Are you on the hunt for an efficient way to track your Objectives and Key Results (OKR)? Well, look no further! This article unveils an intuitive and easy-to-use Google Sheets OKR template that can be utilized by teams of any size or industry. But before diving in, let’s take a moment to ensure that the company and team OKRs are clearly defined. Proper planning is key to successful implementation.
What are Objectives and Key Results?
Objectives and Key Results is an agile framework that helps organizations define their goals and stay on track. Implementing the OKR methodology professionally can lead to increased transparency, alignment, focus, and agility within an organization. Objectives are inspirational, non-measurable goals that describe the long-term success of the organization. Key Results serve as outcome-oriented checkpoints.
The OKR method originated at Intel in the 1970s and gained popularity through successful technology companies like Google, LinkedIn, Spotify, and Slack. Nowadays, OKRs are utilized by teams and organizations of all sizes.
To explore OKRs further, check out our comprehensive OKR guide.
What’s included in this template?
- A variety of tips for establishing a successful OKR system.
- A guide for team meetings based on OKRs.
- A dashboard to track OKR progress.
- OKR tabs for your organization and different teams.
- Inspiring OKR examples to fuel your creativity.
How to use the Google Sheets OKR template
1. Access the template
Open the tracking template in Google Sheets. Please note that you’ll need a Google account to use this template. In case you don’t have one or your team uses Microsoft, simply download the Excel version. If you opt for the Google Sheets template, make sure to copy it to Google Drive to gain access.
2. Share the Google Sheets OKR tracking template
OKRs thrive when everyone is involved, so sharing this template with your team is a wise move. Simply click the “Share” button located at the top right corner to grant access to all. When adding contact information, set the access permission to “Edit” to allow anyone who accesses the template to contribute. If desired, you can restrict permissions to “View Only,” ensuring that only authorized personnel can make changes.
3. Get started
As soon as you open the file, the “Getting Started” tab will guide you through the features of the OKR tracking template and provide relevant information. You’ll also find useful resources and links about OKRs.
4. OKR dashboard overview
On the second tab, you’ll find the dashboard, where you can easily visualize the progress of individual teams or the entire company.
5. Team meetings
To make OKRs impactful in your day-to-day work, regular meetings are essential. Consistency plays a crucial role in ensuring that OKRs contribute to the company’s success. In the “Meetings” tab, you’ll find instructions for conducting regular OKR-based meetings.
6. Adding cycle information
Before adding your Objectives and Key Results, adjust the active cycle at the top of each OKR sheet. The sheets will automatically calculate the remaining time in the cycle and sync with the dashboard.
7. Defining company and team OKRs
In practice, OKRs are initially developed top-down and then bottom-up. Leadership typically defines the company OKRs, while teams formulate their own OKRs aligned with the higher-level company objectives. If your OKRs are already defined, start by adding team names at the top of each sheet and then fill in the Objectives and Key Results.
For those seeking OKR inspiration, tabs “EXEMPLE” 5 & 7 showcase a few examples.
8. Adding supplementary information
To update starting values and targets, adjust the information in columns H and I. To track and calculate Key Result progress, adjust the current value in cell J.
Optionally, you can include additional information for your OKRs, such as:
- Metric: What unit is used to measure the Key Result?
- Confidence level: How confident are you in achieving the Key Result by the end of the OKR cycle?
- Responsible: Who is responsible for the Key Result and/or Objective?
9. Final check
Take a moment to verify the following:
- Are all teams included?
- Are the Objectives inspiring?
- Do the Key Results seem ambitious yet attainable?
- Are the Key Results measurable and aligned with real outcomes rather than mere tasks, projects, or KPIs?
- Do the Objectives provide the right amount of motivational discomfort (~70% confidence)?
- Are all OKRs and cycle information displayed correctly?
- Has a regular meeting process been established?
Don’t forget to visit Crawlan.com for more OKR tips and resources!
Image Source: Crawlan
