Quantive launches Check-ins feature to better align teams

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Multi-level OKR alignment on Quantive's strategy execution platform

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So, you’re looking for a solution to manage your company’s OKRs. &nbsp;It’s a big undertaking — and we’re here to help.Whether you’re a startup, SMB, or enterprise, the <a href="https://quantive.com/solutions/results/okr-software" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">right OKR software</a> will support the way you do OKRs. It should be easy to use, help everyone see their contributions and goal commitments, and facilitate a frictionless OKR process across your whole organization.&nbsp;With the right OKR software, you should be able to:<ul><li>Create and manage OKRs</li><li>Do the OKR work</li><li>Track and report on progress</li><li>Manage users and your organization</li><li>Support app and data integrations</li><li>Understand service and support options</li><li>Evaluate security options</li></ul>We’ll cover what each capability means and help you ask the right questions so you can learn your non-negotiables, get the features you need most, and ultimately choose the right provider for your unique OKR journey.<hr>Don't have time to read the full article now? <a href="https://info.quantive.com/hubfs/Quantive_Guides/OKR_Software_Buyers_Guide.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Download the pdf</a> and save for later.<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:50%;"><a href="https://info.quantive.com/hubfs/Quantive_Guides/OKR_Software_Buyers_Guide.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/gtmhub/image/upload/v1670538172/site-v5/Buyers_guide_39278b0979.png" alt="Buyers guide.png"></a></figure><hr>

OKR software should support the <a href="https://quantive.com/resources/articles/okr-meaning" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">OKR framework</a> within its design and features. When the creation and management capabilities of an OKR platform are intuitive, flexible, and work at scale, the process can run smoothly, helping everyone stay aligned and informed without constant oversight.&nbsp;For example, consider the ability to organize the OKR cycle to best fit your organization. This involves different sessions, cadences, and levels to support your unique execution needs. If your company is like many other modern organizations shifting towards shared OKRs, you should choose software with fully customizable OKR ownership.&nbsp;<blockquote>The ability to create depth without complication is the sign of a great OKR platform.</blockquote>Whether it’s collaboration, task management, or alignment-dedicated tools, OKR software should leave you feeling in control of your creation and management process.&nbsp;<a href="https://quantive.com/solutions/results/okrs-for-enterprise" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">OKR software specifically aimed at enterprises</a> can go even further in-depth to support collaboration, cross-functional OKRs, and automation at scale.<h3>Checklist for OKR creation and management</h3><ul><li>Can the software support a variety of cycles and sessions?&nbsp;</li></ul><hr><ul><li>Can the software align different OKR cadences?&nbsp;</li></ul><hr><ul><li>Does the software support dynamic OKR levels?&nbsp;</li></ul><hr><ul><li>Does the software offer <a href="https://marketplace.gtmhub.com/marketplace/okrs-examples?currentPage=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">OKR templates?</a>&nbsp;</li></ul><hr><ul><li>Does the software enable shared team ownership and collaboration?&nbsp;</li></ul><hr><ul><li>Are there built-in best practice tools that guide your OKR creation?&nbsp;</li></ul><hr><ul><li>Can the software support a full alignment view?&nbsp;</li></ul><hr><ul><li>Does the software come with built-in task management?&nbsp;</li></ul><hr><ul><li>Does the software give you search and filter capabilities?&nbsp;</li></ul><hr><h3>Enterprise checklist for OKR creation and management</h3><ul><li>Does the software offer cascaded key results?&nbsp;</li></ul><hr><ul><li>Can the OKR platform automate repetitive tasks?&nbsp;</li></ul><hr><ul><li>Can the platform integrate with other technology systems to automate OKR and KPI updates?</li></ul><hr>

Creating and managing OKRs is just the start of a successful OKR transformation.&nbsp;<a href="https://quantive.com/resources/articles/how-to-implement-okrs" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Getting teams to engage with OKRs</a> is the greatest challenge of any implementation, and the best OKR software tailors itself to promoting organization-wide engagement.&nbsp;<blockquote>Software makes OKRs more approachable, from managing day-to-day work like projects and tasks, to features that connect that work with your greater OKR strategy.&nbsp;</blockquote>Tagging OKR or KR owners, sharing in-line commentary with updates, viewing how OKRs align hierarchically — these are just a few examples of how software helps you do the &nbsp;OKR work.&nbsp;Having the ability to customize and expand work options for your operations can help support engagement. Be sure to examine the execution-focused capabilities of the platform to see how they support alignment and ease of collaboration.&nbsp;These options ensure your teams aren’t inhibited in how they choose to do their work, whether it’s alone or with others.&nbsp;<h3>Checklist for OKR work capabilities</h3><ul><li>Does the software have a built-in collaboration tool (i.e. Whiteboards, project boards, tasks, etc.)?&nbsp;</li></ul><hr><ul><li>Can the OKR platform automate repetitive tasks?&nbsp;</li></ul><hr><h3>Enterprise checklist for OKR work capabilities</h3><ul><li>Does the software offer project boards and tasks?&nbsp;</li></ul><hr><ul><li>Can the software align tasks with OKRs?&nbsp;</li></ul><hr><ul><li>Does the software support bulk OKR actions?</li></ul><hr>

OKR software should provide an overview of your performance to show how effectively your organization runs the OKR process.&nbsp;<blockquote>OKR-related reports illuminate what issues have occurred and where, helping you identify performance problems or trends that need further investigation. &nbsp;</blockquote>For technical capabilities, look for hands-off tracking and full use of your data reporting. Data access and transparency are critical for building a results-focused culture committed to adaptation and improvement.&nbsp;Enterprises should note the OKR software’s extensibility in advanced reporting and tracking. Manual updates can cost your enterprise thousands of input hours per quarter — the right enterprise software saves you time in all the right places.<h3>Checklist for OKR tracking and reporting</h3><ul><li>Does the software enable alerts and notifications?&nbsp;</li></ul><hr><ul><li>Does the software offer real-time progress reports?&nbsp;</li></ul><hr><ul><li>Can you customize your reports?</li></ul><hr><h3>Enterprise checklist for OKR tracking and reporting</h3><ul><li>Can you export data and download reports as CSV or PDF files?&nbsp;</li></ul><hr><ul><li>Does the OKR software support dynamic key results?&nbsp;</li></ul><hr><ul><li>Does the software offer <a href="https://quantive.com/resources/articles/okrs-vs-kpis" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">KPI tracking?&nbsp;</a></li></ul><hr><ul><li>Does the software offer advanced reporting on performance and benchmarks?</li></ul><hr>

OKR software should enable proper management of users, profiles, and access to OKR-related data to eliminate security threats and minimize human error. &nbsp;Customizable organization management is the first step in understanding who is doing what in your organization. Assigning roles, adjusting permissions, and tracking changes are basic features you should find in any OKR software.&nbsp;<blockquote>From general activity to authorizations and permissions, proper organization management capabilities simplify how you organize your people and process. &nbsp;</blockquote>Permissions allow level-based access to certain features, data, and other information. This keeps the noise out of places where you don’t need it. Authorizations ensure any human input into your software is tracked, managed, and as a result, fully accounted for.&nbsp;Enterprises should take note of how permission and authorization-based capabilities change depending on the demands and scale of the software.<h3>Checklist for OKR user and organization management</h3><ul><li>Does the software offer an effective user account management capability?&nbsp;</li></ul><hr><ul><li>How long does the software keep a history of user activity?&nbsp;</li></ul><hr><ul><li>Does the OKR software offer role-based user permissions?&nbsp;</li></ul><hr><ul><li>Does the OKR software track the change history of user authorizations?&nbsp;</li></ul><hr><h3>Enterprise checklist for OKR user and organization management</h3><ul><li>Can the OKR software automate user and organization management?&nbsp;</li></ul><hr><ul><li>Does the OKR software lose any capabilities or show limitations at scale?&nbsp;</li></ul><hr>

