As part of Product Narrative Q2 2020 OKR, we plan to publish 9 conversation excerpts with some of our clients/coachees about their experience leading OKR adoption for their team or company.
We thought it’d be useful to hear these senior leaders’ perspectives.
If you are a leader contemplating adopting a collaborative way of working for your organization, read on.
You don’t need to subscribe to Objectives and Key Results (OKR), but I hope these first-hand learning points presented in these writings might be useful in your pursuit.
After all, OKR is a way of working. And, to make it work is a leadership exercise.
In this Zoom conversation, we interviewed Letitia (“Tisya”), a Senior Product Manager in Vidio that is the largest streaming platform in Indonesia. Previously, Tisya served as a Senior Product Manager in BBM and KASKUS Networks.
Any positive impacts you felt after implementing OKR for 6 months (since Q4 2019)?
There are many, actually. Not only in the context of working with my own team (“managing down”) but also when working with my supervisors (“managing up”).
Let me focus on the direct impact on my team level.
Because we had set and agreed on the goals early in the quarter, my team and I were very clear on the direction and what the company expected from us.
I cannot emphasize enough how this timely clarity allows me to plan and prioritize better; be it for weekly or monthly planning.
Next, the transparency and frequent weekly check-ins that come with OKR puts me on top of capacity planning for myself and my team.
Any specifics about OKR that you find useful?
Looking back at Q4 2019, I am proud of what my team had accomplished.
I think the self-scoring, including the assessment discipline around it, really makes the difference. It provides us space for a group reflection, which allows us to honestly learn and quickly change course when needed.
It’s also remarkable to look at our OKR dashboard. It contains all my team members’ OKR, plus their individual learning notes. Since we also had been discipline to include links to our deliverables (product profiles, requirement documents, etc.), our OKR dashboard grew into an index of deliverables.
Anyone referring to our OKR dashboard — my supervisor or the HR lead or CEO — could rewind and understand what happened week by week in my team.
OKR provides us space for a group reflection, which allows us to honestly learn and quickly change course when needed.
One of the most challenging responsibilities as a Product Manager is to manage expectations. This often involves saying No, to some key powerful individuals. Did OKR help you on this front?
We now include OKR into consideration when building our quarterly roadmap.
Around early Feb, we were in a few discussions with the Business team around ramping up new features onto our TV app. The Business leads were so excited about the potential of the business opportunities that come with it.
I was too, but, my team together with the Engineers were already head on working on a Key Result, which the whole company had decided is crucial for this quarter.
Referring back to the company OKR, my team managed to put things in perspective: Do we want to trade this KR for a new potential?
Although we eventually said No, what we did essentially reminding ourselves of the agreed-upon company priority. Hence, the conversation was constructive.
Looking back, it was a good decision.
If I may add, the conversation would have been harder if the Business team wasn’t aware of OKR. Fortunately, Vidio as a company had decided to adopt OKR earlier this year. Thus, OKR is now a shared language across the board.
Although we eventually said No, what we did essentially reminding ourselves of the agreed-upon company priority. Hence, the conversation was constructive.
What challenges did you encounter during the initial adoption?
Since I was temporarily “double-hatting” i.e. leading 2 teams, I had to take care of 2 OKR Cadences in a week. Building and nurturing a new group habit is hard, let alone doing it for 2 teams simultaneously. :)
Writing well and succinctly is also another challenge. This applied when I was writing my own weekly individual OKR and training my colleagues to do the same. Writing well for me is not a walk in the park, to begin with.
Part 2 covers more insights, fun facts about Tisya’s learning, and how Product Narrative assisted her and the team throughout the journey.
