like the following:
Objective: Improve guest experience. (something like that)
Key Result: Average wait time reduced to 30min (Q1-Q2)
Key Rusult: Everage wait time reduced to 20 min (Q3-Q4)
Key Result: Customer check average increased to $XXX (Q1-Q4)
etc.
the objective does have the end in this case. and it completion is based on the key results.
Anyway, I often run into the issue of the objective basically sounding like one of the key results if i get to concise with it.Just jumping in to revive this dead conversation, in case someone comes across this and find my comment useful.
It looks like you may have shifted the OKR concepts a little bit. You objective should give a nice end goal to reach i.e. Reduce customer wait times by 50% by the end of quarter, but your KR's shouldn't necessarily be seen as metrics to that objective, but instead important milestones across the journey to the objective. They point to the success of this objective.
An example may look like this.
Objective: Reduce customer wait times by 50% by the end of quarter
Key Result: New support tool implemented by end of week 1
Key Result: CS team A is upskilled in support tool by end of week 2
Key Result: Test group shows a greater than 50% speed increase by end of week 3
If you believe in including initiatives in this, then there may be an initiative that is something like "Implement new support platform"
Hope this is of use to anyone 😁