Whatever process you design, someone will forget about it. That’s why <a href="https://quantive.com/products/results/integrations" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">integrations</a> are an indicator of a mature OKR software, so you can use:&nbsp;<ul><li>Data to understand what’s happening to inform decision making</li><li>Automation to offload human activity to achieve more with less effort&nbsp;</li></ul>No matter your current tech stack, OKR software should be adaptable in incorporating your unique set of applications and programs into its platform. It’s critical for your future OKR implementation that OKR software supports your process, instead of inhibiting it.&nbsp;<blockquote>OKR software should help you close the strategy execution gap by automating data-based metrics and repetitive tasks.</blockquote>Not every OKR software is going to have all the integrations you need. However, you should check to see how frequently new integrations are being added and what the requirements are for custom integrations.&nbsp;Enterprises should consider the selection of integrations, where there’s room for adaptation, and how these adaptations will enable your organization to be more successful with OKRs.<h3>Checklist for OKR integrations</h3><ul><li>Does the OKR platform offer core integrations like Slack and MS Teams?</li></ul><hr><ul><li>Does the software have a full-featured mobile app?&nbsp;</li></ul><hr><ul><li>Does the OKR platform offer a continually growing library of out-of-the-box integrations?&nbsp;</li></ul><hr><h3>Enterprise checklist for OKR integrations</h3><ul><li>Does the OKR software provide API for integration with existing business applications and workflows?&nbsp;</li></ul><hr><ul><li>Does the OKR software have extensive integrations for unique departmental functions?&nbsp;</li></ul><hr><ul><li>Can the OKR software rapidly add new integrations to meet your evolving needs?</li></ul><hr>&nbsp;

Software deployment is rarely a plug-and-play event and as you go through the implementation process you want to ensure the platform is rolled out well to all end users. Your software vendor should consciously tailor the experience to your needs through their <a href="https://quantive.com/products/services-and-support" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">services and support options.</a>&nbsp;Service and support features will vary based on your cloud strategy, compliance frameworks, and OKR platform requirements.&nbsp;Stellar support and SLA (Service Level Agreement) commitments can turn an overall great OKR software into the right one for your business. They can de-risk performance concerns and strengthen the relationship between you and the OKR software vendor.&nbsp;<blockquote>Enterprise-ready OKR software bolsters service and support capabilities through a customer success and technical success team.&nbsp;</blockquote>The customer success function is the team for your team — dedicated to successful deployment and effective use of the platform. &nbsp;The technical success function guides enterprises throughout the &nbsp;OKR software journey, from onboarding, through adoption, to continued use of the platform.<h3>Checklist for OKR services and support</h3><ul><li>Does the OKR software provide a user help center?</li></ul><hr><ul><li>Does the OKR software aid your OKR learning experience?&nbsp;</li></ul><hr><ul><li>Does the OKR software offer at least 99.99% SLA uptime?&nbsp;</li></ul><hr><ul><li>Does the OKR software vendor provide a standard support function?&nbsp;</li></ul><hr><h3>Enterprise checklist for OKR services and support</h3><ul><li>Does the OKR software vendor provide your enterprise with 24/7 support?&nbsp;</li></ul><hr><ul><li>Does the OKR software vendor have a customer success team?&nbsp;</li></ul><hr><ul><li>Does the OKR software offer at least 99.95% enterprise SLA uptime?&nbsp;</li></ul><hr><ul><li>Will the vendor provide a dedicated account manager?&nbsp;</li></ul><hr><ul><li>Does the OKR vendor provide in-house technical success support for onboarding?&nbsp;</li></ul><hr><ul><li>Can the technical success team translate your requirements into custom solutions?</li></ul><hr>

As your organization looks to scale, security grows in priority. Your OKR software should be conscious of the unique stresses and challenges your organization will face as it grows.&nbsp;User management and authentication, for example, are the core focus for enterprise security.&nbsp;<blockquote>Administrators must be able to easily control access to the software for things like onboarding and offboarding users, dictating a directory service for authentication, and authorizing/ auditing user access. &nbsp;</blockquote>Whether you’re an SMB, scale-up, or enterprise, the ability to manage up to millions of users effectively and securely should be on your checklist.&nbsp;Check out our <a href="https://quantive.com/products/privacy-security" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">full guide on IT and security</a> as a reference for your OKR software buying journey.<h3>Checklist for OKR security</h3><ul><li>Does the software let you choose different user and account-level languages?</li></ul><hr><ul><li>Does the OKR software provide SSO authentication?&nbsp;</li></ul><hr><ul><li>Does the OKR software offer stronger means of authentication than login &amp; password?</li></ul><hr><ul><li>Does the OKR software support the most popular SSO integrations?&nbsp;</li></ul><hr><ul><li>Does the OKR software support account lockout?&nbsp;</li></ul><hr><ul><li>Does the OKR software encrypt the data contained in the database?&nbsp;</li></ul><hr><ul><li>Have the security controls of the OKR software been audited by a third-party auditor for security?&nbsp;</li></ul><hr><ul><li>Are the OKR software’s data centers compliant with the most rigorous security standards like ISO (27001 &amp; 22301) and SOC (1 &amp; 2)?&nbsp;</li></ul><hr><ul><li>Is the OKR software SOC2 Type II compliant?&nbsp;</li></ul><hr><ul><li>Is the OKR software GDPR compliant?&nbsp;</li></ul><hr><ul><li>Does the software vendor have data centers in more than one location?&nbsp;</li></ul><hr><ul><li>Does the software vendor conduct penetration tests?</li></ul><hr>

Before you dive into your exploration, these final tips will keep you grounded in choosing the best OKR software for your startup, SMB, or enterprise:&nbsp;<ol><li>Don’t let surface-level impressions be the extent of your research. Test the OKR platform yourself.&nbsp;</li><li>If you don’t have time to test each software, organize demo calls. Count the clicks needed to perform an action and understand where the platform places emphasis.</li><li>Be specific about your needs. However, no vendor is perfect and you may have to take ‘no’ for some answers. But appreciate the honesty if the vendor is transparent — this speaks to their integrity.</li><li>Check out customer reviews. The truth about the platform experience is usually embedded in them.</li><li>Don’t rush into a decision and be certain. At the same time, make room for mistakes. A growth mindset is what OKRs are all about.&nbsp;</li></ol>

Quantive is your bridge between strategy and execution. Founded on the objectives and key results (OKR) methodology, <a href="https://quantive.com/products" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">our Strategy Execution Platform</a> is where businesses plan successful strategy, focus and align teams to it, and stay on the leading edge of progress.As your company looks to achieve the best possible results, you need a modern approach to <a href="https://quantive.com/products/results" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">run your business</a> and <a href="https://quantive.com/products/signals" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">change your business.</a><a href="https://quantive.com/modern-operating-model" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> The Modern Operating Model </a>brings strategy, teams, and data together to help make decisions faster, optimize operations, and drive better business outcomes.Whether you’re a large enterprise facing competitive disruption or a small business leading the innovative charge, Quantive helps get you where you want to go.Ready to achieve the best possible? Start using <a href="https://quantive.com/products/results/pricing" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Quantive for free.</a>

