From Intel's engineering labs to Silicon Valley's unicorns, OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) have transformed how tech companies translate vision into measurable outcomes. But what separates successful OKR implementations from failed experiments? And how can technology leaders avoid the common pitfalls that derail even well-intentioned rollouts?

In this episode, we dive deep with leaders who've shaped OKR practices at some of tech's most influential companies. Our guests Josh Seiden, Holly Bielawa, and Deepika Yerragunta share battle-tested insights from their experiences at Intel, Amazon, Google, and beyond. The episode compiles the best segments around getting started on your OKR journey, de-risking and iterating your rollout, and our guests’ tips on self-checking the health of your OKR implementation. 

Whether you're launching your first OKR initiative or iterating on an existing framework, you'll learn practical strategies for cascading objectives across teams while maintaining strategic alignment. Our conversation includes war stories from the field, as well as intuitive insights on what actually works: fostering genuine collaboration, maintaining human centricity, and achieving the elusive balance between ambition and accountability. 

Watch full episodes with Josh, Holly and Deepika here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL31JETR9AR0FGx2A9HQbq2e1Xywkqb6BQ

 

 

Inside the episode...

• Why OKRs are a powerful alternative to traditional goal-setting frameworks.

• How OKRs promote collaboration and alignment across all levels of an organization.

• Best practices for implementing OKRs: starting small, iterating, and setting clear priorities.

• Tips for integrating OKRs into your product teams using human-centered design principles.

• Differentiating between business OKRs and product OKRs to avoid organizational misalignment.

• How to set and measure strategic objectives with actionable, customer-centric key results.

• Lessons learned from failed and successful OKR implementations, including war stories from the field.

• The role of product operations in making data accessible for measuring OKR progress.

• Why tying OKRs to compensation or promotions can derail the intent of the framework.

 

 

Mentioned in this episode

• Measure What Matters by John Doerr

• Outcomes Over Outputs by Josh Seiden

• Escaping the Build Trap by Melissa Perri

• Continuous Discovery Habits by Teresa Torres

• Who Does What by When by by Jeff Gothelf, Josh Seiden

• User Story Mapping by Jeff Patton

 

 

Convergence Episodes featured 

• Building Customer-Centric Teams: Josh Seiden on OKRs and Agile

• Agile and Beyond Conference 2024: The Latest in A.I. Innovations and Product Development Strategies (features the interview with Holly Bielawa)

• Driving Cultural Change: PepsiCo's Deepika Yerragunta on Customer Obsession and Product Mindset

Unlock the full potential of your product team with Integral's player coaches, experts in lean, human-centered design. Visit integral.io/convergence for a free Product Success Lab workshop to gain clarity and confidence in tackling any product design or engineering challenge.

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