A Complete OKR Guide For Microsoft Teams Users

If you regularly set goals for a team or company, you have probably seen and heard the abbreviation OKR more than once. OKR stands for objectives and key results. It is a goal-setting methodology designed to help teams more easily move towards their most important goals and track progress towards achieving them.  

OKRs use a simple and highly stretch goal-setting tool that can be tailored to suit any purpose:  

I will achieve [objective] that can be measured by [key result].  

The objective, or a goal, is what you want to achieve: for example, increase brand awareness, reduce your greenhouse gas emissions to the lowest in the industry, and so on.  

The key result is the metric by which the progress towards the goal will be measured.

For example: Getting a million views on the site, making sure that a quarter of the materials used for production are biodegradable, and so on.

It helps companies to set measurable goals for the entire organization and run effective performance management systems.

The history of OKR can be tracked back to 1954 when Peter Drucker invented the central concept of “management by objectives” (MBO). In the year 1968, this concept evolved to OKRs as we know them today. OKR Methodology s a dynamic idea that leaves companies a tremendous number of possibilities to create ambitious goals.

What Is OKR Methodology In Microsoft Teams?

Possibilities of OKRs in business

• Getting rid of micromanagement. The manager can concentrate on big and important company goals for the entire organization.
• Development of creativity. Performers have the freedom to choose how they achieve results.  
• Objective assessment of the results. Measurable KPIs allow you to objectively assess whether a goal has been achieved.  
• Increased responsibility and team involvement. Since teams set goals themselves, they take responsibility for achieving them.  

Who Are OKRs For?

• Small start-ups where it is important for the whole team to work in the same direction. Especially in technology industries, where you need to grow quickly in order to receive investments before the initial capital runs out. Competence and structure in setting OKRs will show investors that the company knows where it is going and understands what steps need to be taken to achieve the planned results.  
• Medium-sized companies that are expanding. Tracking OKR will be useful for synergy of work – teams will be synchronized vertically and horizontally.
• Large companies. The methodology cultivates team cohesion while encouraging autonomy and independence. Everyone works and is responsible for their individual okrs , but everyone strives to achieve common company goals.  

Advantages Of OKRs for MS Teams Users

• Efficient performance management. Employees are more involved and disciplined – everyone sees goals, and employees themselves evaluate the results.  
• Correct prioritization. The focus is on achieving truly important and promising goals that will become growth triggers.  
• Transparency. Success indicators are predefined as well as intermediate targets.  
• Focusing. Resources and efforts are spent on purpose.  
• Strategic consistency. The efficiency of communication between the project participants increases.  

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How To Manage OKRs In Microsoft Teams?

The best way to manage OKRs inside Microsoft Teams is to take advantage of an OKR or goal-setting software built for the platform. There are plenty of viable alternatives out there but the best OKR software for Microsoft Teams has to be Teamflect.

All you need to do in order to track OKRs effectively inside Microsoft Teams is to visit the Microsoft Teams App Store, and download Teamflect.

Once you’ve done so, you can set OKRs with ease and have your employees regularly update their OKRs inside Microsoft Teams.

With Teamflect’s OKR software, you can easily define, align, track, and visualize objectives and key results. What is a better platform there than Microsoft Teams to track the performance of your employees and measure your company’s OKRs?  

Refining goals, fostering employee engagement, and encouraging feedback have never been easier with the Teamflect app for Microsoft Teams.  

Teamflect allows you to do the following:

• Organize effective 1-on-1 meetings, that will help keep all the members of the organization on the same page with regards to the OKRs.  
• Use the OKR Software to make sure the goals and plans are persistent among the employees.  
• Increase transparency within the organization by tracking goals and the progression of their completion.  
• Reward your employees for their work and keep them motivated to achieve more goals in the future through the Rewards & Recognition Software.
• Integrate feedbacks into your goal tracking with an exceptional feedback module.
• Access templates designed with convenience in mind to cut down on your workload.

…and much more.  

All of this without ever having to leave Microsoft Teams to access a secondary software. With an accurate OKR cycle and the right OKR software, you focus on the essential measures in your company at all levels. This will increase your motivation – and your company will achieve success even faster and remain profitable in the long term.  

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Start using Microsoft Teams to manage your goals!

Try Teamflect for Free

No credit card required.

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OKR increases the effectiveness and efficiency of your employees. And with clear goals, your employees gain confidence, and you increase employee engagement – because they know what contribution they can make to the company.

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How to Set & Track OKRs in Microsoft Teams?

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While the detailed video above clearly demonstrates how you can set and track OKRs in Microsoft Teams, below we've also included a step-by-step guide into how you can use the best OKR software for Microsoft Teams, Teamflect to set and track OKRs inside Microsoft Teams.

1. Enter Teamflect's Goals Module

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This is where you can not only see all the goals you own in a clear, cascading structure. Under the "My Goals" tab, you can view and edit the progress of all the goals currently assigned to you with ease. Once you click "New Goal", you will be greeted with a detailed goal-setting pop-up.

