Measure What Matters: How Google, Bono, and the Gates Foundation Rock the World with OKRs

by John Doerr

First, we had to define our capacity constraints for developing new software. Then we had to clarify our core priorities. By sharing our high-level OKRs for Connected Fitness, I could explain why certain projects required the allocated time, and where we should be doubling down on the company’s top goals. “This is the process we use,” I said, “and I’m showing you our objectives and key results. You need to let me know if you see anything missing, or if you think we’re working on the wrong things.” It was one-way transparency, and I felt a little nervous going in, but it worked. People began to recognize our limits and adjust their expectations accordingly. For our part, we worked to align with them by finding projects that met cross-departmental objectives. When Albert took hold of our MapMyFitness product team, first he examined the road map and said, “We need to cut half of this, right? We need to strip it down to the things that really matter.” Now we evaluate product features the MyFitnessPal way: “If we take this one off the road map this quarter, what happens? Would it really affect the user experience?” More often than not, the feature in question wouldn’t make a big difference. These calls are not subjective; we have metrics to measure impact. We’re making tougher, sharper choices about where to place our bets these days, and they all stem from the OKR process.