Scrum Master OKR Examples

Do OKR and Scrum Fit Together?

OKR fits Scrum like a glove. Scrum is an agile operational framework, while OKR is an agile methodology for strategic goal setting, alignment, and management. Scrum is the hand that does things, enveloped by the strategic overlay of the OKR glove. When implemented correctly, the two create a strong symbiotic synergy that can transform an organization from merely operating with agility into a truly agile structure. Let’s examine the purpose of each Scrum and OKR to better understand the strengths and limitations of each, and where they interconnect...

What Is OKR

OKR stands for Objectives and Key Results. It is an agile goal management system that, typically, operates in quarters instead of years. This increased evaluation frequency allows stakeholders to align goals and operational capabilities more often, increasing the agility of the entire operation.

A typical OKR consists of an Objective and 2-5 Key Results that must be achieved for the Objective to materialize. It is highly customer-centric as it focuses on outcomes, not outputs.

On top of that, OKRs are transparent and inclusive. All stakeholders must know what are the strategic Objective and Key Results that will make it a reality. This increased clarity throughout the organization helps align all efforts toward a common goal and overarching strategy.

Ideally, all stakeholders must have a say in formulating the OKRs or at least the timeline for their implementation.

In the early iterations of OKRs, a cascading OKR (OKRs that come from the upper management and are “forced” upon the teams) can be more beneficial in demonstrating how the framework works.

But including all team members in the formulating process has undeniable benefits. Higher motivation, increased focus, a sense of autonomy, and clear alignment are among the most visible outcomes of such an approach.

Formulating and evaluating OKRs necessitates cross-organizational communication. Planning sessions, reviews, retrospectives, and (bi-)weekly OKR check-ins create shorter feedback loops and increase communication between teams. Indeed, all these things come from implementing agile operational models — like Scrum — as well. The main difference between Scrum and OKR is that the latter aims to produce outcomes, whereas Scrum events focus on outputs.

But, of course, Scrum teams must be well-versed in the agile value of outcome-oriented effort.

The two work together beautifully.

What Is Scrum

Scrum is an agile project management framework that increases operational efficiency by shortening the implementation cycles and increasing clients’ feedback.

It has very few rules, which reduces bureaucracy, focuses on continuous learning and improvement, agile adaptability, and short feedback loops.

Scrum often works in weekly sprints, but bi-weekly could be a better fit for alignment with the desired Key Results. The Key Results must be measurable, so each one of them could be achieved by a series of Scrum Initiatives and sprints. The sprint goal(s) could contribute toward a Key Result or map directly to it, in some cases.

That’s why Scrum masters must participate in creating OKRs — even if the Objective is aspirational and realistically unachievable within a quarter, the Scrum master can map the Key Results to specific sprint goals.

Additionally, Scrum masters can have their own OKRs for improving team efficiency and qualifications.

Scrum and OKR Together

OKR brings agile culture to the entire organization. On a strategic level, it implements many of the core agile values: shorter feedback loop, communication, transparency, involvement, and improved output.

It is not designed to guide day-to-day operations, but the Scrum framework is exactly that. Aligning the two effectively aligns the daily efforts with aspirational, strategic objectives, bringing the agile value of constant improvement to the fore on individual and organizational levels.