OKR planning meeting [+ template and agenda] (2023)

Finding the right OKRs for each cycle when planning OKRs can be tedious. This makes it even more important to make sure your OKR thinking and planning process is well organized. In this article, we explain how best to implement itOKR planning in action– including an agenda and a checklist to prepare.

What to expect:

• What is OKR planning?
• Purpose of the OKR planning session
• Preparing an OKR Planning Session: Checklist and Fact Sheet
• How to run an OKR planning meeting
• How to plan an OKR with Mooncamp
• Planning OKR: Frequently Asked Questions

What is OKR planning?

OKR scheduling (or OKR setup) isthe first event in each OKR cycle. It involves brainstorming and formulating goals and key deliverables for the next cycle and is usually done asworkshop or meeting.

Planning takes place at different levels: for the entire company, departments and individual teams. However, the principle and course of the meeting mostly remain the same. The only difference is the context in which the objectives and key results to be achieved are related.

Purpose of the OKR planning session

The purpose of an OKR planning session isdevelop OKR planswhich will strategically lead the company into the next cycle (usually a quarter). To achieve this, OKRs are designed so that each affects one of the high-level OKRs.

During the initial OKR planning session, management translates the company's vision and mission into strategic corporate OKRs. In subsequent planning workshops, departments and teams create OKRs that affect one or more of the company's OKRs.

Preparing an OKR Planning Session: Checklist and Fact Sheet

To ensure that the OKR planning session is as productive as possible and not unnecessarily delayed, somepreparationsthis should be done in advance.

1. All participants should be informed in a timely manner, preferably at least one month in advance, about the date of the workshop.
2. The mission, vision and current priorities of the company must be known to all participants. If this is not already the case, they should be clearly communicated again before the workshop.
3. All participants should think about possible goals before the meeting. They should receive the (provisional) agenda at least two weeks before the meeting.
4. For a team-level OKR planning session, company goals should be made available to all participants in advance. In particular, the (senior) manager should also pull potential goals and key outcomes for the team from the company's OKR and present them to the meeting as proposals that can be discussed.

See Also

What are OKRs and how to write them (with templates and examples) - LogRocket Blog

In order to stimulate the creativity of the participants and get everyone in the right mood, it can be helpful to send a few questions in advance. possiblefood for thought for the brainsession can be:

• What's not working now?
• What is holding back our current progress?
• What should happen to solve this problem?
• Are we still adapting to the company's vision?
• Where do we want to go?
• What specific goals should be achieved?
• Are these goals aligned with the company's current priorities?
• Are the goals ambitious but focused? Are they clear and easy to understand?

You should also determine earlyWherean OKR planning meeting will take place (e.g. in person or digitally),how much timewill be needed for the laboratory, i.eWHEREI will watch.

How to run an OKR planning meeting

After all preparations, the approach to planning itself is always the same, regardless of the organizational level at which it takes place. For example, logicagenda of the OKR planning meetingit might look like this:

• Introduction and warm up(30 minutes)
• Optional: List the goals of the relevant company(30-45 minutes)
• Brainstorming and formulating goals(30-60 minutes)
• Rest(15-30 minutes)
• Defining key results(60-120 minutes)
• Optional: Visualize OKRs and add initiatives(30-60 minutes)

1. Introduction and warm up

Before starting the process, the first part of the workshop should create a safe space for ideas and discussion. Participants should be able to adapt to the upcoming session and be encouraged to express their views. The best way to do this is oneoccasional round of importsand shortice breaker game. Some games that are well suited to this are:

• Two truths and one lie:All participants were presented with two truths and one lie. Then everyone takes turns guessing what was said. Whoever guesses correctly gets a point. Whoever has the most points wins!
• Love Bomb:All participants are briefly introduced by name and photo. Then everyone is asked to compliment or name their best qualities at work. This boosts team morale and creates an atmosphere of respect.

If the workshop is held digitally, everyone has the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the tool during the warm-up. To make the rest of the lab run easier.

