In the professional service industry, we often see organizations stuck in a reactive state. When demand is constantly fluctuating and last minute projects get thrown into the mix, it can be difficult to align organizations with strategic growth goals (not to mention actually achieving them!). Along with slow growth, this constant flux can even result in employee burnout and poor engagement. 

Believe it or not, a recent Gallup study found that only 17% of US employees feel their company has strong and open communication around goals and priorities. Even more shocking, only 32% of US workers say that they feel engaged at work. What does this mean and how do we solve it? (Another pizza party isn’t going to do the trick…) 

We sat down with Parallax Founder, Tom O’Neill, and OKRs expert and Founder of So Sunny Consulting, Reid Koster, to talk about the OKR goal setting framework. 

Developed by former Intel CEO, Andy Grove, the OKR framework gained popularity when used by Google, for its ability to focus and engage teams on ambitious growth goals. 

What are OKRs?

The OKR (Objectives & Key Results) goal setting framework is a process for a company’s goal setting, review and evaluation that emphasizes frequency and transparency in regards to employee alignment, check-ins and evaluation. 

The OKR acronym describes how the goals in the framework are written and is broken into two parts: 

Objectives: are clear goals that describe a future state. 

Objectives are typically aspirational qualitative in nature. They are written to encompass a vision of where you want to be at the end of the goal cycle. Because objective goals describe an outcome, they are then supported by 3-4 key results to help guide teams to completion.  

Key results: are measurable goals or milestones that support the completion of the associated objective. 

KRs (Key Results) are more quantitative and hard measured by numbers, dates, and percentages. KRs are a way to visualize how to successfully reach your objective and measure progress along the way. In theory, completing all KRs will mean you have met your objective goal.

Understanding how objectives and key results differ and work together is key to crafting impactful goals. If all goals are written in a metric driven fashion like key results, teams are able to understand what success looks like, but not the “why” behind it. On the other hand, if all goals are outcome based and aspirationally written, they will create excitement, but lack the guidance that’s needed to actually pursue them. 

Setting OKR Goals 

Focus & Alignment 

The beauty of OKRs lies in the framework’s ability to cascade a common goal throughout an organization, increasing engagement and guiding focus. The way that organizational OKR goals are structured typically align with the levels of a company org chart – each set of proceeding OKRs support those above. This structure ensures that each department, all the way down to an individual employee, is contributing to an overall success of the organization.

At a company level, leadership will need to align on 1-3 company goals to focus on throughout the goal cycle, typically the duration of a quarter. 

Commit & Track

Once your OKRs are set, the next step is to ensure that everyone is committed to achieving them and that progress is being tracked consistently. Regular check-ins and transparent communication throughout the organization helps all teams stay on track.

Tracking OKRs isn’t just about ticking boxes and marking tasks complete—it’s about identifying what’s working, what’s not, and adjusting as needed. This helps teams solve and approach challenges that may arise as circumstances change.

Weekly or bi-weekly check-ins can be a great way to keep the momentum going and hold teams accountable. Doing so provides opportunities to discuss progress, share insights, and tackle any roadblocks as a team. Keeping everyone in the loop like this not only boosts engagement but also ensures that each team member understands how their work contributes to the bigger picture.

Stretch

OKRs are all about pushing boundaries, which is where stretch goals come in. These are ambitious targets designed to push your teams to achieve more than they might think possible. Stretch goals challenge the status quo and inspire teams to innovate and think creatively.

However, it’s important to keep a balance between a “moon shot” and what’s realistic. Stretch goals should be challenging, but not so unrealistic that they end up creating uncertainty. The sweet spot is where a goal feels just out of reach but still achievable. Incorporating stretch goals into your OKRs can drive higher performance and foster a culture of continuous improvement.

Benefits of OKRs

Increase team focus and alignment

With the unique structure of OKRs, all teams throughout the organization are able to zoom in and work together to accomplish similar goals.

High team engagement

When employees understand how their work contributes to the company’s success, it boosts engagement and motivation. OKRs provide clear communication and expectations throughout teams, reducing burnout and helping employees feel more connected to the company’s mission. 

Company growth

OKR goals allow organizations to set aspirational yet strategic growth goals. Combined with increased focus and engagement, organizations see 70% of OKR goals set are completed successfully.

Get Started Crafting your OKRs

Download the OKR Crash Course to get started crafting your next set of OKR goals.

Align teams for growth 

In the professional services industry, where change is the only constant, the OKR framework is a way to keep teams focused, aligned, and motivated on the strategic growth of the organization. 

When it comes to strategizing and measuring the progress of your goals, we’re here to help. Parallax is a resource management platform built to provide professional service teams with the insights and alignment they need to identify key growth opportunities and measure the outcomes. 

Want to learn more? Watch a quick demo of Parallax.