What is an OKR? It’s a simple way to design and use strategic goals.
- Objective: The statement of outcome or goal.
- Key Result: The defined and measurable benchmark that leads to the objective or is an effect of the objective.
This post about OKRs for schools is a bit lengthy, so I created this table of contents to help you:
Thematic Goals
Thematic goals provide the unifying focus for a “medium” length of time – they provide the fuel for OKRs.
This is the starting point for OKRs. It’s an overarching focus for a specific period of time. Thematic goals should span a minimum of 6 months but no longer than a year or so.
If the thematic goal is shorter than six months, it won’t unify and motivate a critical mass of your people. It has to be big enough to deserve dedication and attention.
However, if it’s longer than a year, the goal will be perceived as too vague or not attainable.
A Priority, Not a List
A thematic goal should be a priority. It’s not a list of priorities. When thinking of your priorities, if you have a list, then it’s not a thematic goal.
A Focused Rallying Cry
When well-designed, a thematic goal becomes a rallying cry for your people or organization. It serves as the filter through which every decision moves. It unifies and motivates action. It gives clarity of purpose and helps to avoid toxicity.
FAQ on OKRs
What are OKRs? What are some examples that I can use in my school?
OKR is an acronym for Objective and Key Results and is a way to improve performance on teams or in organizations. It was popularized by John Doerr in his book, Measure What Matters.
Erase the achievement gap in Reading between English-speaking learners and ESOL learners.
Objective: Implement an effective reading fluency program.
Key Result 1: A/B test three reading fluency programs to determine the most effective. Due 10/01/2019.
Key Result 2: Increase reading levels by a rate of 1.5 levels/year or greater. Due 03/01/2020.
What is an OKR?
Mandated plans with dozens of pages listing every goal, objective, action, and person responsible – that’s not what OKRs are.
If you’re familiar with SMART goals, then you understand some of the basics with OKRs – especially the Key Results part. As my friend Daniel Bauer wrote,
“Both OKRs and SMART goals are specific, measurable, and time-bound, but like Vygotsky’s zone of proximal development, OKRs are better because they stretch organizations to accomplish far more.”
Daniel Bauer, Better Leaders Better Schools
You might be wondering, What’s the difference between OKRs and SMART goals?
That’s a fair question.
After all, the last thing we need is another term or jargony word to mean the same thing.
So let’s be very clear, OKRs are about stretching, specificity, and action. They work really well for sustaining growth and for initiating change. SMART goals are often only used to sustain growth.
Dan Heath & Chip Heath in their book Switch wrote it this way:
The specificity of SMART goals is a great cure for the worst sins of goal-setting – ambiguity and irrelevance…But SMART goals are better for steady-state situations than for change situations…”
Chip and Dan Heath
OKRs take SMART goals a step further because they:
- Aligned with Thematic Goals that Give the Bigger Purpose
- State the Specific Desired Outcome (an Aspirational Objective)
- Define Clear Key Results (the KPIs and Actions)
Shall we dig a little deeper into OKRs for schools?
Examples of OKRs for Schools
Let’s answer the question, What is an OKR? with a few examples.
Objective
In education, we often think of objectives as the learning intentions posted on the board. The term might also conjure thoughts of a lengthy and non-actionable improvement plan.
You know, one of those mandated plans with dozens of pages listing every goal and objective, every action and person responsible.
But that’s not the kind of objectives we’re talking about here.
Clarifying the Thematic Goal
The objective in an OKR clarifies the thematic goal. It’s the bridge that connects where you are to where you need to be. It provides a target for action – a focus for teams. It’s tied to people and areas of responsibility.
The objectives are actionable and leave no doubt as to whether it is achieved or not.
In the example above, the objective focuses on an input. It’s a statement about the action the school will take to reach the thematic goal.
Objectives are not limited to focusing on inputs. The example above could also be written to describe an output. An output is the effect of the actions you intend to take.
Not Measurable, Yet
The objective is an intention, a target, or a piece of the desired outcome. There’s no need for the objective to be measurable. That’s the job of the key results.
Key Results
Key results are measurable. They’re tied to quantities that leave no room for judgment or question about whether they were achieved.
The key results can be lead data or lag data. A combination of both allows teams to track their actions and the results of their actions.
The key results are concrete.
- Did we do it?
- How far above did we achieve the results?
- Did we achieve it before the due date?
- Are we on track to meet the due date?
Key results provide accountability and benchmarks for monitoring.
If you’re familiar with SMART goals, you’ll notice many of the same attributes in the key results. They’re actionable, time-bound, results-oriented, and specific.
Thematic Goal: Erase the achievement gap in Reading between English-speaking learners and ESOL learners.
Objective: Implement an effective reading fluency program.
Key Result 1: A/B test three reading fluency programs to determine the most effective. Due 10/01/2019.
Key Result 2: Increase reading levels by a rate of 1.5 levels/year or greater. Due 03/01/2020.
Your Turn
What do you think? Do you use OKRs? How are these different from what you’re currently doing for improvement planning?
Leave me a comment or send a voice message.
For Further Reading:
- A/B Testing
- Measure What Matters: How Google, Bono, and the Gates Foundation Rock the World with OKRs (Preview on Amazon)