Unleash the Power of OKRs for Your Business

Buyer's Guide: How to Choose the Right OKR Software for Your Business

Strategy execution is a complex undertaking for any organization. Between the foundational definition of strategy to its never-ending adaptation, organizations are stuck on “how” exactly to master strategy execution.&nbsp;<blockquote>Maybe this is your organization — you know the answer to this challenge is far more nuanced than “create a better strategy” or “execute better.” But where do you start?</blockquote>This is where a great strategy execution platform can be a game changer for your organization. It’s the missing solution businesses worldwide use to create a mission-driven strategy, engage teams, and deliver better strategic outcomes at scale.&nbsp;A strategy execution platform gives your organization a seamless approach to plan, align, execute, and assess strategy across your business.This article shows you how the right strategy execution platform will help your teams develop a proactive, outcome-driven approach.&nbsp;

Before we get into platforms, let's do a refresh on the basics. Strategy execution is how decision-making and team inputs align with the strategic priorities of an organization. &nbsp;&nbsp;In other words:&nbsp;<blockquote>“Strategy is a living, breathing entity, not an A-to-Z journey, meaning the process doesn’t end just because it’s been executed. Strategy must be optimized, which informs a refreshed cycle of definition, deployment, and execution.” &nbsp;</blockquote>It’s about meeting goals on time, on target, and on budget — no component of strategy execution can be neglected.<hr>Learn more about the <a href="https://quantive.com/resources/articles/strategy-execution" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">strategy execution process</a><figure class="image image_resized" style="width:50%;"><a href="https://quantive.com/resources/articles/strategy-execution" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/gtmhub/image/upload/v1670611665/site-v5/4_stages_of_successful_strategy_execution_1c658351c6.png" alt="4 stages of successful strategy execution.png"></a></figure><hr>

While strategies differ from company to company, there are four key components in creating a successful strategy execution process:&nbsp;<ul><li><a href="https://quantive.com/products/results/plan" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Plan:</a> Create an informed, outcome-driven strategy</li><li><a href="https://quantive.com/products/results/align-and-activate" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Align &amp; Activate:</a> Connected decision-making with clear definitions of success</li><li><a href="https://quantive.com/products/results/execute" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Execute:</a> Enable seamless, mission-focused collaboration</li><li><a href="https://quantive.com/products/results/assess-and-adapt" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Assess &amp; Adapt:</a> Know what works, what doesn’t, and make changes quickly</li></ul>Planning the strategy is about determining your organization’s direction, while alignment and activation are the tactical setups for bridging strategy to execution. Executing, assessing, and adapting strategy maintains a connection between teams and decision-makers, continuously improving each level of strategy. &nbsp;<hr>See how top companies close the <a href="https://quantive.com/resources/articles/strategy-execution-gap" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">strategy execution gap</a><figure class="image image_resized" style="width:50%;"><a href="https://quantive.com/resources/articles/strategy-execution-gap" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/gtmhub/image/upload/v1670611665/site-v5/close_strategy_execution_gap_8de6ba8e73.png" alt="close strategy execution gap.png"></a></figure><hr>

<a href="https://quantive.com/products/results" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">A strategy execution platform</a> enables your organization to focus on the right goals while giving your teams the freedom to execute.As a leader, you know strategy doesn’t just fall into place. There are too many moving parts, like:<ul><li>Resource allocation</li><li>Corporate, business, and functional tasks</li><li>Assigning roles, responsibilities, and deadlines</li><li>Establishing priorities</li><li>Managing changes, challenges, problems, and solutions</li><li>Measuring success</li><li>Tracking progress</li><li>Using data to inform decision making</li></ul>Your challenges aren't single-minded — neither is the right platform when it comes to its capabilities. You must be able to manage all the moving parts of strategy execution.&nbsp;<blockquote>By incorporating the power of your data and promoting transparency, a strategy execution platform taps into the full potential of your organization.</blockquote>

Between the four strategy execution components — plan, align and activate, execute, assess and adapt — there are grey areas that can lead to strategic disconnection.&nbsp;<blockquote>A strategy execution platform reduces friction and fills in the strategic gaps to prevent this disconnect. &nbsp;</blockquote>Anyone can plan a strategy, but creating a strategy aligned with your organization’s priorities requires visibility and transparency. Leaders can cascade a strategy down to teams, but without a platform engaging employees through a shared purpose, the strategy will lack impact.Finally, let’s not forget data, the buzzword everyone likes to talk about. A strategy execution platform doesn’t just collect data — it transforms it into actionable insights without the hassle and inaccuracy of manual inputs.&nbsp;Even when strategy is executed, the world is in constant flux. The right platform helps you watch internal and external signals and act on them.<hr>Learn more about the <a href="https://quantive.com/products/signals" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">growing capabilities of business monitoring</a><figure class="image image_resized" style="width:50%;"><a href="https://quantive.com/products/signals" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/gtmhub/image/upload/v1669896737/site-v5/visual_BO_detail_5ef78bf976.png" alt="Quantive Signals and Business Observability product demonstration screenshot"></a></figure><hr>

The right strategy execution platform should deliver on all components of strategy execution.&nbsp;<h3><a href="https://quantive.com/products/results/plan" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Plan</a></h3>Break down silos in the strategy creation process and plan openly with a strategy execution platform.&nbsp;<blockquote>With the strategy visible to the entire organization, it can be critiqued and validated before it’s deployed, saving your organization from resource waste.&nbsp;</blockquote>A platform also incorporates your data into your planning, infusing your strategy with rich insights for an informed and impactful approach.<h3><a href="https://quantive.com/products/results/align-and-activate" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Align and activate</a></h3>A platform lets you consolidate your data and access it at any time.&nbsp;<blockquote>Through a data-first approach, you can coordinate teams on metrics and develop outcome-focused contributions.&nbsp;</blockquote>When everyone is aligned on outcomes through your strategy execution platform, you can create connections between teams and ensure measurements of success are clear.&nbsp;<h3><a href="https://quantive.com/products/results/execute" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Execute</a></h3>Because strategy execution platforms focus and align teams on desired outcomes, transparency and trust pave the way to value adds from every team member.&nbsp;<blockquote>Beyond enhancing team culture, a platform bolsters decision making through data-driven feedback.&nbsp;</blockquote>Bring clarity on what’s creating true impact and ensure consistency in execution through a platform.&nbsp;<h3><a href="https://quantive.com/products/results/assess-and-adapt" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Assess and adapt</a></h3>With a strategy execution platform, feedback loops are compressed through real-time key results and KPIs.&nbsp;<blockquote>Supported by your data, a strategy execution platform helps you monitor progress and shift resources to the tactics driving the right outcomes.&nbsp;</blockquote>You can pivot when you need to, focus on what’s working, and do it faster all through the convenience of a platform.&nbsp;

In a world that shifts daily, the ability to pivot strategy without friction is a distinct competitive advantage. A strategy execution platform <a href="https://quantive.com/products/results/integrations" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">integrates your data</a> seamlessly applies it to your decision making and drives an outcome focus for your organization.&nbsp;<blockquote>Your strategy execution process must adapt to the modern era, or it will fail.</blockquote>With these capabilities, you can ensure your strategy execution process isn’t operating in the past. By reducing friction, inefficiency, and disharmony, a strategy execution platform is a conscious choice to help your organization achieve the best possible.&nbsp;<hr>Check out our “Read Next” article to learn <a href="https://quantive.com/resources/articles/why-strategy-execution-platform" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">why it’s time for your company</a> to have a platform for strategy execution<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:50%;"><a href="https://quantive.com/resources/articles/why-strategy-execution-platform" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/gtmhub/image/upload/v1670611665/site-v5/why_you_need_a_Strategy_Execution_Platform_9b52b7e54f.png" alt="why you need a Strategy Execution Platform.png"></a></figure><hr>Quantive is your bridge between strategy and execution. Founded on the objectives and key results (OKR) methodology, <a href="https://quantive.com/products" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">our Strategy Execution Platform</a> is where businesses plan successful strategy, focus and align teams to it, and stay on the leading edge of progress.As your company looks to achieve the best possible results, you need a modern approach to <a href="https://quantive.com/products/results" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">run your business</a> and <a href="https://quantive.com/products/signals" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">change your business.</a><a href="https://quantive.com/modern-operating-model" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> The Modern Operating Model </a>brings strategy, teams, and data together to help make decisions faster, optimize operations, and drive better business outcomes.Whether you’re a large enterprise facing competitive disruption or a small business leading the innovative charge, Quantive helps get you where you want to go.Ready to achieve the best possible? Start using <a href="https://quantive.com/products/results/pricing" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Quantive for free.</a>

Why Your Company Needs a Strategy Execution Platform

What is a Strategy Execution Platform?

