Bart den Haak - Moving the Needle With Lean OKRs: Setting Objectives and Key Results to Reach Your Most Ambitious Goal

Moving the Needle With Lean OKRs

Moving the Needle With Lean OKRs

Setting Objectives and Key Results to Reach Your Most Ambitious Goal

Bart den Haak

Moving the Needle With Lean OKRs:
Setting Objectives and Key Results to Reach Your Most Ambitious Goal

Copyright Business Expert Press, LLC, 2022.

Cover design by Albert-Jan Massenberg

Interior design by Exeter Premedia Services Private Ltd., Chennai, India

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other except for brief quotations, not to exceed 400 words, without the prior permission of the publisher.

First published in 2021 by

Business Expert Press, LLC

222 East 46th Street, New York, NY 10017

www.businessexpertpress.com

ISBN-13: 978-1-63742-115-4 (paperback)

ISBN-13: 978-1-63742-116-1 (e-book)

Business Expert Press Portfolio and Project Management Collection

Collection ISSN: 2156-8189 (print)

Collection ISSN: 2156-8200 (electronic)

First edition: 2021

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To Melody and Kyte

Description

This book introduces a thorough but lightweight goal setting system for achieving breakthrough corporate results. OKR is shorthand for Objective and Key Resultsa goal-setting tool for both individuals and teams that involves setting ambitious goals that have measurable results. Lean OKRs are the evolved version of the OKR strategy execution tool that has powered the transformational journeys of giants like Google and Facebook. Den Haaks expansive experience in corporate coaching, solid theoretical background, and fresh voice make this insightful publication an asset for business students and leaders who are starting-up or expanding their enterprise. The tested, easy-to-use method the book presents is rooted in applied behavioral science and management techniques, building on Toyota Kata, Cynefin, 4DX, and even game design. Thus, it is perfectly fitted to meet the needs of contemporary companies who want to achieve big hairy audacious goals in a world of increasing uncertainty.

The book presents insightful anecdotes, creative exercises, clear figures, and step-by-step models to make the reader familiar with the Lean OKRs systematic method. Designed to be a comprehensive guide, it covers everything from theoretical roots to the practical execution of OKR workshops, from implementation procedures to integrating metrics on dashboards, and from company-wide strategy alignment to emotional management. Applicable to small companies as well as large organizations, Lean OKRs drives innovation through behavioral changes, empowering and motivating teams, and bringing the soul back to OKRs. Practical and to the point throughout, the book convincingly integrates a unique combination of structural and leadership strategies, resulting in a new approach to OKRs that conquers the hurdles experienced by most companies today.

Keywords

growth; innovation; objectives and key results; OKR; OKRs; lean; goal setting; strategy execution; stretched goals; empowered teams; agile; check-ins; moving the needle; behavior change; key performance indicators/KPIs; performance management; metrics; experiments; culture change; workshops; dashboard; quality; project; project management

Contents

Ive had the privilege of collaborating with Bart den Haak in a community of practice (Agile Fluency Project). There Ive appreciated his straightforward approach and willingness to share his insights about OKRs. Now he has produced this excellent guide to everything you need to know and do for success with OKRs in your organization. Notice how often he cautions against a superficial implementation. His thoughtful attention to the fundamentals of agile approaches shine through. The many stories of his experiences across industries shows his depth and breadth of knowledge about success and failure patterns. If youre curious about OKRs, read this book. Follow den Haaks guidance. Find your path to directed success.Diana Larsen. Co-Author of Agile Retrospectives and Lift off. Co-Founder of the Agile Fluency Project

If there is one book to recommend to move your organisation forward with OKRs, it is this book. Many books overcomplicate and make the reader puzzled where and how to start with OKRs.

This book is unique in providing you a comprehensive overview and use of OKRs while guiding you with refreshing use cases, tips and practical steps to make change with OKRs happen in your organization.

Last not least, this book is enjoyable to read and will make you energized making things happen.Arran McLean, Senior Product Manager at Aptic AB

I worry that many potential readers, who would benefit greatly from this book, may be put off just by the mere mention of an OKR, due to past experiences where OKRs have failed to live up to expectations.

I have been fortunate enough to have worked alongside Bart earlier in my career and have also shared such an experience with him. While I became indifferent, or even skeptical, of OKRs an opinion compounded, in turn, my meeting others with the same view as the years went on Bart was different.

Bart saw past OKRs as something pioneered by the mighty Google, but out of reach in reality to the rest of us. Or an over-hyped management silver bullet touted by hungry consultants. He saw the real value in OKRs, as an evolution of established theory and practice in goal setting, which could be further strengthened by the proven principles of Lean Thinking.

By combining his unique insight, decades of collated research and his hands-on experience of knowing how and why OKRs fail, Bart has created Moving the Needle with Lean OKRs; essential and motivating reading for anyone wanting to do just that: move the needle, in their organization.

Moving the Needle with Lean OKRs explains why mission, vision and strategy are paramount to forward-thinking organizations and how setting ambitious, measurable goals, enriched with Lean concepts, can be transformational in realizing them.

The book moves from the theoretical to the more pragmatic side of working with OKRs. This also serves as great reference material to revisit when brushing up on, for example, OKR check-ins or best practices for measuring objectives. It then goes on from the getting started to more advanced topics such as how OKRs relate to team empowerment and cultural and behavioral transformations.

One criticism may be that it reads a little academically at times, but conversely this style serves as a goldmine of references for those wanting to continue exploring the subject in more depth.

In summary, Moving the Needle with Lean OKRs is an incredibly comprehensive and essential addition to the bookshelves of those wanting tangible concepts and practices for realizing their, and of their organizations ambitions; even stretching those ambitions to something you may not have thought possible.Phil Mander, VP of Technology at Harver

The topic of OKRs has been on my radar since 2014 when I observed its failure first hand. Since then I was both fascinated by its simplicity and all the success stories as much as anxious to start implementing it, as I know doing it wrong inevitably leads to more harm than value.