1 tip & 3 resources per week to improve your Strategy, OKRs, and Discovery practices in less than 5 minutes.
🛠️ Do You Actually Measure OKR Progress? (Most Don't)
The OKR Trap:
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​Dear Reader,​
Similar to being focused on Discovery motions, but missing Discovery decisions, simply filling in OKR templates will lead to reporting, but not measuring progress.
OKRs that report numbers try to get a template-based Objective right and define a Key Result as something with a number.
OKRs that measure progress take care of the hard conversations through Key Results first and make sure these are leading and influenceable.
Example: A checkout team’s Key Result is about company-wide NPS or revenue figures, which they can only contribute to a little bit. When they should measure specific conversion steps or behaviors, they can influence.
What you can do to change: Show OKR sponsors how focusing on your team's direct influence areas will help you make better decisions and contribute to better overall business goals.
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OKRs that report numbers settle for business-as-usual KPIs without digging deeper into which metrics they need to uncover first but represent their actual priorities.
OKRs that measure progress ensure clarity on strategic topics first, before committing to initiatives and efforts.
Example: A feed team uses vanity metrics like the number of post viewings or an increase in published content when they would monitor (and react to) these anyway.
What you can do to change: Think about the one chance you have to do something differently about moving closer to your Vision next year. Identify one underserved user segment or behavior pattern that could transform your product next year.
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OKRs that report numbers are fine with irregular, “slow” check-ins without linking work to changes in metrics.
OKRs that measure progress use change in Key Results to set weekly/bi-weekly priorities.
Example: OKRs are only reviewed at the end of a cycle with lots of discussion about what went right or wrong.
What you can do to change: Schedule 30-minute bi-weekly check-ins to discuss OKR progress and adjust priorities accordingly. Even if your OKRs won’t be very useful in the beginning, they will create a discussion and shine a light on the problems you have to fix to make them more useful.
If you have ever benefited from my work, I'd appreciate it if you would share​ this newsletter on LinkedIn. It truly helps.
Thank you for Practicing Product,
​Tim​
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I'm excited to bring my beloved in-person workshops back to Berlin in January 2025. You can choose between 1-day workshops on Product Strategy, Product OKRs, or Product Discovery OR get the full 3-day experience for you or your team.
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As a Product Management Coach, I guide Product Teams to measure the real progress of their evidence-informed decisions.
I focus on better practices to connect the dots of Product Strategy, Product OKRs, and Product Discovery.
Product Practice Newsletter
1 tip & 3 resources per week to improve your Strategy, OKRs, and Discovery practices in less than 5 minutes.
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