OKRs are about goals bigger than the next story.

OKRs prioritise purpose and strategy over backlogs. Objectives are big goals; key results are constraints, success criteria, maybe small pieces of the bigger thing.

Does your agile team get lead astray by burning fires? Do you struggle to keep your agile team focused?

Do you feel the need for more than just doing the top of the backlog every two weeks?

Are you using, or want to use, OKRs with an agile team?

Then this is the book for you. Acclaimed author Allan Kelly has written a short guide to OKRs, writing them, organizing to deliver and the pitfalls.

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Allan is the author of multiple books on agile and has given advice and training for over 10 years. Now he turns his attention to OKRs.

In this book he doesn't try to sell OKRs - others can tell you why OKRs are great. Allan describes his practical experience working with an agile team adopting OKRs, day-by-day, quarter-by-quarter.

Allan’s advice includes: be really specific in setting goals, involve the whole team in setting OKRs, think broad when setting then execute narrowly, set analogue not binary OKRs and, most controversially, throw away your backlog and let OKRs drive everything you do.

Initially sceptical about OKRs Allan found them a good fit with agile; OKRs became an effective means of focus teams, exposing problems, communicating with senior managers and a powerful means of asking bigger questions about product strategy and value.

OKRs and agile work well together because they are both outcome oriented and results focused. When used right OKRs give power and authority to teams - one could even say OKRs create test first management.

Yet OKR can be a double edge-sword, used poorly they can re-introduce command-and-control and hinder agile working. Allan addresses problems with predictability, aspirations, culture, targets and annual reviews.

Praise for the first edition:

"This is absolutely brilliant book. If you really wants to learn more regarding OKR in Agile and other important stuff related to it you must read this book. It's truly a master piece."

"Super easy to read, with clear chapter summaries. Lots of solid content that is not hidden amongst fluff. Straight to the point and a must have for any agile practitioner curious about okrs"

"Having read other books that argue strongly for OKRs as a panacea to achieve a high-performing organisation, the perspectives here from Allan are balanced, informed by lived experience and provide patterns and anti-patterns to watch for. Insightful and powerful - thank you Allan for sharing such well-considered feedback."

"Allan's writing is perfect for busy managers who need to set objectives and form initiatives that satisfy diverse stakeholders. Plus, it doesn't sugar-coat OKRs - they are part of a management system - not a medicine. Overall, a wonderfully concise and easy to read guide to using OKRs. Highly recommended."

OKRs are important to agile teams because they deal with big thing, they think forward and they engage with senior leaders.

OKRs are about goals bigger than the next story.

OKRs prioritise purpose and strategy over backlogs.

Does your agile team get lead astray by burning fires? Do you struggle to keep your agile team focused?

Do you feel the need for more than just doing the top of the backlog every two weeks?

Then this hands-on, experience informed book is for you. Acclaimed author Allan Kelly describes why you will want to use OKRs, how to write OKRs, how to execute against OKRs in an agile environment to deliver outcomes, and what pitfalls and problems to avoid.

In this book he doesn't try to sell OKRs - others can tell you why OKRs are great. Allan describes his practical experience working with an agile team adopting OKRs, day-by-day, quarter-by-quarter.

Allan is the author of multiple books on agile and has given advice and training for over 10 years. Now he turns his attention to OKRs.

Allan’s advice includes: be really specific in setting goals, involve the whole team in setting OKRs, think broad when setting then execute narrowly, set analogue not binary OKRs and, most controversially, throw away your backlog and let OKRs drive everything you do.

Initially sceptical about OKRs Allan found them a good fit with agile; OKRs became an effective means of focus teams, exposing problems, communicating with senior managers and a powerful means of asking bigger questions about product strategy and value.

OKRs and agile work well together because they are both outcome oriented and results focused. When used right OKRs give power and authority to teams - one could even say OKRs create test first management.

Yet OKRs can be a double edge-sword, used poorly they can re-introduce command-and-control and hinder agile working. Allan addresses problems with predictability, aspirations, culture, targets and annual reviews.

Extra chapters that deepend the discussion in "Succeeding with OKRs in Agile"