For companies implementing <a href="https://quantive.com/resources/articles/okr-meaning" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">objectives and key results (OKRs)</a>, simple, free tools like Google Docs or Sheets may only be sufficient in the short term. In the long-term, as you scale OKRs across the organization — requiring more visibility, alignment, and integrations — a more robust OKR management tool may be more fitting. Besides catering to company needs, the right OKR software can also power a company through external business challenges, making it more agile, flexible, and capable of executing strategic priorities.&nbsp;Before figuring out the perfect OKR software for your business and exploring eight of the best OKR software options in 2023, let’s start by covering the OKR software basics.&nbsp;&nbsp;

OKR software is technology that helps your organization implement, manage, and update OKRs at the company, team, and individual levels. These solutions enable your organization to assign OKRs, align efforts, and ensure progress transparency throughout the <a href="https://quantive.com/resources/articles/okr-cycle" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">OKR cycle</a>, making the adoption of OKRs for any-sized business simple, straightforward, and hassle-free.&nbsp;

With plenty of OKR tools on the market, you may find it hard to <a href="https://quantive.com/resources/articles/okr-software-buyers-guide" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">choose the right OKR tool for your organization</a>. Yet, there are some basic features that all OKR management tools should offer to yield the best results. These include:&nbsp;<ul><li>An intuitive user interface&nbsp;</li><li>Cascading, bottom-up, and bidirectional OKRs&nbsp;</li><li>Visualization of real-time progress&nbsp;</li><li>Performance and progress reports&nbsp;</li><li>Customizability&nbsp;</li><li>Feedback&nbsp;&nbsp;</li><li>Integrations&nbsp;</li><li>Dashboards &nbsp;</li></ul><h3>An intuitive user interface</h3>The biggest priority for your OKR software is ensuring your company will use it. OKR software should be easy to use for all employees, with streamlined navigation, operational efficiency, and accessibility making it easy for employees to get OKRs up and running. An optimized user interface allows your employees to concentrate on <a href="https://quantive.com/resources/articles/how-to-implement-okrs" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">OKR implementation</a>, management, and oversight instead of figuring out the ins and outs of the OKR platform.&nbsp;<h3>Cascading, bottom-up, and bidirectional OKRs&nbsp;</h3>The right OKR tool should provide flexibility when creating OKRs, enabling you to set cascading, top-down, and bidirectional OKRs. This way, upper management can set OKRs, teams can establish OKRs in alignment with company goals, and leaders can collaborate with employees to create OKRs based on mutual goals and individual capabilities. This flexibility ensures everyone is involved with OKRs and can contribute to the company’s success.&nbsp; &nbsp;<h3>Visualize real-time progress</h3><a href="https://quantive.com/resources/case-studies" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Companies using OKRs</a> tend to interlink their goals, using multiple data sources to update OKRs. This makes progress comprehension difficult. Good OKR management software uses real-time, visual data (e.g., Gantt charts, Kanban boards) to update OKRs, allowing you to see how they link together and get a clear breakdown of your efforts.&nbsp;&nbsp;<h3>Performance and progress reports</h3>An OKR platform that generates performance and progress reports can help you anticipate bottlenecks, allowing you to overcome hurdles and improve results. For a complete overview of OKR performance, these reports should showcase previous performance, progress over time, and (un)healthy OKRs — with the possibility of filtering these based on departments, teams, or individuals within your organization.&nbsp;<h3>Customizability</h3>As flexibility is ingrained into the OKR framework — and different organizations have distinct OKR needs — your OKR tool must be adaptable. It should enable the creation of dynamic OKRs and adjustable OKR cycles. Moreover, it must be scalable enough to support your organization as it grows, allowing OKRs to match the ever-changing needs of a thriving company.&nbsp;<h3>Feedback</h3>The success of OKRs lies in your ability to sustain OKR progress and address issues. A software tool that enables feedback encourages managers to keep an eye on employees’ OKR performance, guiding them toward successful OKR attainment. Therefore, making feedback tools vital to the functionality and utility of OKR management software.&nbsp;<h3>Integrations</h3>Companies' tech stacks are growing yearly, with the SaaS market projected to reach <a href="https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/software-as-a-service-saas-market-A14951" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">$702.19 billion by 2030</a>. With such a wide array of tools being used, <a href="https://quantive.com/products/results/integrations" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">integrations</a> are essential to OKR management software. They enable everyday tech tools (e.g., Slack, Teams, Salesforce) to complement and update OKRs on the go, dramatically simplifying OKR management.&nbsp;&nbsp;<h3>Dashboards</h3>Having a bird’s eye view of your data can help you better understand how, for example, your <a href="https://quantive.com/resources/articles/okrs-vs-kpis" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">OKRs and KPIs</a> work together. Your OKR tool should have a dashboard feature consolidating all data in one place, acting as a one-stop shop for actionable OKR insights. This dashboard should provide an overview of your data, allowing you to compare metrics and filter these based on chosen characteristics.&nbsp;

