[Case Study] Expanding Objectives & Key Results beyond Pure Delivery

Quarter four is around the corner and yes, this is the last quarter of the year - time is flying in 2020! For many, this means reviewing their objectives and defining the new key results; closing all the major deliverables for the year...

Focusing purely on the deliverables though, might not lead to lasting success. This focus on the 'what' is not addressing the effectiveness of reaching the results. In a previous post - a single focus on performance might impede performance - I highlighted that we also need to look at 'experience'  and 'learning'. What does that mean for our key results?

Here my suggested sections for expanded Objectives & Key Results:

1. Deliverables - what are we serving to our customers; how are we creating value for them
2. Stakeholder engagement - who are we serving; how are we iterating and learning from the experiments
3. Relationships - who are we and what are our principles; how can we create a safe, fun and engaging experience for our team members

Interesting... and what does that mean for our key results? How can we make them concrete and measurable? Let me list examples from a recent project.
Stakeholder Engagement (learning)

• Frequently demonstrate our deliverables to our stakeholders and seek feedback and prioritise upcoming work; 3 demos a quarter
• Work together with the key stakeholders to define the upcoming deliverables so that everyone understands them and knows the role their are play in the overall picture; agreed deliverable list
• Refine a process to respond to ad-hoc requests so that they can be treated with satisfaction and are not impeding the regular delivery; agreed process

Relationships (experience)

• Engage in frequent social virtual gatherings within the team and with nearby teams; 6 social sessions
• Enjoy virtual coffee chats (1:1) with other team members and nearby teams; 10 virtual coffees
• Regular team meetings that focus on removing roadblocks; 3 meetings a quarter

What are your examples? How do you accelerate your teams' effectiveness in reaching their deliverables?

Learn more about Vision-to-Action programs.