Linking OKRs to Sprint Goals: A Step-by-Step Guide with Practical Examples

Setting goals and achieving them is an exciting adventure. Like assembling a puzzle, every piece you add brings you closer to the big picture. Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) and Sprint Goals are two pieces of this puzzle in project management. Let’s explore how to fit them together in a way that’s as fun and rewarding as the puzzle itself.

Meet Your Puzzle Pieces: OKRs and Sprint Goals

Before we start assembling, let’s get to know our puzzle pieces: OKRs and Sprint Goals.

OKRs, short for Objectives and Key Results, are like the puzzle box’s picture. The ‘Objective’ is your end goal, the picture you’re trying to create. The ‘Key Results’ are like the edge pieces that help you see progress, providing measurable checkpoints to track how close you are to seeing the full picture.

Then we have Sprint Goals. If OKRs are the puzzle picture, Sprint Goals are the puzzle pieces. These are mini-goals set for each sprint, which is a specific chunk of time, usually ranging from one to four weeks. Each sprint brings us closer to our picture, the Objective.

Fitting OKRs and Sprint Goals Together

The trick to solving our puzzle is ensuring every puzzle piece, or Sprint Goal contributes to the bigger picture, or OKRs. Each sprint should add a piece to your puzzle, getting you closer to your Objective.

Let’s see how it works with an example:

Let’s say you’re leading a team to improve a mobile app. Here’s your puzzle picture (OKR):

– Objective: Make our mobile app a joy to use
– Key Result 1: Half as many app crashes by the end of Q3
– Key Result 2: Make the app load 30% faster by the end of Q3

So, how do we find our puzzle pieces (Sprint Goals)? They might look something like this:

With each sprint, you add a piece to your puzzle, getting closer to your Objective and making your app more joyful to use!

Piecing Together Your Puzzle

By connecting your OKRs and Sprint Goals, you turn project management into a rewarding puzzle-solving adventure. Your team gets more precise focus, better alignment, and the thrill of seeing the puzzle come together. So, grab your puzzle pieces, and let the fun begin!