If your company is looking to engrain OKRs into the organization, look no further than an OKR management tool. Beyond simplifying the OKR process, OKR tools can help you:&nbsp;&nbsp;<ul><li>Improve data-driven decision-making</li><li>Simplify OKR management as you scale&nbsp;&nbsp;</li><li>Align employees toward organizational priorities&nbsp;&nbsp;</li><li>Enhance goal transparency and accessibility&nbsp;&nbsp;</li><li>Clarify OKR ownership to ensure accountability&nbsp;&nbsp;</li><li>Encourage agile resource deployment&nbsp;&nbsp;</li><li>Boost employee engagement&nbsp;&nbsp;</li></ul>OKR software facilitates insights into measurable, accurate, and actionable data with minimal manual input. If key results have tasks attached to them, OKR progress can automatically indicate what’s working and what isn’t. This is particularly useful for organizations with large datasets and cascading OKRs. With automated OKR progress, you can connect multiple data sources to understand how low-level OKRs impact broader company objectives clearly.&nbsp;<h3>Improve data-driven decision-making&nbsp;</h3>Using OKR software data can improve decision-making across your organization. These tools’ automated, real-time data tracking capabilities mean users can factor in accurate, up-to-date information when deciding their next steps. This reduces the risk of poor decision-making based on inaccurate data, ensuring your business continuously uses current data to improve its strategy and operations.<h3>Simplify OKR management as you scale</h3>OKR management and scalability become significantly easier with an OKR platform. As OKR platforms can help you stay consistent with OKRs as your company grows — with changes visible at every level of your organization — they help embed OKRs into the core of your organization hassle-free.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<hr>See <a href="https://quantive.com/solutions/results/okrs-for-small-business">how Quantive's OKR platform can help you manage business growth</a>&nbsp;<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:50%;"><a href="https://quantive.com/solutions/results/okrs-for-small-business" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/gtmhub/image/upload/v1670716387/site-v5/hero_sol_OKR_software_d604623238.png" alt="Quantive OKR Software"></a></figure><hr><h3>Align employees toward organizational priorities&nbsp;</h3>&nbsp;OKR management tools help you coordinate employees’ efforts toward primary organizational priorities. As these tools place overarching company goals at the forefront of strategic objectives, they enable employees to focus on the bigger picture. This strengthens alignment, ensuring individual and team OKRs contribute to the goals that matter most for your organization.&nbsp;&nbsp;<h3>Enhance goal transparency and accessibility&nbsp;</h3>As OKR software can help create and distribute visual depictions of OKR data, they improve OKR accessibility and make it easy for employees to understand goal progress. This transparency and visibility around real-time data can help you detect and anticipate inefficiencies, allowing you to make the necessary changes and achieve desired results.&nbsp; &nbsp;<h3>Clarify OKR ownership to ensure accountability</h3>You can quickly establish the ownership of OKR goals using OKR tools, improving accountability and responsibility for their success. With OKR ownership visible throughout the business, employees are motivated to stay productive when working toward their OKRs. This ensures consistent progress is being achieved throughout your company.&nbsp;&nbsp;<h3>Encourage agile resource deployment&nbsp;</h3>As OKR management tools ensure visibility into the latest OKR data, they create an agile working environment where everyone can assess opportunities and challenges as they emerge. Moreover, as the OKR framework is flexible and encourages you to update OKRs at any point, your OKR management tool can act as a hub containing the most up-to-date data. This way, you can direct resources to suit the most recent OKR changes.&nbsp;&nbsp;<h3>Boost employee engagement</h3>An engaged and active workforce is more critical than ever, given the increase in remote and <a href="https://quantive.com/resources/articles/hybrid-work" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">hybrid employees</a>. As OKR platforms improve goal transparency and accountability, teams are more involved with their OKRs, seeing how their work contributes to organizational progress.&nbsp;&nbsp;Moreover, OKR platforms enabling bottom-up and bidirectional <a href="https://quantive.com/resources/articles/goal-setting" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">goal setting</a> empower employees to take charge of their goals. This responsibility can strengthen their connection to your company, which is especially crucial for widespread teams in large organizations.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<hr>Read more on <a href="https://quantive.com/solutions/results/okrs-for-enterprise">how Quantive's OKR platform can support enterprises</a><figure class="image image_resized" style="width:50%;"><a href="https://quantive.com/solutions/results/okrs-for-enterprise" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/gtmhub/image/upload/v1670607023/site-v5/hero_sol_enterprise_1_8e6b930526.png" alt="OKRs for enterprise"></a></figure><hr>

While the features we’ve discussed are essential to any OKR tool, you’ll need to consider your business’s unique needs, capabilities, and resources when considering a specific OKR tool. This requires asking a few key questions to ensure you make the best decision for your organization. So before taking the plunge, consider reflecting on the following questions:&nbsp;<ul><li>What is our business looking to achieve with OKR software?&nbsp;</li><li>What issues are you looking to solve with OKR tools?&nbsp;</li><li>How user-friendly do we need our OKR platform to be?&nbsp;</li><li>What should OKR software fulfill for a company of our size?&nbsp;</li><li>What is our budget?&nbsp;</li><li>How scalable do we need our OKR software to be?&nbsp;</li><li>How easy is it to integrate this OKR software into our existing systems?&nbsp;</li><li>What kind of support and maintenance are we looking to receive?&nbsp;</li></ul><h3>What is our business looking to achieve with OKR software?</h3>Depending on your organization’s specific needs, you may prioritize different OKR software functionalities. For instance, if you’re looking to set simple, independent goals, a more affordable solution with fewer features might do the trick. Conversely, suppose you’re looking to roll out cascading, cross-functional goals that are meant to be visible throughout your business. In that case, you may need a more sophisticated and customizable solution. Figuring out what you need can help you identify the essential OKR platform features to look for.&nbsp;<h3>What issues are you looking to solve with an OKR tool?</h3>Your organization’s issues can further help you identify what features to look out for when choosing an OKR management tool. For example, if you’re struggling with overall <a href="https://quantive.com/resources/articles/organizational-alignment" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">business alignment</a>, you may want to prioritize an OKR tool that enables cascading OKRs. Alternatively, say your company’s goal communication is the issue. In this case, OKR software that facilitates goal transparency and real-time progress (using dashboards, reports, and alerts) can create opportunities for employees to discuss goal updates and ask questions.&nbsp;&nbsp;<h3>How user-friendly do we need our OKR platform to be?&nbsp;</h3>Choosing the ideal OKR tool for your business requires evaluating both its capabilities and your organization’s abilities. Considering an OKR tool’s user-friendliness — and matching it to your workforce’s know-how — is essential. It can significantly impact the extent to which the software is embraced and utilized within your company. If your staff isn’t tech-savvy, using non-intuitive OKR management software may result in a steep learning curve, leading to reduced productivity, frustration, and usability issues. In such cases, opting for a more user-friendly OKR tool that doesn’t require extensive training and resources is best.&nbsp;&nbsp;<h3>What should OKR software fulfill for a company of our size?</h3>Company size matters when it comes to the perfect OKR platform for your business. If you’re operating in a big company, you’ll likely need a robust solution equipped to handle complex needs. On the other hand, a simpler solution should do the trick for a smaller company. Beyond this, the size of your company also plays a role in determining how many users will need access to the OKR software — directly affecting the price tag. So, as you decide on the right OKR management platform, consider your company’s size to ensure it fits your needs.&nbsp;<h3>What is our budget?</h3>When sifting through your OKR tool options, a key factor is your budget — including the costs and resources you’ll need to deploy and maintain the software effectively. This initial cost of acquiring the OKR platform is just the tip of the iceberg. The actual cost of implementing the software is reflected in the ongoing expenses that come with it, including the time and cost of customer support and employee training initiatives. By accounting for these costs, you can better decide which OKR tool provides the most bang for its buck. &nbsp;<h3>How scalable do we need our OKR software to be?&nbsp;</h3>It’s not wise to solely think of your current business needs when choosing an OKR management tool. Long-term considerations are also important. As your company grows and evolves, so may the complexity and scale of your goals. This means you’ll need a tool that can keep up. Perhaps you’ll have a larger number of team goals, or they’ll grow to be more nested and interconnected. As such, you want to make sure your OKR software can adapt and grow with your company, so you won’t have to switch to a different tool later on (entailing additional time spent on evaluating new options, training teams, and migrating data).&nbsp;&nbsp;<h3>How easy is it to integrate this OKR software into our existing systems?&nbsp;</h3>Understanding an OKR tool’s integrative capabilities is crucial, as this can affect its usability within your organization. How well your OKR tool integrates with your existing tech stack can affect its ease of use and ability to leverage data from multiple sources. Employees will be more likely to use and adopt OKR software that doesn’t create additional work for them (i.e., manual data entry, switching between multiple systems). They’ll likely stay consistent with the OKR tool if it can fit seamlessly into their daily workflows.&nbsp;<h3>What kind of support and maintenance are we looking to receive?</h3>It’s also important to consider the kind of <a href="https://quantive.com/products/services-and-support" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">services and support</a> you’ll receive from the OKR software provider. This can give you a good idea of how much time and effort you’ll need to invest in getting the OKR tool up and running smoothly. When considering an OKR management tool, you’ll want to ask the provider about their support and maintenance options. This may include onboarding support, training support, troubleshooting, bug fixing, upgrades, and maintenance.&nbsp;

