It’s hard enough to build a company with so much going on in today’s world. It’s even more complicated if you do so without a plan and a way to track results. When some of the world’s biggest companies use OKRs to run their businesses, it pays to follow in their footsteps.

However, creating effective OKRs is However, creating effective OKRs is easier said than done. 

If you’re struggling to create an effective OKR plan, this post will help. Follow the guide below to handle OKR planning correctly and develop a way to measure business results said than done.

Create a Long-Term Goal

It’s hard to create measurable results when you don’t know where you want to go as a company. If all you do is throw stuff against the wall, you won’t be able to create a plan to achieve results.

That’s where annual planning helps. An annual plan gives your company a roadmap for success. Think about the critical goals you want your business to achieve a year from now before you start creating metrics that will help you get there.

Break Your Goal Into Pieces

While a yearly goal is a great first step to creating OKRs, it isn’t enough to get things going. If you want to develop metrics to track results, you’ll need to break your large goal into pieces.

Think of what it will take to achieve your goal and lay out every step it will take to meet it. From there, you can create company milestones that you need to complete on specific dates. These milestones will help keep people on track to your end goal.

Get Team Feedback

The last thing a manager should do when strategic planning is to do planning without input. You don’t know everything when you work in a bubble. If you want to create more accurate goals, you need to hear from the people doing the work.

Set aside time to meet with the employees handling the job. They can help you determine time estimates and metrics that indicate success.

Organize Your Metrics

Once you create a set of goals and metrics to meet, the next step is to create a system for tracking results. Luckily, there are many options to do this today.

For many organizations, that means using project tracking software. You can manage projects and tasks with modern project tools. Advanced strategic planning software also allows you to create your milestones and every step you need to accomplish to meet the goal.

Leave Room to Change

Even if your current plans and metrics look good today, that doesn’t mean they’ll work in the future. Things can change fast in business, so you need to stay adaptable to change.

One key part of creating OKRs is understanding that they can change in the future. Don’t commit fully to a plan or metric, and be prepared to change things up in the future.

Now You’re Ready to Create an OKR Plan

You can only take a business so far if you aren’t measuring business targets. You’re only making best guesses about what works instead of tracking everything to learn everything possible. Use the guide above to create an OKR plan that helps you track and optimize your company.

Do you want more tips that will help with OKR planning and running a successful company? Learn more business tips by reading the latest blog posts.