OKR stands for Objectives and Key Results:
The Objective tells you where to go (eg, New York).
The Key Results tell you if you're getting there (think of them as a GPS device).
The Initiatives show you what you're doing to get there (eg, buy a car, drive east).
To achieve certain results, you need to take action - Key Results won't magically move, they need to be pushed. Initiatives are all those projects you believe will help achieve the desired outcomes. In other words, Initiatives are all those projects and tasks that you believe will help achieve those Key Results!
What does this look like in practice?
The idea behind Initiatives is that you add the high-level projects into Perdoo and then you manage the sub-tasks in your project/task management system:
Some customers add everything they'll do as an Initiative. You can even break these actions down into sub-Initiatives.
While others add the main project and then add a link to the project under the data source of the Initiative. That way anyone can follow up on the details if they wish to.
Add Initiatives to your Objective or Key Result
After creating your Objective, you have the option to Add Result.
From there, choose Initiative under Result Type.
Fill out the following information:
Name
Description (optional)
Lead
Target type: Increase to, Decrease to, Binary, Stay at or below, Stay at or above or Milestone.
Measure as a: Numerical, percentage, or currency. This will automatically be set for Binary (Numerical) and Milestone (Percentage).
Start value and Target value for Increase to or Decrease to, or Threshold for Stay at or below or Stay at or above. This will automatically be set for Binary (0/1) and Milestone (0/100).
Select a Parent Key Result or Initiative if you want the Initiative to be nested below a Key Result or Initiative in the Objective modal. There can only be 1 parent goal and you can only have 1 layer of nesting. If a Key Result or Initiative already has a parent, then you cannot nest another layer underneath it and it will not appear as an option in the dropdown menu.
If you want to add a Start or Due date to your Initiatives, include Contributors, use an Integration, or add a Tag you can do so in the Advanced Options section (scroll to the bottom) when creating or editing an Initiative:
Click Save.
*NOTE:
'Target type' and 'Measure as a' provide the flexibility to track Initiatives in the way thats feels most natural for the project.
To be able to add Initiatives to a Team OKR, you need to be Admin+, be a member of the Team the OKR belongs to, be the lead of the OKR, or be made a Contributor for that OKR. Find an overview of roles and permissions here.
Selecting Initiatives vs. Key Results
Perdoo helps you navigate the difference between Key Results and Initiatives. In-app intelligence warns you when creating Key Results that should probably be Initiatives.
For example, if your Key Result runs from 0-100% progress, it's likely a project or task (an Initiative). Perdoo will show a helpful warning so you can set and achieve consistently great goals.
*NOTE: In the platform, both Initiatives and Key Results are considered Results, so you can change an Initiative to a Key Result and visa versa by editing the Result and selecting Key Result or Initiative instead.
Key Results are marked by a blue arrow symbol while Initiatives are marked by a green list/check mark symbol:
Need a hand?
Contact our friendly Support team via the in-app chat at the bottom-right of your screen, or email support@perdoo.com.