The 5-Minute Startup CTO #78
A special issue on OKRs
Hi there,
This week’s newsletter is dedicated to OKRs, the goal-setting process introduced by John Doerr at Google and which has grown in popularity ever since.
Having used OKRs both as a full-time CTO and while consulting at a handful of startups, I would happily recommend them despite a few risks and limitations (aren’t there always?).
So here you go:
🔄 Process
First, for a deep dive straight into the world of OKRs, go to whatmatters.com, John Doerr’s site for everything OKR. From the basics, to anecdotes, examples and advice, there is plenty of good stuff in there.
👭 People
Another great starting point is ‘Measure What Matters’ - John Doerr’s book from 2017 is a great introduction to OKRs.
Of particular note, the chapter on performance management, making the case for a three-pronged approach of a) frequent one-on-ones, b) quarterly goal setting (OKRs) and c) formal reviews once or twice a year. A combination I’ve seen work very well first-hand.
🥫 Product
How to apply OKRs to Product Management? Tim Herbig explains in detail how to define Product Goals as OKRs and how to manage these in an agile development environment.
⌨️ Tech
And lastly, Alex Smolen with a write-up of his conference talk on Building effective security OKRs. Good stuff.
Until next time, have a great week
Fabrice
The 5-Minute Startup CTO: every Sunday, 4 top insights in 5 minutes for startup CTOs and Tech Leads. Hand-picked by Fabrice.