Now that you know the criteria you should consider when assessing your OKR management software options, let’s look at eight of the best OKR platform options on the market. This section will categorize these eight OKR tools into two separate groups: OKR software (solely focused on OKRs) and performance management platforms that offer an OKR component. Then, for each OKR tool, we’ll discuss an overview of its features, pros, cons, and price.&nbsp;<h3>OKR software tools</h3><h4>Quantive&nbsp;</h4>Quantive is a software tool that uses OKRs to bridge strategy and execution. Their flagship product <a href="https://quantive.com/products/results" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Quantive Results</a> enables organizations to plan, align and active, execute, and assess and adapt strategy based on robust data and strategic insights.&nbsp;&nbsp;This OKR software tool helps you plan strategy through collaborative whiteboards, real-time (KPI) dashboards, confidence level metrics, and OKR lists. These can help your organization figure out what’s working and what’s falling behind. Additional features such as voting, customizable permissions, and unlimited view-only users ensure the right people are always involved.&nbsp;To align and activate your team, Quantive helps you create multi-level OKRs, view dynamic dashboard insights, assign (shared) OKR ownership, and create custom Insightboards that pool personalized data together. These can be tracked and kept visible throughout your organization using over 170 integrations.&nbsp;Next, Quantive facilitates effective strategy execution through progress reports and visible confidence level metrics. These ensure everyone’s aware of how well they’re progressing toward their goals. Moreover, Quantive’s real-time feed helps you quickly recognize wins and opportunities for improvement.&nbsp;&nbsp;Lastly, assessing and adapting your strategy has never been easier with Quantive. Quantive Results helps your organization stay updated with its goal progress using custom dashboards and feedback loops powered by third-party tools, integrations, process automations, and whiteboard retrospectives that enable structured feedback, open discussions, and voting.&nbsp;Pros&nbsp;<ul><li>Highly configurable&nbsp;</li><li>Very responsive support team&nbsp;</li><li>Plenty of learning resources for OKRs and Quantive’s product&nbsp;</li><li>Robust integrations&nbsp;</li><li>Track interlinked OKRs across teams, departments, and the overall company&nbsp;</li><li>Gamified approach to goal setting&nbsp;</li><li>Artificial intelligence capabilities to assist the OKR setting and updating process &nbsp;</li></ul>Cons&nbsp;<ul><li>Over-simplified UX&nbsp;</li><li>Setting up cascading OKRs requires some getting used to&nbsp;</li><li>Primarily focuses on company goals as opposed to day-to-day tasks&nbsp;</li></ul>Price&nbsp;Quantive offers three <a href="https://quantive.com/products/results/pricing" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">pricing plans</a>:&nbsp;&nbsp;<ul><li>A free forever Essentials plan for small teams and organizations&nbsp;</li><li>Scale for small to medium-sized companies ($18/user/month)&nbsp;</li><li>Enterprise for larger teams and organizations (custom quote).&nbsp;</li></ul><h4>Weekdone&nbsp;</h4>Weekdone is a specialized software tool for OKR management, enabling you to structure, set, align, and oversee OKRs throughout your company. With Weekdone, your teams can establish a hierarchy of interconnected OKRs at the company, department, team, and individual levels. Users can then track the progress and performance of these goals using weekly reports, planning forms, and task dependencies. Moreover, Weekdone provides a live dashboard highlighting real-time data and an overview of the company’s goal progress.&nbsp;&nbsp;To facilitate these functions, Weekdone offers a range of features, such as KPI monitoring, regular progress updates, hierarchical OKR goal-setting, <a href="https://quantive.com/resources/articles/okrs-and-cfrs" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">CFRs</a>, automated status reports, coordinated OKRs, resources on OKRs, weekly updates, and peer acknowledgment.&nbsp;&nbsp;Pros&nbsp;<ul><li>Easy OKR visualization&nbsp;</li><li>Robust reporting and analytics&nbsp;</li><li>Has private notes for private reminders&nbsp;</li></ul>Cons&nbsp;<ul><li>Lack of KPI and executive dashboards&nbsp;</li><li>Expensive&nbsp;</li><li>Integration struggles&nbsp;</li><li>Poor customer support&nbsp;</li><li>No whiteboards or collaborative functionalities &nbsp;</li></ul>Price&nbsp;Weekdone is free for up to 3 users. After that, prices go up based on the number of people using the platform.&nbsp;&nbsp;<h4>Profit</h4>Profit is a results management software that allows companies to drive strategy using OKRs. This software enables organizations to set, plan, and align OKRs at the start of each quarter, with weekly check-ins, reviews, and updates used to improve employee engagement.&nbsp;&nbsp;Regarding OKRs, Profit helps your company reach its goals using OKRs and task management. With OKR management, you can align goals, use different types of key results to track objectives, visualize company dashboards, and engage teams using rewards. With the complementary use of task management, you can create and prioritize supporting tasks, collaborate in custom workspaces, link tasks with key results, and access a dashboard dedicated to tasks.&nbsp;Pros&nbsp;<ul><li>Online resources and training&nbsp;</li><li>Good support team&nbsp;</li><li>Numerous reporting options&nbsp;</li></ul>Cons&nbsp;<ul><li>UI/UX complications from too many customizations&nbsp;</li><li>Not intuitive, so it can be overwhelming&nbsp;</li><li>Difficult to manage OKRs&nbsp;</li><li>Data dashboard needs improvement&nbsp;</li></ul>Price&nbsp;Free for up to 5 users, then it’s $9/user/month billed monthly for the Growth plan. The Enterprise plan entails custom pricing. &nbsp;<h3>Performance management platforms with OKR functionality</h3><h4>Leapsome</h4>Leapsome is an all-around performance management app that integrates employee engagement, <a href="https://quantive.com/resources/articles/okr-performance-management" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">performance management</a>, and employee development into a single tool. Mainly utilized by HR, this platform helps organizations set goals, evaluate performance, and promote learning, while providing an opportunity to receive valuable employee feedback.&nbsp;&nbsp;Regarding Leapsome’s OKR functionality, organizations can create cascading OKR goals supported by one-on-ones, team meetings, shared agendas, and assigned action items to enhance goal collaboration, accountability, and transparency. Additional complementary features include performance reviews, feedback, and peer recognition powered by dashboards, reports, and historical data.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Pros&nbsp;<ul><li>Lots of features, including modules for onboarding, learning management, engagement, performance management, goal tracking&nbsp;</li><li>Easy to provide peer feedback&nbsp;</li><li>Vast integration options&nbsp;</li></ul>Cons&nbsp;<ul><li>There’s a learning curve that can be overwhelming&nbsp;&nbsp;</li><li>No mobile app&nbsp;</li><li>No free version&nbsp;</li><li>Limited features for goal setting&nbsp;</li></ul>PriceModular pricing starts at $8/user/month. Large enterprises can request a quote from Leapsome’s sales team.&nbsp;<h4>Lattice&nbsp;</h4>Lattice is a people success platform that fosters a positive work environment by leveraging continuous performance management, real-time feedback, and employee engagement insights. Its all-encompassing approach to promoting people’s success enables teams and individuals to set and track goals, leave employee reviews, and evaluate performance throughout the company.&nbsp;&nbsp;In addition, Lattice offers goal-setting capabilities that enable your organization to set company OKRs that integrate into teams’ daily routines. These goals can be sustained through one-on-ones, goal status updates, and performance check-ins, with data integrations allowing for accessible updates across the organization.&nbsp;&nbsp;Pros&nbsp;<ul><li>Easy to set, track, and evaluate performance&nbsp;</li><li>Notifies you of tasks that need to be done&nbsp;</li><li>Simplified performance reviews for large companies&nbsp;</li></ul>Cons&nbsp;<ul><li>No individual goal options&nbsp;</li><li>Mobile app can be improved&nbsp;</li><li>Non-intuitive user interface&nbsp;</li><li>Limited project management abilities&nbsp;</li><li>Cascading goal management can be confusing&nbsp;</li></ul>Price&nbsp;&nbsp;The prices fluctuate depending on the functionalities you choose. Access to Lattice’s performance management and OKR goals starts at $11/user/month, depending on company size. Adding Lattice’s additional Engagement, Grow, and Compensation options entails extra costs.&nbsp;<h4>Asana</h4>Asana is a collaborative project management tool that helps teams achieve their strategic initiatives using task, workflow, and project management. Using its features, you can create and assign task interdependencies, plan and execute project maps, and monitor progress using custom dashboards.&nbsp;&nbsp;When looking at its dedicated goal and OKR features, Asana allows you to create OKR goals at every level of the organization, assigning owners, deadlines, and progress methods that link to projects or tasks.&nbsp;Pros&nbsp;<ul><li>Simple to set up&nbsp;</li><li>Various project views and templates to choose from&nbsp;</li><li>Facilitates adaptable project management&nbsp;&nbsp;</li><li>Easy to ensure tasks are organized and on track&nbsp;</li></ul>Cons&nbsp;Some necessary integrations are missing or only available with expensive business plans&nbsp;<ul><li>The mobile app can be troublesome&nbsp;</li><li>Enterprise solution is more expensive than competitors&nbsp;</li><li>Can't assign tasks to multiple individuals, complicating collaboration&nbsp;</li></ul>Price&nbsp;Asana has four pricing plans:&nbsp;<ul><li>Basic (free)</li><li>Premium ($13.49/user/month when billed monthly)</li><li>Business ($30.49/user/month when billed monthly)</li><li>Enterprise (custom quote)</li></ul><h4>15five</h4>15five is a performance management software focusing on driving performing and strengthening work cultures. It allows HR teams to improve their managerial capabilities, drive engagement, and increase retention by taking a holistic approach to performance management. This involves 360 performance reviews, employee engagement surveys, OKR tracking, and manager-employee feedback tools.&nbsp;When it comes to OKR functionality, 15five can help align your business toward primary goals and engage with activities that serve these. It encourages you to create, monitor, and manage OKRs in line with daily responsibilities. Some of 15five’s supporting OKR features include real-time feedback, weekly check-ins, and self-reviews.&nbsp;Pros&nbsp;<ul><li>User-friendly interface&nbsp;</li><li>Facilitates one-on-ones and 360-feedback&nbsp;</li><li>Employee appreciation tools&nbsp;</li></ul>Cons&nbsp;<ul><li>The mobile app needs improvement&nbsp;</li><li>Poor support&nbsp;</li><li>OKR features require a specialized plan&nbsp;</li><li>Lack of precise progress data&nbsp;</li><li>Can’t prioritize tasks&nbsp;</li></ul>Price15five has four pricing plans:&nbsp;&nbsp;<ul><li>Engage ($4/user/month billed annually)&nbsp;</li><li>Perform ($9/user/month billed annually)&nbsp;</li><li>Focus ($8/user/month billed annually)&nbsp;</li><li>Total Platform ($14/user/month billed annually)&nbsp;</li></ul><h4>BetterWorks&nbsp;</h4>BetterWorks is a performance enablement solution for businesses looking to merge people, strategy, and results to facilitate efficient goal alignment, feedback, and employee performance. Its five main products focus on conversations, feedback, calibration, goals, and employee engagement.&nbsp;This software’s goals component helps businesses align OKRs to strategy, provides visibility into goals, embeds flexibility into their goal-setting system, and integrates with commonly used applications. Moreover, it promotes engagement using direct report progress, comment features, and cheering wins.&nbsp;Pros&nbsp;<ul><li>Real-time collaborative goal setting and measuring&nbsp;</li><li>Data-driven feedback&nbsp;</li><li>Easy to personalize&nbsp;</li><li>OKR coaching sessions&nbsp;</li></ul>Cons&nbsp;<ul><li>Buggy&nbsp;</li><li>Poor technical support&nbsp;</li><li>No free trial&nbsp;</li><li>Requires training&nbsp;</li><li>Limited reporting capabilities&nbsp;</li></ul>Price&nbsp;&nbsp;You need to request a custom quote for both Commercial (starting at 500 employees) and Enterprise plans (starting at 3,000 employees).&nbsp;

