Key takeaways:

• Why is there a need for an OKR workshop?
• What is the goal of an OKR workshop?
• What is done during an OKR workshop?
• Who is involved in an OKR workshop?
• What is the outcome of an OKR workshop?
• What are the next steps after an OKR workshop?

When it comes to defining, aligning and planning out business objectives nothing works wonders quite like an OKR (Objectives and Key Results) workshop. While in some cases a business's OKR can be done internally in other instances that may not be the case. We at Lizard Global have seen many entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs struggle at this stage as they end up having too many things that they want to achieve all at the same time, or it can be something as simple as not really understanding what is involved in realizing their goals on a granular level.

Even today at Lizard Global, 10 years later, we actively use this framework for our goal-setting to define and track our objectives and outcomes ensuring they align with our vision and mission. This powerful yet simple tool has helped us and many of our clients in driving their focus, aligning the objectives and measuring their progress regardless of the scale of their business.

We’re very proud to share that recently, the Lizard Global team in Rotterdam successfully carried out an OKR workshop that has tremendously helped our client in ensuring their business vision, mission and objectives were clear with measurable outcomes.

Let’s get into what we did and how we helped our client shall we?

Why did the client need an OKR workshop?

Our client had a great idea, he wanted to build a community for people to exchange their knowledge on construction. This is great as the vast majority in the Netherlands usually DIY their home related issues instead of hiring people to work on it. The idea was to create a community platform to bring together plumbers, contractors, architects etc. enabling them to share their knowledge in this field.

Wearing too many hats while working on realizing this idea he came across a hurdle that left the project in a near halt. This overwhelming load and stretching himself thin caused the lack of tangible structure and strategy to form.

Having met one of the Rotterdam Lizards, Shifarah, Business Strategist in a networking event. They got to talking which led to the conversation on Lizard Global’s Workshops, this interaction encouraged the client's decision to seek professional advice on his current predicament.

What was the goal of the workshop?

The goal of any of Lizard Global’s workshops is to help our clients with setting up a comprehensive framework that will enable them to plan out their next steps.

In line with the client’s needs, the OKR workshop was strategically designed to:

• Drive organizational alignment: Alignment within an organization is crucial when it comes to achieving business goals. With this OKR workshop our client would be able to adopt a more collaborative approach that aligns across different teams and departments involved in this project.

• Determine focus areas within the company: The focus areas would help our client hone in on the extremely important aspects of their project that would in return enhance their business.

• Determine ways to enhance current performance: With the focus areas determined, ways current performances can be improved would be set. This would simply be possible because there is a clear end objective and end goal.
  

What was done during the workshop?

The workshop consisted of team brainstorming and thinking along to set strategic and realistic goals that adheres to the specified timeframe envisioned by the client.

During the workshop everyone involved helped:

• Specify niche focus: The team involved in this workshop put their heads together to reestablish the niche that was to be the focus area for this project.

• Marketing strategies: The clearer focus area paved the way to determining the different types of marketing strategies that would be best suited to spread the word about this project.

• Partnerships: The team established the appropriate types of partnerships that will be beneficial for this project both in the short term and long term.

• Platform launch: The setting up of a proper strategy included measurable goals and the initial product roadmap that will eventually lead to the launch of a successful platform in line with the vision, mission and objectives of the client.
  

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Who was involved in the workshop?

Typically an OKR workshop will consist of the client, a project manager, and a business strategist. This OKR workshop had:

Terence Ridder, CEO Asia as the head facilitator whose role was to guide the client toward the right direction by leading the workshop and realigning everything covered in the workshop with the clients vision, mission and objectives.

Kaz van Rootselaar, Head of Product Owners, and Shifarah Asraf, Business Strategist both actively participated as co-facilitators in the workshop by thinking along and giving their expert input every step of the way assisting the head facilitator.

The client is most definitely the most important participant in this OKR workshop as they are the experts in their fields and their knowledge about this industry’s ins and outs is crucial in ensuring a successful OKR workshop.

What was the outcome of the workshop?

By the end of the workshop our client had clear goals and strategy set that they are currently working into the business plan.

The client had not only a one year goal, but a three year goal that they’ll be able to work towards. The strategy and goal setting has shaped a clearer context towards a more realistic start.

At the end of the workshop the client decided that the main goals that they’ll be focusing on are increasing brand awareness, and implementing scalable revenue models. This tangible structure was achieved through KPI setting, lean analytics, and the building of the product roadmap that would allow them to take the first steps towards bringing the platform to life.

What are the next steps?

After a workshop at Lizard Global, our clients have a tangible and actionable plan that enables them to immediately start working on the next phase of their project. For our client in this OKR workshop, the Lizard Global team created a comprehensive and realistic planning sheet that the client will be able to use at every step of their project. This planning sheet allows the client to keep track of what is done, what needs to be done, and how each can be improved.

Based on the outcome of this workshop where there was a clear setting of the vision, mission, and objectives, using the planning and tracking sheet created for them, our client is in the process of:

• Honing in on what are the desired outcomes they’d like to achieve in the next 12 months
• Planning out in detail each step that needs to be taken within this duration
• Setting up realistic approaches to realize those steps
• Determining the appropriate KPIs that need to be achieved which will then determine the next course of action
  

Need a hand?

Are you struggling to identify a strong vision, mission, and objectives for your business? Or are you ready to take your business to the next level?

Our workshops are designed to help all businesses regardless of the scale, so if you’re a newbie or you're a veteran we have something customized just for your business needs. Reach out to us today to get your FREE consultation.