Screenshot of Coεmeta's 2022 Q1 OKRs (link to full sheet, see open-access templates below)
(70% is a conventional OKR target, with consistently higher performance indicating too little ambition & stretch goal-setting, but this can obviously be calibrated by context & custom as appropriate.)
(open-access & CC BY, feel free to copy & use / adapt!):
Objectives & Key Results or OKRs are a goal-setting framework native to Silicon Valley & made popular (or notorious) by Google. They've become much maligned & parodied, probably due to being misused, overused & abused.
But ultimately OKRs are about as simple & lightweight a container as imaginable for defining strategic Objectives & assigning a few measurable Results which should represent concrete progress towards the goal. Given this simplicity & flexibility, the devil has lots of room to lurk in the details & implementation.
But we've used OKRs productively both personally & within work teams, & developed 2 custom Google Sheet templates tailored to our particular use.
We find 3x3 OKRs (3 Objectives with 3 Key Results each) to be optimally elegant & robust — for aesthetic, numerological & practical reasons.
2022 Q1 |
Key Result 1 | Key Result 2 | Key Result 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Objective 1: Infinite game engine (stabilize P&L) | Hit revenue break-even point by end Q1 | Test & assess 3 revenue strategies / tactics: (Web 3, Patronage, Solopreneur-focus OR Packaged services + outreach) | Set money mgmt plan |
| Objective 2: Find the others (grow network & relations) | Add 50 frens to CRM | Build 3 org / group alliances | 2 collabs + 6 exchanges |
| Objective 3: Serve & grow the game (commons, game~B) | 5 Client outcomes / impacts / testimonials | Ship 8 poasts & 3 tools | Reach 800 ppl across platforms |
2022 Q2 |
Key Result 1 | Key Result 2 | Key Result 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Objective 1: Infinite game engine (stabilize P&L) | Maintain net profit thru Q2 | Test & assess 3 revenue strategies / tactics: (Patronage, Packaged services + outreach, Web 3 OR Solopreneur resources) | Set money mgmt plan |
| Objective 2: Find the others (grow network & relations) | Call & steward 2 crews | 2 collabs + 6 exchanges | Explore partnerships, apprenticeship etc to scale client work |
| Objective 3: Serve & grow the game (commons, game~B) | 5 Client outcomes / impacts / testimonials | Ship 4 poasts & 3 tools | Reach 800 ppl across platforms |
2022 Q3 |
Key Result 1 | Key Result 2 | Key Result 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Objective 1: Infinite game engine (maintain P&L) | Maintain net profit thru Q3 | Stabilize earn at 4x burn (costs), & rate >= 100 | Set money mgmt plan |
| Objective 2: Find the others (grow network & relations) | Steward & sustain crew | 2 collabs + 6 exchanges | Ramp up partnerships / apprenticeship to scale client work. target: 10% of freelance time supplemented |
| Objective 3: Serve & grow the game (commons, game~B) | 5 Client outcomes / impacts / testimonials | Ship 4 poasts & 3 tools | Reach 800 ppl across platforms |
... (skipped 2 quarters due to circumstances, see corresponding Public Work Log entries: 1, 2)
2023 Q2 |
Key Result 1 | Key Result 2 | Key Result 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Objective 1: Infinite game engine (revenue strategy) | Sustain & share / reinvest past harvest | Sow seeds for alt income strategies | Set money mgmt plan |
| Objective 2: Find the others (grow network & relations) | 3 hrs / week engaging w allied communities / platforms | convos with 9 folks re: indie mutual aid platform | Steward & sustain (& expand?) crew |
| Objective 3: Serve & grow the game (commons, game~B) | Spec & prototype indie mutual aid platform mvp | 9 pod / vod convos | Ship 3 poasts & 3 tools |
2023 Q3 |
Key Result 1 | Key Result 2 | Key Result 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Objective 1: Infinite game engine (revenue strategy) | Sustain & share / reinvest past harvest | Sow seeds for alt income strategies | Generate 3 paying projects from other pillar activities |
| Objective 2: Find the others (grow network & relations) | 3 hrs / week engaging w allied communities / platforms | convos with 9 folks re: indie mutual aid platform | Steward & sustain (& expand?) crew |
| Objective 3: Serve & grow the game (commons, game~B) | Spec & prototype indie mutual aid platform mvp | 9 pod / vod convos | Ship 3 poasts & 3 tools |