As business needs grow in complexity, OKR software becomes increasingly fundamental to successful OKR deployment. However, simply adopting an OKR software tool may not be enough: your business must ensure it chooses the right one.The right OKR platforms for your business — chosen based on characteristics such as company size, needs, issues, and budget — can simplify OKR adoption, ensure flexibility, and direct joint efforts with insightful data and progress breakdowns. As such, they’re vital to implementing and scaling OKRs in your business, empowering you to achieve superior outcomes across the board.&nbsp;&nbsp;<hr>Quantive is your bridge between strategy and execution. Founded on the objectives and key results (OKR) methodology, <a href="https://quantive.com/products">our Strategy Execution Platform</a> is where businesses plan successful strategy, focus and align teams to it, and stay on the leading edge of progress.&nbsp;As your company looks to achieve the best possible results, you need a modern approach to <a href="https://quantive.com/products/results">run your business</a> and <a href="https://quantive.com/products/signals">change your business.</a> <a href="https://quantive.com/modern-operating-model">The Modern Operating Model</a> brings strategy, teams, and data together to help make decisions faster, optimize operations, and drive better business outcomes.&nbsp;Whether you’re a large enterprise facing competitive disruption or a small business leading the innovative charge, Quantive helps gets you where you want to go.&nbsp;Ready to achieve the best possible? Start using <a href="https://quantive.com/products/results/pricing">Quantive for free.</a>&nbsp;

Buyer's Guide: How to Choose the Right OKR Software for your Business

What is OKR Software? Definition, Benefits, and Solutions

All businesses need a concrete understanding of where they’re headed to drive purposeful action and win in the <a href="https://quantive.com/resources/articles/future-of-work">future of work.</a> Whether it’s startups powering through the initial stages of development, SMBs working to capture market share, or enterprises looking to innovate, companies must commit to goals to attain their desired outcomes.&nbsp;<a href="https://quantive.com/resources/articles/okr-meaning">Objectives and key results (OKRs</a>) are a great way for organizations to achieve their goals. OKRs are a goal-setting framework used to set ambitious, collaborative, and time-bound goals. This framework uses two components to set and track goals: objectives and key results. Objectives refer to short, qualitative descriptions of what a business wants to achieve. Each objective is accompanied by 3-5 metric-driven key results that are used to track progress toward each objective.&nbsp;&nbsp;Using measurable and transparent progress indicators, collaborative goal-setting, and a flexible approach to goal fulfillment, companies can leverage OKRs in business to address customer needs and streamline procedures.&nbsp;To show you how OKRs can transform your operations, this article covers the benefits of using OKRs for startups, small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), and enterprises. Additionally, it covers <a href="https://quantive.com/resources/articles/okr-examples">examples of OKRs </a>for each type of organization.&nbsp;&nbsp;<hr>Learn the <a href="https://quantive.com/resources/articles/goal-setting">7 steps to effective goal setting</a><figure class="image image_resized" style="width:50%;"><a href="https://quantive.com/resources/articles/goal-setting" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/gtmhub/image/upload/v1670611666/site-v5/goal_setting_guide_932059351d.png" alt="goal setting guide"></a></figure><hr>

