Connecting OKR and projects: How to make your strategy measurable and put it into practice
Many organizations have a clear strategy – and yet, day to day, it often remains unclear which initiatives actually move it forward. The goals sit in a presentation, the projects in a list, and the link between them only exists once someone creates it by hand.
OKRs – Objectives and Key Results – close this gap. Objectives describe what you want to achieve. Key Results measure whether you are achieving it through outcomes, not completed tasks. OKRs define the why and the what. Projects deliver the how: execution. Together, they achieve their full impact.
This article shows what matters with OKRs and how to connect your OKRs with your projects in PlainPPM – in one solution based on Microsoft 365.
The feature on video
Just under two minutes (in German): from the OKR structure and your first Objective to a shared overview of all your initiatives.
What makes good OKR
OKRs are easy to explain. Their strength lies in the discipline with which you put them into practice. Three principles make the difference:
- A few clear Objectives. Focusing on just a few goals per cycle sets priorities – and everyone knows what matters.
- Key Results measure impact. A good Key Result describes an outcome, such as more new customers or shorter lead times – not a list of tasks.
- A fixed rhythm. You review progress regularly and take stock at the end of each cycle. That way, you learn and improve with every cycle.
Experience shows one more thing: an Objective only moves forward when someone works on it. That takes budget and people – just like a project.
One portfolio for goals and projects
That is why OKR and projects belong in the same portfolio. When Objectives are managed separately from projects, both draw on the same resources without anyone seeing it. When they sit in one overview, you decide together what really counts – and see which initiatives contribute to which goal.
How to connect OKR and projects in PlainPPM
Start with the structure. In the OKR module, you set up your OKR structure: strategic goals, with strategic pillars and focus areas beneath them. This lets you map your strategy the way your organization talks about it.
Ideas as a project or as an Objective. You capture new initiatives as an idea, just as you always do. When you create it, you choose the project type: project or Objective.
Link and measure. You place an Objective in your structure – under the strategic goal, pillar and focus area it contributes to. Then you maintain its Key Results, with status and progress.
Your strategy at a glance. The OKR module then shows you how each Objective contributes to your strategy – from the strategic goal down to the individual Key Result.
One life cycle for all initiatives. Objectives go through the same life cycle as your projects: from idea through evaluation and approval to execution. On top of that, the Key Results let you measure how far you have come toward your goal.
Prioritize together. In the idea list, Objectives and projects appear side by side, with Objectives clearly marked. This gives you all initiatives in one overview, so you can prioritize them together and approve what really counts.
What you need
- A clear picture of your strategy. You define the strategic goals, pillars and focus areas – PlainPPM maps them.
- Measurable Key Results. The more clearly an outcome is described, the more meaningful the progress.
- A fixed rhythm. If you update the status regularly, you see early on where you need to adjust course.
- PlainPPM in your Microsoft 365 tenant. OKR builds on the PlainPPM idea and project process.
Frequently asked questions
OKR stands for Objectives and Key Results. Objectives describe what you want to achieve. Key Results use outcomes to measure whether you are achieving it.
An Objective describes a goal and is measured by its Key Results. A project delivers the execution. In PlainPPM, both go through the same life cycle and appear in the same overview.
No. You capture an Objective as an idea, just like a project, and simply choose the project type. Evaluation, approval and execution follow the same process.
Through the Key Results: you maintain their status and progress. In the OKR module, you see where your Objectives stand and how they contribute to your strategy.
No. PlainPPM runs entirely on Microsoft 365 and the Power Platform. OKR is a building block from the PlainPPM Feature Kiosk.
Conclusion
A strategy only makes a difference once it becomes measurable and turns into initiatives. With OKR in PlainPPM, you connect the why and what of your goals with the how of your projects: one structure for your strategy, Key Results for tracking progress and a shared process for all initiatives. To learn how ideas are evaluated and approved in PlainPPM, read our article on idea management.
Try it out for yourself. OKR is ready for you in the PlainPPM Feature Kiosk: you open it with sample data in the trial environment and see how Objectives and Key Results are linked to a strategy – without changing anything in your own environment. If it is a good fit, we build it into your PlainPPM environment; the PlainPPM core remains unchanged.
PlainPPM is project and project portfolio management built entirely on standard Microsoft 365 – native to Microsoft 365, optimized for Microsoft Teams, built on the Microsoft Power Platform. Book a demo
