In Profit, there are three ways to create an objective:
If you don’t see all of these options available in your account, you may need to reach out to a superuser. to enable the options that are currently unavailable.
To create an OKR, navigate from the Home page to “All My OKRs” using the “OKRs” tab on the toolbar.
On the “All My OKRs” page, you’ll see a “Create OKR” option. When you click this, you’ll find a drop-down list with the three ways you can create an OKR.
Using step by step
Profit’s structured Step-by-Step objective creation tool guides users through every step of creating objectives in the program.
After selecting the Step-by-Step guide, you’ll find there are four steps to create your objective.
The first step asks you to write your objective. This is the space where you will write what you hope to achieve in this period.
In the additional context space, you may provide additional details about your objective that may help your manager or peers better understand your goal.
Examples of good objectives are included beneath the additional context box.
The second step in the guide asks you to choose the target date for your objective. Objectives are long-term goals and are typically targeted to be achieved quarterly or annually. You should choose the time frame that best fits the needs for your objective.
In step three, you select the visibility settings for your objective. Visibility refers to who is able to see your OKRs.
For more information about visibility, see the following video:
For example, if you only want your OKRs to be viewed by your management, you have the opportunity to choose “My Management”, which restricts visibility to just you and your managers. In the interest of transparency, it is highly recommended that you select “All Employees” for your visibility.
The last component of the guide is the alignment section. Aligning with another OKR establishes a connection between your objective and the objective you are aligning with.
For example, you may decide to align your objective with your manager’s in order to contribute to a larger OKR, or you may align your OKR with a peer’s to show a connection to a team OKR. When OKRs are aligned, their relationships are visually represented in a cascading effect beginning with corporate OKRs down to individual OKRs.
To make your objective a key result on another OKR, select the “Add as Key Result” toggle at the bottom of the step.
Quick create
This method allows you to create your objective in a single step. Quick Create is useful once you’ve become more familiar with the program and want to quickly create a new objective.
Once you select “Quick Create” on your “All My OKRs” page, you will see a blue text box where you can type in your objective.
Type in the name of your objective and press ‘Enter’ to create your objective.
For example, if your objective is to “Improve Customer Service”, simply type that into the box and press ‘Enter.’ Your objective will then appear on your OKRs page.
When using Quick Create, your objective will be created assuming some defaults:
- The timeframe for the objective is automatically assumed as the current quarter.
- Visibility is automatically set to “All Employees” for individual OKRs, and “Public” for department and team OKRs.
Once you’ve added the objective though, you can edit the name, timeframe, and visibility at any time by clicking the pencil icon on the right side of the objective.
For example, if you decide you’d like to align your OKR with someone or change the target date, you can do so by clicking on the pencil.
This will open the “Edit Objective” window where you can make any changes or adjustments that you need.
Using form
Form is a great resource to use once you’ve become more comfortable with the objective creation process. After clicking “Create OKR” and selecting “Using Form”, a window will open where users can fill in their objectives and key results in a single window.
Using form, you have the same functions that are in the Step-by-Step guide, but they are all organized in one setting.
Just like with Quick Create, the timeframe is automatically set for the current quarter and the visibility is set for all users. Both of these settings can be changed within the form by selecting “Target Date” and “Visibility.”
The Target Date can be set for the end of any upcoming quarter or year, or it can be set for a customized date.
Visibility can be set for all employees, your management, direct reports for managers, your team, or only yourself. It’s suggested that visibility be set for all employees to promote transparency throughout the organization.
You can also add additional details to the objective by clicking beneath “Additional Context.”
To align with someone else’s OKR, select “Align” to open a window with the OKRs you can align with.
