How to structure OKRs with OKR Board for Jira?

[Marin Chesley]

We are trialing OKR Board for Jira now and thinking about how to better structure our current company OKRs with teams' OKRs across the quarters and link Jira epics and tasks for proper tracking in this app.  

For example, we have a main Objective for 2023 with 3 key results under it and broke down these company OKRs for each quarter. Some of them contribute to the main company goal directly, and some do not. We also have the team leaders of each team inside the company come with their own OKRs that should be contributing to the main goal. 

What I am looking for is best practices and recommendations on how to effectively structure and align OKRs across different levels and teams within an organization. 

I have read some of their support materials, but still don’t fully understand. 

Any tips or resources would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

[Julia Holovko - Oboard - OKR Board for Jira _ Confluence · Accepted solution]

Hi @Marin Chesley ,

my name is Julia and I represent  OKR Board for Jira by Oboard. Thanks for trying our app! 

The question you asked, is, probably, one of the most frequent among our clients.

I will share with you now three primary methodologies to structure your OKRs as we name them: Classic, Roadmap, and Flat.

1. Classic OKR structure - is when you break down annual Company OKRs into quarterly Company OKRs. These quarterly objectives then serve as the foundation for aligning Department/Team OKRs. Normally you have quarterly meetings, when you do such breakdowns.

Have a look at this structure in OKR Board for Jira. 

 

This is kind of a standard OKR structure, that has demonstrated its effectiveness over time. It is a bit complex, but offers a considerable level of flexibility, facilitating regular check-ins and adjustments, while also providing Departments with sufficient guidance to ensure alignment and cohesion. 

You mentioned, your teams come up with their own OKRs to contribute to the main goals and this is the right way to do it, well done!

2. Roadmap OKR structure. 

The difference from Classic is that breaking down yearly OKRs into quarterly OKRs is done at once during the planning process. And after the planning, you have all quarterly OKRs for the year ahead. This approach may render quarterly Objectives redundant as they tend to repeat from one quarter to the next. Consequently, the emphasis shifts primarily to Key Results. 

Here is this structure in OKR Board for Jira, pay attention to the interval and you will get the idea. 

 

3. Flat OKR structure integrates the breakdown and alignment processes together. This structure eliminates the need for quarterly Company OKRs. Instead, individual Departments autonomously establish their own quarterly OKRs, derived from the overarching yearly Company Objectives.

 Flat OKRs make each Department much more independent in how they will contribute to the Company OKRs, simplifying the OKR structure and improving cooperation.

As far as I understood from your question, this is the structure you use now. 

Here is the screenshot of this structure in our app.

 

We have a dedicated article about OKR alignment with more examples of how to break down your company OKRs into department/team OKRs as well as how to align them in a time frame (annual > quarterly). 

If you are still confused, you can always book a demo (on the OKR Board for Jira page on the marketplace), where we will answer your questions and give advice on the structure that may fit your company.

BR,

Julia

[Julia Holovko - Oboard - OKR Board for Jira _ Confluence · Accepted solution]

Here is the link to OKR alignment article on our blog I mentioned above.

BR,

Julia