2. Define the goals of the relevant company (optional)

As for the workshopClubObjectives and key results, the main part of the selection starts with ashort discussionof which key firm-level results are relevant to the group. To achieve this, the entire team goes through the company's OKR together, and the (senior) manager briefly explains the intentions of each OKR. The team then agrees on which key outcomes can best be supported and influenced.

Ideally, the OKRs of the relevant companies are prepared by the team leaders and only briefly presented at the meeting. This leaves more time for actual planning.

3. Brainstorming and goal formulation

In the first part of brainstorming, everything revolves aroundThe. Ideally, all participants have already thought about this in advance. In the laboratory itself, the process is as follows:

1. All participants submit their ideas for goals. It shouldn't take more than 10 minutes if everyone is well prepared.
2. Collected ideas are discussed in the group. The goal is to jointly identify two to four top goals for the next quarter.
3. Once selected, the team checks to see if the selected goals are "good" goals. That is, if they are inspired and ambitious, among other things, but still achievable in the next cycle.
4. Finally, it should be considered whether the achievement of objectives may depend on other groups or departments. If so, you should definitely look for a discussion later.

In general, this is importantall participants agree with the formulated objectivesbefore generating basic results in the next step. As a consequence, the process may not always be linear. Objectives that have already been selected but do not meet the criteria should, for example, be rejected again or discussed and reformulated.

It should also be noted that the process should becooperativeis not democratic. It is an interaction of top-down and bottom-up ideas: leaders drive the conversation, can veto, and ensure goals make strategic sense. Aligning your entire team with goals to focus on can be quite intense.

This makes getting it even more importanta break of 15 to 30 minutesbefore the next part of the workshop. This allows participants to recharge their batteries and come back with a fresh mind when the next key outcomes need to be considered.

4. Set key results

After the break, the goals from the first part of the OKR planning session are the basisthinking about key results. This is done according to a very similar scheme:

1. All participants consider how to measure whether the previously formulated goals have been achieved. All ideas are first saved in a list.
2. They then choose from a list of 2 to 4 key outcomes per target. We don't have to agree on specific target prices yet. However, it is important that key results are measurable, result-oriented and time-bound.
3. Once the key outcomes are defined, the team agrees on specific (initial and) targets for the next cycle.
4. Finally, the team considers how easy or difficult it will be to achieve key results in this cycle. Key results that are entirely too ambitious and those that are too easy to achieve must be re-discussed and harmonized.

5. Visualize OKRs and add initiatives (optional)

Once all the goals and key deliverables have been established, they need to be definedclearly intended. An OKR tree diagram, for example, is suitable for this purpose. Specific initiatives, i.e. backlogs, can also be added to individual key results in a review. Depending on the time and motivation left at the end of the meeting, this can be done directly or as a follow-up. This part of the planning session is therefore optional.

However, if it is omitted, it is important to make that clearwho is responsible for monitoringand when they share the final review with the team. Ideally, this should happen as soon as possible. In addition, the OKRs from the planning OKR template must be transferred to the tracking template (e.g.OKR template for tracking Google Sheets) or OKR software for further use.

Planning OKR: Frequently Asked Questions

What is an OKR setting?

OKR setup and OKR scheduling are often used interchangeably. Both terms describe the process of creating and formulating goals and key deliverables. They also refer to the corresponding event incycle OKR. OKR setup or scheduling always takes place just before or at the beginning of a cycle. Planning is usually done on a quarterly basis.

How to conduct an OKR planning meeting?

An OKR planning meeting always has at least three parts: (1) introduction and warm-up, (2) brainstorming and goal formulation, (3) identifying key deliverables. If planning is done at the team level, it is sometimes necessary to collectively identify the company's OKRs to which the team is contributing before the first brainstorming session. Initiatives can be added to the end of the meeting as needed. For a productive meeting, good preparation of all participants is crucial.

How to facilitate an OKR discussion?

A safe space for the exchange should be established in advance through the occasional round of performances (e.g. icebreaker games). Brainstorming should always have a clear structure: ideas are collected first. The ideas are then discussed one by one and voted on if necessary. Discussions should not go into too much detail. Detailed questions should be collected and clarified individually if necessary.