Goal Framework Best Practices?

[Marlon Dale]

Where can I find the most up to date resources on best practices for Goal Framework?

[Namita Mishra · Accepted solution]

Hello @Marlon Dale ,

Thanks for connecting with community to get the response.

You've touched on two closely related topics: Goal Framework in general, and Goal Framework in SPM. You can find more details on both through this link.

When it comes to the best practices for Goal Framework, I mention John Doerr's book - Measure What Matters. You will find it useful while using the Goal Framework in any application, including SPM.

1. Define Clear Objectives:

• Objectives are the "what" you want to achieve. They should be ambitious, aspirational, and qualitative. 
• Aim for a limited number of objectives (typically 3-5) per level (company, team, individual) to stay focused. 
• Objectives should be aligned with a larger company mission. 

2. Set Measurable Key Results:

• Key results are the "how" you will achieve your objective, and they are measurable. 
• They should have clear metrics and a designated owner to track progress. 
• Use a mix of quantitative and qualitative key results. 
• Key results should be outcome-focused and relevant to the objective. 

3. Prioritize Accountability and Ownership:

• Assign a key result owner to each key result for accountability and tracking. 
• Ensure key results are transparent and visible to the entire organization. 

4. Regularly Check in and Iterate:

• Schedule frequent check-ins (weekly or bi-weekly) to track progress and address any obstacles. 
• Regularly review and adjust metrics to ensure the OKR strategy remains effective. 
• Check-ins should be linked to daily work for better integration and tracking. 

5. Embrace a Culture of Openness and Feedback: 

• Leadership should publicly commit to objectives and stay steadfast.
• Encourage open communication and feedback to foster a culture of accountability and learning.

6. OKRs are not performance reviews or compensation tied:

• OKRs are not tied to performance reviews or compensation, allowing for more ambitious goals. 
• They should be aspirational and used to drive results, not evaluate performance. 

In essence, Doerr's OKR framework emphasizes the following and you can easily map these best practices while using SPM:

Topic	John Doerr's OKR Framework	Strategic Portfolio Management
Clear Objective	Define clear objectives. They should be aligned to larger company mission	In SPM, you can define Objectives (aka Strategies) and align them with strategic priorities. This essentially helps to define the strategic direction of the organization and ensures that all initiatives, programs, and investments are aligned to deliver measurable business outcomes.
Focus	Limiting the number of objectives to concentrate on what matters most.	In SPM as well, as a best practice I always guide the users to limit the number of objectives (aka Strategies)
Measurement	Making key results measurable to track progress and identify areas for improvement.	In SPM, you can create goals for your portfolio plans, set targets for them, and evaluate the progress of the goals and targets in Strategic Planning Workspace to accomplish your organizational plans and drive business outcomes.
Transparency	Keeping OKRs visible and accessible to the entire organization.	SPM plays a critical role in keeping OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) visible and accessible across an organization. This visibility is essential for alignment, transparency, and effective execution. The Goals view in the Strategic Planning Workspace gives you an overview of your goals and their targets with the Dashboard, List, and Hierarchy tabs. In this context, I would mention the Hierarchy tab because this helps you to view the goals and targets of the portfolio plan entities in a hierarchical manner. In other words, you can view the goals of the parent entities (of the portfolio plan entities) along with the goals and targets of the current portfolio plan.
Accountability	Assigning ownership to key results to ensure progress is tracked and achieved.	In SPM, one or more targets are used to track and measure the progress of the goal. Every goal and target has an owner who is responsible to achieve that goal \ target. There can be contributors as well who can contribute to the success of the goal \  target. However the accountability lies on the owner of the goa\ target.
Iteration	Regularly checking in and adjusting OKRs based on progress and changing circumstances.	In SPM as well, it is a best practice to regularly check & adjust OKRs based on progress and changing circumstances. This keeps goals relevant, achievable, and aligned with the changing situation. To achieve this, every target has a check-in frequency, basically the defined interval at which the target need to be updated...  Regular check-ins drive accountability and course correction.

One common mistake that I have noticed is folks using the KPIs and OKRs interchangeably.

Basically,OKRs focus on where you want to be, not where you are — whereas KPIs focus on how well you're performing right now.

For example:

OKR:

Objective (O): Delight customer with faster & better response.

Key Result (KR): Reduce average resolution time from 24 hours to 6 hours by end of Q3, 2025

KPI:

Monthly tracking of average resolution time

Additional point: To get few examples of strategic priorities, their goals and targets, refer this link

Hope this answers the query. If it does, please mark the response as correct response to help me and others in this community.

Thank You!

Namita Mishra

[Marlon Dale]

Thank you for the great response! I was looking for something like this in addition to ideal ways of setting up strategies and roles inside SPM and how portfolios are tied to those goals and strategies. To implement all this to make OOB reporting as seamless as possible.

[Namita Mishra]

You are always welcome, @Marlon Dale .

Glad that you found the response helpful.

If you don't mind please mark it as correct response so it will be available in the correct responses category for future access.

Happy SPM Journey !!

Thank You!

Namita Mishra

[ettawilson]

Hello,

I just wanted to add the OKR training at Measure What Matters.

Etta