Let's start from the beginning. I'm almost 100% sure that the SMART methodology sounds familiar to you. It's no wonder it's one of the most widely used methodologies for defining business and marketing objectives today. However, you've probably also heard of OKRs and their strengths. OKR or SMART methodology? Let's see which ones they are!
OKR is a management methodology created by former Intel CEO Andrew Grove to simplify the setting of company objectives. OKR stands for Objectives and Key Results.
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OKRs allow us to set objectives or goals and translate those goals into key results. In other words, they encourage us to set challenges and measure the achievement of those challenges through a series of results that we consider essential for the challenge to be achieved.
Basic structure of OKRs
The goal: Where do you want to go?
The key result: How do I know if I'm getting close to my goal or not?
Of course, setting goals and KRs isn't enough; we'll need to specify tasks later. Tasks are an essential part of the methodology's functioning, serving as the levers of implementation necessary for achieving the KRs that allow us to reach our objective.
This is one of the first aspects that differentiates OKRs. They clearly link goal, outcome, and action, so that everything we propose becomes a path to achieving a goal. Therefore, all actions that feed into a KR (or several) will be "good."
3. A task helps me define what I will do to move in that direction
What action must be taken to achieve this?
This, which seems obvious, is one of the problems that the SMART methodology faces : it sometimes fails to adequately combine what we want with what we do to achieve it.
It's not always a problem with the methodology itself; sometimes it stems from a poor approach to its application, but it's a common obstacle.
Furthermore, OKRs stand out for their versatility and effectiveness in achieving objectives through team coherence and cohesion. Each objective is formulated not only to clarify what should be sought, but also to keep everyone committed to the same goal.
By ensuring the entire team is aware of goals and KR at the various levels of the organization, it is easier for the entire team to contribute, from their own areas, to achieving global objectives by achieving their own goals.
One of the essential purposes of working with OKRs is to connect company, team, and staff objectives and translate them into quantifiable results, so that the entire team can pull in the same direction.
That's why OKRs, despite being a methodology born within the organization, are very attractive for applying to marketing and even personal life. Ultimately , OKRs are goals you can set to achieve growth and improvement in different areas of your life: personal, work, financial, professional, etc.
