When you plan your objectives, it is imperative that you know what your management wants to achieve and align yourself to those goals. You can certainly have your individual OKRs, but some level of alignment or connection is indicative of an execution driven organization. The level of alignment is different for each company and Profit allows you to create the ones that are right for your organization.
When creating a new OKR, you have the option to align your OKR with someone else’s. By aligning your OKR with your manager, with the company, a department, or a peer, you can establish a connection between your individual goal and that of another.
You can view these alignments in the “Home” section of Profit to see the connections from your OKRs all the way up.
Your OKRs will appear on the right side of the screen. To view an alignment, select the specific OKR you’d like to view. In the image above, you can see that the individual’s OKR is connected directly to a corporate OKR.
Aligning with my manager’s OKRs
While you can align with someone else during the OKR creation process, you also have the option to align with others after your OKR has been created. There are two types of alignments to think about: those that connect the main ideas of multiple OKRs and those that sync OKR results.
Aligning with another’s OKRs without syncing your results establishes a connection between your OKR and your manager’s, peer’s, or organization’s–it shows that by completing your OKRs, you are contributing to their larger OKR. Ultimately, however, your progress is individual and your completion progress is not directly synced with another OKR.
Or you can create alignments in which your objective is someone else’s key result. When your manager creates his or her OKR, they have the option to assign their key results to someone as an objective. If they choose to assign it to you, your objective is automatically linked to their OKR as a key result. You also have the option to add your objective as a key result to their OKR. This means that your actions and completion status directly affect the completion of your manager’s OKR, as the two are synced.
To create an alignment between your OKR and your manager’s, select “view” to the right of your OKR. Once you have done so, you’ll find the “Alignments” section on the right side of your page.
Once you select “Align”, you’ll be given the option to align with your management’s OKRs, your corporation’s, all departments’, all teams’, all employees’, or selected OKRs. When you select “My Management’s OKRs”, you’ll see a list of your managers with their OKRs beside them.
Select the OKR you’d like to align with and press “Update.”
Once you update these alignments, your manager will receive a notification in their action center that you have aligned with their OKR–they then have the option to accept or reject the alignment.
To sync results between your OKR and your manager’s you follow the same process, but you need to select the “Add as Key Result” toggle at the bottom of the window before completing the alignment. This will add your objective as a key result to their OKR, which will then associate your OKR progress with their’s.
Aligning with another employee’s OKRs
The process of aligning with another employee’s OKRs is just like aligning with a manager’s OKRs. To create an alignment between your OKR and someone else’s, click the “view” option to the right of your OKR.
Once you have done so, you’ll find the “Alignments” section on the right side of your page.
Once you select “Align”, you’ll be given the option to align with your management’s OKRs, your corporation’s, all departments’, all teams’, all employees’, or selected OKRs. When you select “All Employees’”, you’ll see a list of all employees with their OKRs beside them.
Once you open the “All Employees’” page, you can find an employee alphabetically by first name or use the search feature. Their OKRs are listed to the right of their name.
To show a connection between OKR main ideas, choose the OKR you’d like to align with and select “Update” at the bottom of the window.
To sync your progress select the “Add as Key Result” toggle at the bottom of the window and then click “Update.”
Aligning with my department’s OKRs
Aligning with your department’s OKRs follows the same format as aligning with a manager’s or another employee’s OKRs. To create an alignment between your OKR and your department’s, select “view” to the right of your OKR.
Once you have done so, click the “Alignments” option on the right side of your page.
Once you select “Align”, you’ll be given the option to align with your management’s OKRs, your corporation’s, all departments’, all teams’, all employees, or selected OKRs. When you select “All Department’s OKRs”, you’ll see a list of all of the departments in the organization with their OKRs beside them.
Departments are listed alphabetically. When you select your department, you’ll see all of the OKRs for your department listed.
To show a connection between OKR main ideas, choose the OKR you’d like to align with and select “Update” at the bottom of the window.
To sync your progress select the “Add as Key Result” toggle at the bottom of the window for your objective to become a key result of your department’s objective.
Aligning with another department’s OKRs
To align with another department’s OKRs you follow the same process as aligning with your own department’s OKRs. To create an alignment between your OKR and another department’s, select “view” to the right of your OKR. Once you have done so, you’ll find the “Alignments” section on the right side of your page.
Once you select “Align”, you’ll be given the option to align with your management’s OKRs, your corporation’s, all departments’, all teams’, all employees, or selected OKRs. When you select “All Departments’ OKRs”, you’ll see a list of all departments in the company with their OKRs beside them.
The list of departments is organized alphabetically. When you select the department you’d like to align with, you’ll see all OKRs for that department listed.
To show a connection between OKR main ideas, choose the OKR you’d like to align with and select “Update” at the bottom of the window.
To sync your progress with the department’s OKR, select the “Add as Key Result” toggle at the bottom of the window for your objective to become a key result of the department’s objective.
Aligning with Corporate OKRs
You can also align your OKRs with corporate OKRs. To create an alignment between your OKR and your corporation’s, select “view” to the right of your OKR. Once you have done so, you’ll find the “Alignments” section on the right side of your page.
Once you select “Align”, you’ll be given the option to align with your management’s OKRs, your corporation’s, all departments’, all teams’, all employees, or selected OKRs.
On this page, you’ll see a list of all of the corporate objectives for your company.
To show a connection between OKR main ideas, choose the OKR you’d like to align with and select “Update” at the bottom of the window
To sync your progress, select the “Add as Key Result” toggle at the bottom of the window for your objective to become a key result of the company’s objective.