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2. Create OKR & Add Details

This is where you can add all the necessary details to the OKR you are creating. You can include the following details:

• Goal Type
• Owners
• Progress Type
• Parent Goal
• Custom Goal Labels
• Goal Visibility

If your chosen goal-setting methodology is objectives and key results, you are encouraged to measure progress through the progress of subgoals.

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3. Track OKRs in Microsoft Teams

Once all the OKRs are set, all there is left to do is regularly track the progress of OKR owners. Teamflect allows you to do this multiple different ways inside Microsoft Teams.

While you can view progress in bulk inside the Goals module, you also have the options to:

• Integrate goals into Microsoft Teams meetings for discussions.
• View goal progress inside performance appraisals.

Goal owners will also be receiving automated check-ins that they can fill out right inside Microsoft Teams increasing accountability & visibility.

Useful OKR Examples for Microsoft Teams Users:

Objective 1: To design, create and launch a new product.  

Key Results:

• Survey 50 existing customers on what they would like to see in a new product line  
• Create a new product  

In this case, the OKR might take some work. It is probably not possible to achieve the goal in a single quarter. While the first KR is well formulated, the second result is not quantifiable and thus represents a negative example.  

Objective 2: Implement a new email campaign  

Key Results:

• Write email copy to send to outbound leads  
• Obtain a list of outbound leads  
• Send e-mail to everyone on the list  

Unfortunately, this would not be considered an OKR example but rather a project with a task list. Remember that goals are big ambitions, and OKR methodology is a quantifiable degree to achievable goals.

Here are further OKR examples you can follow. You can simply use them as an OKR template as you go forwarded and set your own OKRs:

Objective: Increase website traffic by 25%

• Key Result 1: Improve website SEO by optimizing meta tags and content
• Key Result 2: Increase social media engagement by 50% through more frequent and engaging posts
• Key Result 3: Launch a targeted email marketing campaign to reach a wider audience

Objective: Enhance customer experience and satisfaction

• Key Result 1: Implement a customer feedback system to gather feedback from customers
• Key Result 2: Reduce response time to customer inquiries by 50%
• Key Result 3: Increase customer retention rate by 20%

Objective: Increase sales revenue by 15%

• Key Result 1: Expand product line by launching 2 new products
• Key Result 2: Increase marketing spend by 30% to target new customer segments
• Key Result 3: Improve sales team performance by providing regular training and coaching

Objective: Streamline internal operations for greater efficiency

• Key Result 1: Implement a project management system to track progress and reduce delays
• Key Result 2: Automate manual processes by integrating technology tools
• Key Result 3: Standardize workflows across teams to minimize errors and confusion

Objective: Improve employee engagement and retention

• Key Result 1: Conduct regular employee satisfaction surveys and take action based on feedback
• Key Result 2: Increase opportunities for professional development and training
• Key Result 3: Offer competitive compensation and benefits package to attract and retain top talent.

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Why Is Microsoft Teams The Right Platform For Organization’s Using OKRs?

Integrating OKRs into the most widely used collaboration and communication platform is a great way for organizations to leverage Microsoft Teams intuitive nature to streamline the OKR process and foster a more cohesive and engaged work environment.

So… Why is creating and tracking OKR teams within Microsoft Teams a smart strategic move?

1. A Centralized Communication Hub

Microsoft Teams provides a centralized platform where all members can communicate, collaborate, and access the same information. By integrating OKRs into this platform, leaders make sure that objectives and key results are always visible and in the flow of work.

When OKRs are inside Microsoft Teams, employees don’t have to go out of their way to keep track of their goals. They can quite easily collaborate on them together over Teams.

2. Integration with Existing Workflows

Most teams are already familiar with Microsoft Teams as a primary communication tool. So why would they need to make a shift to an entirely different platform?

Incorporating Their OKRs into their existing workflow minimizes the learning curve and maximizes adoption, ensuring that OKRs become an integral part of the daily routine rather than an added complexity.

3. Access to OKR Tools and Software

Microsoft Teams isn’t just a standalone platform. Microsoft Teams has a rich ecosystem of goal setting and performance management applications.

Considering that Microsoft Teams also houses Teamflect, an OKR software designed specifically for the Microsoft Teams platform, managing OKRs and using Microsoft Teams truly goes hand-in-hand.

Integrating OKR tools Microsoft Teams allows teams to leverage specialized features designed to optimize the OKR process.

From setting objectives to tracking progress and analyzing results, tools like Teamflect facilitate a comprehensive OKR management system within the familiar interface of Microsoft Teams.

4. Enhanced Visibility and Tracking

Managing OKRs in a platform like Microsoft Teams makes them more visible and easier to track. With the comfort of not having to leave the main communication and collaboration hub, managers enable real-time visibility into the progress of each objective and key result.

Team members can update their progress, share insights, and seek support directly within the platform, allowing for dynamic tracking and adjustment of OKRs in response to changing circumstances.