Creating Effective OKRs for Tech Teams with Jeff Gothelf

Scaling Tech - The blueprint for successful tech teams

Are you part of a tech team that is searching for constant and continuous improvement to get better in your business every quarter, every year, and with every software or product launch? Have you had the term 'OKR' bandied about as you try to decide on your company's Outcomes and Key Results?

Jeff Gothelf is the co-author of Lean UX: Designing Great Products with Agile Teams, and Sense and Respond: How Successful Organizations Listen to Customers and Create New Products Continuously. Jeff is my guest today on Scaling Tech, and he's helping me unpack this popular management concept known as OKRs.

When should your Key Results be Outcomes driven – and when should they be Output based? How do we give our tech teams the space and autonomy to identify a solution (and the freedom to pivot) while still holding the company accountable to clearly articulated goals?

As well as being a prolific author, Jeff is a keynote speaker, trainer, and coach with large organizations – not only helping them build better products, but also build a culture that builds better products too. As such, he is ideally positioned to offer unique insight into how to create the right OKRs for your company.

"This is definitely the flavor of the moment when it comes to management ideas." ~ Jeff Gothelf

In This Episode:

- Why 'the making of a thing' doesn't necessarily indicate value delivered to the market

- When is it preferred to set an Outcome-Driven Key Result (over Output)?

- What do teams often get wrong when setting OKRs?

- The problem of changing your OKRs just to match the work you're already doing

- The importance of product discovery when setting OKRs

And more!

Resources:

- Free 1.5-hour Product Strategy Alignment workshop - ideal for any tech teams who seek alignment around ensuring you are building the products/features that are most valuable to your business. Email [e-mail] to see if you qualify.

Connect with Jeff Gothelf:

- Sense and Respond: How Successful Organizations Listen to Customers and Create New Products Continuously - https://www.amazon.com/Sense-Respond-Successful-Organizations-Continuously/dp/1633691888

- Lean UX: Applying Lean Principles to Improve User Experience - https://www.amazon.com/Lean-UX-Applying-Principles-Experience/dp/1449311652

- Website - https://jeffgothelf.com/

Connect with Debbie Madden:

- Website - https://www.stride.build/

- LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/debbiemadden1/

- LinkedIn Page - https://www.linkedin.com/company/stride-build/