OKR Rituals

Why this ritual

OKRs rarely fail when they are set. They fade in the weeks after: the sheet stops being updated, the review gets cancelled, and by month three nobody mentions them.

The rituals that carry OKRs through the quarter: set with the MEAL test for goals, checked in ninety seconds every week, reviewed every month, and closed with an honest grade, stretch goals graded separately. The rhythm the OKR Practice installs, run by your own people.

From our case log. A private-equity-backed, listed services business chose where to focus its next phase of growth, and built a set of interdependent KPIs to steer it.

The rhythms in this ritual

01

Quarterly setting: two or three objectives for the whole company, about three key results under each, and every goal put through the MEAL test for goals before it is committed.

02

The weekly Check-In, ninety seconds on every goal: a score from 1 to 10 for each key result, and one sentence on what changed.

03

The monthly review: what moved, what is stuck, and what comes off someone’s plate before anything new goes on.

04

The quarterly close: committed goals graded 100% or failed, stretch goals graded separately and never painted red for being ambitious. Then the next quarter is set.

What changes

OKR Rituals

OKRs still discussed in month three

An honest grade every quarter, with stretch judged fairly

Two initiatives authorised for next quarter, not twelve

FAQ