OKRs, or "Objectives and Key Results," are a goal-setting framework that helps teams and organisations set and track measurable goals. OKRs help create alignment and engagement around measurable goals, and can provide clarity, accountability and transparency.

In BigAgile you can capture OKRs per Value Stream and at a Global level (across all Value Streams). By connecting your deliverables to your OKRs, BigAgile gives you the power to track your work towards achieving your desired outcomes in real-time.
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Navigation

Head to Organisation > OKRs to access the OKR screen. You will see a Global section and a section for each of your Value Streams. ‘Global’ is OKRs that are across all Value Streams. In the screenshot above, you will also see sections for the different Value Streams being used in this example environment (Insurance / Commodities / Blue Healthcare).

Creating an objective

An objective is usually short, memorable, qualitative and inspirational. In this example, we’ll be adding an Objective to the Global OKRs. The exact same process can be followed to add Objectives to a Value Stream.

You can create an objective by clicking on the (+) icon under the relevant Value Stream in the main screen. Alternatively, you can access the OKR screen and add a new Objective by clicking on the (Add new) button.

In both cases, you will be presented with the "Create Objective" dialog, as seen below.

Here you can input your Objective title, an optional longer description, assign an owner, the target date, review frequency, and visibility.

Clicking on the (Create Objective) button will save the Objective and display it in the list. You can then click through to it and start creating its Key Results.

Creating Key Results

Key Results are measurable actions you want to take to achieve your objectives. Experts suggest to have 2-5 key results per objective.

To add a Key Result in BigAgile, click the (+) button in the Key Results tab of an objective.

You will be presented with the screen below where you can input Name, an optional Description, and assign an Owner.

You will also specify the starting and target value of what you're measuring as well as start and target dates, choose a unit or add your own (just start typing) and choose a review frequency.

Clicking on the (next) button will take you to the expected Trajectory screen. This is where you can specify the values you're expecting at each review point as well as adding any inflection points. For example, if you are tracking a Key Result monthly over over a whole year, you would have 12 expected points by default. You can change this list to match your specific needs.

Clicking on (next) will take you to the last stage of adding a Key Result, which is assigning deliverables. Here you can choose which Initiatives and/or Features have been identified as belonging to this Key Result. Doing this will allow you to track not only the progress of the Key Result but also the progress of the work associated to achieve the desired outcome.

Objective dashboard

The Objective dashboard shows you a tile for each Key Result. The various elements of each tile are explained below.

RAG is determined on the variance between actual and expected:

Viewing and Updating Key Results

When you have selected an Objective from the list on the left, you can access its Key Results by clicking on the Key Results tab

In this view, you can see the high level details of each Key Result as well as an indication of the progress of the associated deliverables. You will also see the latest update.

Clicking on the Key Result title will take you to the detailed view where you can view and edit all the details and associated deliverables of a Key Result.

At BigAgile, we have considerable experience implementing OKRs effectively in various organisations. Please reach out if you need help with understanding OKRs and how to obtain the maximum value from their adoption.