What Are OKRs?
If you have been setting goals and pushing the limits that the world has set on you, you have probably heard of SMART goals. Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic, and Timely. IT is a fantastic framework to help make sure the goal you set makes sense.
Recently we have seen the attention span of individuals continue to erode and goal setting has made a major shift from Yearly Resolutions to 90-Day sprints. OKR’s, Objectives & Key Results, are a new way of looking at effort that helps make moonshots possible.
Probably the best, and most referenced, example is this talk from Google. One of the pioneers in using OKR’s to achieve massive organizational progress.
One of my key take aways is that Objectives should be big. Big enough that they may not be 100% achievable. I have always shot high to get where I am today and enjoy that.
The important thing is that they should reflect your organization and be a part of the culture. To that end, the tools I review will be based on how well they can be built into the culture with 1 on 1 (1:1) facilitation, integrations, etc. You may find a tool that works better for you and your teams that didn’t work for me and mine. That is ok!
To really see how to orchestrate OKR’s, I recommend this resource published by Weekdone. Probably the best examples out there! You might even want to copy a few to get started!
Atiim
Working in an Enterprise level organization, Atiim was the first product that really jumped out at me. They have a robust client list that includes financial institutions, so you know they take security seriously. They develop mobile-first, so it is a tool we can use on Walking 1 on 1’s.
Small businesses will probably be left out until they develop a freemium model though. Implementation comes with consulting by default, which requires at least 35-50 seats.
$10 / user / month (min 35 users)
Pro’s
- Mobile First
- 1:1 facilitation
- 360* Feedback
- Low per user seat cost for such a robust tool
- OKRs are multi-level and can roll up and down to view blocks and completeness
- Onboard coaching included
Cons
- No try before you buy
- Large minimum license count
BetterWorks
BetterWorks is a solid platform for and also what I would consider Enterprise Grade. Very professional but seems more HR-focused than deliverable-focused. Confirmed when speaking to their representative. They would not move forward without an HR representative, though our OKR initiative is through IT.
Seems more focused on goals, but not quite a full OKR tool. The feedback and other tools were strong but left feeling this was more of a tool to help a business get started with goals, managed by HR initiative.
Pros
- Roll up and supporting OKR’s
- Encourage each employee to be a part of the process with a Goal Lite subscription that is personal and not tied to OKR’s.
- Many integrations
- Multi-level administration privileges
Cons
- Only available to larger organizations
- Looking for 35+ licenses
- Would not discuss pricing
Weekdone
Weekdone was my first experience with OKR’s. If you haven’t seen their OKR Examples page, I highly recommend starting there to see how this should all come together. Weekdone and Atiim definitely lead the pack in educating and championing OKR’s.
Multiple views to data specific to app viewing is an interesting model. I don’t like having multiple apps where it isn’t needed but having a separate weekly task app that is very clear compared to a full OKR app for the front line might keep things on point without being overwhelming.
1-3: Free
4-10: $750 / year
Pros
- Free for teams of 3 to get started
- Breakout of weekly vs OKR objectives
- Excellent education throughout the process
- OKR’s are multi-level and can roll up and down to view blocks and completeness
- Many integrations
- SSO & SAML
- Personalized onboarding, roll-out & team training
- Dedicated customer success manager
Cons
- Number of apps may be overwhelming
7Geese
Very clean interface and one of the most recommended on the internet. Definitely built to be a central hub of OKR and communication.
$12.50 / user / month – $3,000 annual minimum
Pros
- Goal management based on OKRs
- Values-based peer recognition
- 1-on-1 training and coaching
- Performance check-ins
- Continuous peer and 360 feedback
- Reporting, dashboards, and org chart
- Engagement and pulse surveys
- Performance reviews
- Many integrations
- SSO & SAML
Cons
- High price to get started
Perdoo
Very attractive OKR dashboard that rolls up responsibilities. I really like that each OKR can have an Owner, Lead and Contributors called out to clearly show the supporting cast. While it has a chat on each milestone, it is missing 1:1 tools that I think are critical to an OKR tool.
$7.50 / user / month
Pro’s
- Excellent breakout of contributors to OKR’s
- Roll up dashboard for visibility
- Slack integration to post progress to a channel
- Coaching available for extra
Cons
- No 1:1 tools
Workboard
A nice goal dashboard for small teams who like to live in Slack. 1:1 support seems to only be a 2-question scrum form.
$20 / user / month
Pros
- Slackbot integration
- Kanban board for effort tracking
Cons
- No 1:1 support
- Does not go multi-level for OKR’s
- One of the most expensive solutions for the limited features
GTM Hub
At first, I thought it was an open-source solution, but GTM Hub is one of the most dynamic of all of the solutions. If you are looking for an OKR dashboard to pull from multiple sources every month, this is a strong option. I feel without the facilitation of the 1:1 meetings, the OKR dashboard loses a lot of its power. This could probably be delivered with another solution like Grow.
“The true power of Gtmhub, however, is the ability to deliver a new connector in 3 days. If we don’t have it and you need it – we’ll have it.”
$10 / user / month
Pros
- Multi-Level OKRs that roll up
- Onboard coaching
- Pre-meeting emails
- SSO
- Security for Finance/Healthcare
- API for integration into current systems/dashboards
- Automated importing of OKR progress through integrations to Analytics, SalesForce, Jira, etc
- Supports SQL and R, with Python coming soon
Cons
- Supports “conversations” but not 360* reviews or 1:1’s
- Purely an OKR dashboard
Lattice
A Coworker is testing out Lattice with his team now. Very design-friendly interface. Mobile-first so walking 1:1’s are easy. 360* feedback supported with multiple levels of privacy. I think the thing that stood out most for me was the pre-meeting email so our 1:1’s can be as effective as possible.
$9 / user / month
Pros
- Multi-Level OKRs that roll up
- Mobile Interface
- 1:1 support
- Pre-meeting emails
- 360 Feedback with privacy
- SSO & SAML
- Security for Finance/Healthcare
Cons
- Looks and feels like a startup
- Unconvinced on security for critical organizations
MyObjectives
Many of the same data points, but really looks and feels like an Excel file turned into an app. Design-wise it looks like a lot of charts, graphs, and info-pushed together into a single view. Low on the pricepoint, but feels like a tool a micro-manager would want.
$50 / month (for 5 team minimum, additional are $25/mo)
Pros
- Lowest price point per user per month
Cons
- Looks like Excel charts