OKRs in business can be valuable tools regardless of size or industry, catering to needs across the business lifecycle. Most notably, startups, SMBs, and enterprises can use OKRs in business to:&nbsp;&nbsp;<ol><li>Strengthen alignment&nbsp;&nbsp;</li><li>Foster a culture of innovation&nbsp; &nbsp;</li><li>Boost productivity and engagement&nbsp;&nbsp;</li><li>Enhance adaptive capabilities&nbsp;&nbsp;</li><li>Optimize resource allocation and management&nbsp;&nbsp;</li></ol><h3>Strengthen alignment</h3>Leveraging OKRs in business can improve alignment and resource coordination. OKR goals can create tight linkages between employees, operations, and processes, <a href="https://quantive.com/products/results/align-and-activate">aligning them toward one mission</a>. This alignment clarifies the business's direction and simplifies operations, with employees focusing on a common goal without requiring complex communication systems.&nbsp;&nbsp;<h3>Foster a culture of innovation&nbsp;</h3>OKRs' ambitious nature can cement creativity and trial and error into the core of company operations. As OKRs in business involve stretch goals that aren't — <a href="https://quantive.com/resources/articles/okr-performance-management#why-you-shouldn%E2%80%99t-mix-okrs-and-performance-management">or at least shouldn't be</a> — tied to compensation, they encourage less risk aversion and more experimentation. This makes OKRs powerful drivers of innovation and lateral thinking.&nbsp;&nbsp;<h3>Boost productivity and engagement&nbsp;</h3>Using OKRs in business can improve engagement and productivity in businesses of all sizes. Through collaborative goal-setting, transparent progress updates, and clear ownership of goals, employees are kept motivated, accountable, and productive throughout the <a href="https://quantive.com/resources/articles/okr-cycle">OKR cycle</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;<h3>Enhance adaptive capabilities&nbsp;</h3>The OKR framework is a powerhouse of agility and flexibility, encouraging companies to deploy resources in response to shifts in the market environment. As OKRs can be continuously updated throughout the OKR cycle — adjustable to a company's OKR cadence — they help companies seamlessly pivot strategies as they make sustainable progress toward long-term goals.&nbsp;&nbsp;<h3>Optimize resource allocation and management&nbsp;</h3>Utilizing OKRs in business operations encourages organizations to funnel resources toward what matters most. For example, companies can use their annual and quarterly OKR progress to assess the effectiveness of their resource allocation. Moreover, as stretch goals require businesses to make the most of what they have, OKRs help businesses maximize the utility and capability of their resources.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

Startups may encounter several hurdles when working to streamline their processes. Equipped with OKRs in business operations, startups can alleviate the impact of these hurdles and sustain superior performance.&nbsp;&nbsp;Firstly, as startups solidify their communication plan, employees may miscommunicate or work towards disparate goals. To overcome this, startups can establish a companywide OKR (i.e., a North Star goal) to guide employees' efforts and nourish steady, focused growth.&nbsp;&nbsp;OKRs can also help startups position themselves against big competitors. As OKR stretch goals encourage innovative thinking — simultaneously facilitating employee engagement and productivity — the use of OKRs in business can improve startups’ offerings and propel them to new heights of achievement.&nbsp;&nbsp;Moreover, startups can use OKRs to stay adaptable. As startups lack deep-rooted internal processes and require experimental approaches to business, they can rely on OKRs to remain flexible in dynamic environments.&nbsp;&nbsp;This flexibility is crucial for startups operating with limited resources. As these companies must strategically leverage resources to ensure sustainable operations and superior outcomes, they need a clear understanding of where their resources are best deployed. With OKRs' quantitative and trackable nature, startups can assess the effectiveness of their resource allocation, overcome periods of volatility, and thrive amidst uncertainty.&nbsp;&nbsp;

OKRs can also support SMBs, helping them overcome the challenges of scaling operations.&nbsp; &nbsp;As SMBs grow, they may find it challenging to scale internal networks uniformly. This can cause disruptions when transmitting information, know-how, and experience. As OKRs facilitate alignment at every level of the organization, SMBs can use them to calibrate operations and avoid operational barriers.&nbsp; &nbsp;Additionally, as employees in SMBs must wear many hats to minimize the lag between resource and company growth, SMBs need to focus on employee engagement. With OKRs promoting the ownership of ambitious goals, employees are encouraged to stay motivated and productive.&nbsp;&nbsp;Employee engagement is also essential for SMBs switching focus from survival to growth. This change entails a forward-thinking approach to operations, often missing in SMBs due to their previous focus on survival and risk aversion. Using OKRs in business, SMBs can integrate innovation and adaptability into their operations, leveraging limited resources to suit ever-changing market needs.&nbsp; &nbsp;<hr>See how <a href="/solutions/results/okrs-for-small-business">OKRs support small and medium businesses</a>&nbsp;<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:50%;"><a href="/solutions/results/okrs-for-small-business" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/gtmhub/image/upload/v1670606417/site-v5/hero_sol_SMB_1_3389914712.png" alt="OKRs for Small and medium business"></a></figure><hr>

Due to their sheer size, enterprises face different challenges than startups and SMBs. Yet, OKRs can still be an optimal solution for these businesses, as this framework’s flexibility can be incredibly beneficial for large organizations as well.&nbsp;&nbsp;Misalignment and miscommunication are common issues faced by enterprises with extensive, hybrid teams. As these challenges can cause duplicate, redundant, and inconsistent work, using OKRs in business can assure goal alignment and visibility around resource use.&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;Alignment and visibility are essential for large organizations with legacy hierarchies, cascaded decision-making, and silos. Employees in such businesses may fail to see the positive contributions of their work, <a href="https://news.gallup.com/businessjournal/188675/engaging-employees-big-companies-need-improvement.aspx">causing disengagement</a> and feelings of disconnect. As OKRs encourage accountability around aspirational goals, they can be a viable solution for large businesses, facilitating employee engagement, productivity, and retention.&nbsp;Moreover, legacy organizations’ existing success can make them less keen on innovating and more reliant on tried-and-tested methods. This can keep them dormant and may result in a loss of market share as <a href="https://quantive.com/resources/articles/business-challenges">existing market unpredictabilities</a> require businesses to mold to external changes. Using OKRs as a powerhouse for innovation and agility ensures enterprises avoid stagnation, push growth, and whether the ebbs and flows of the market environment.&nbsp;<hr>See <a href="/solutions/results/okrs-for-enterprise">how OKRs can support enterprise businesses</a><figure class="image image_resized" style="width:50%;"><a href="/solutions/results/okrs-for-enterprise" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/gtmhub/image/upload/v1670607023/site-v5/hero_sol_enterprise_1_8e6b930526.png" alt="OKRs for enterprises"></a></figure><hr>

<h3>OKRs for startups</h3><ul><li>Objective: Boost brand awareness&nbsp;</li><li>Key result 1: Increase share of voice on social media to 16%&nbsp;</li><li>Key result 2: Increase referral traffic by 70%&nbsp;</li><li>Key result 3: Increase organic web traffic by 25%&nbsp;&nbsp;</li></ul><hr><ul><li>Objective: Be on track to secure seed funding&nbsp;</li><li>Key result 1: Increase customer base to 500&nbsp;</li><li>Key result 2: Increase activation rate to 25%&nbsp;</li><li>Key result 3: Increase NPS from 31 to 50&nbsp;</li></ul><hr><ul><li>Objective: Improve product-market fit&nbsp;</li><li>Key result 1: Increase signup rate by 5%&nbsp;</li><li>Key result 2: Increase conversion rate by 10%&nbsp;</li><li>Key result 3: Reduce time to value by 2 minutes&nbsp;</li><li>Key result 4: Increase user-level cohort retention to 35%&nbsp;</li></ul><hr><h3>OKRs for SMBs&nbsp;</h3><ul><li>Objective: Solidify diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) into the company&nbsp;</li><li>Key result 1: 100% participation rate in employee DE&amp;I training modules&nbsp;</li><li>Key result 2: Increase the percentage of diverse employees from 45% to 60%&nbsp;</li><li>Key result 3: Improve our current policy on DE&amp;I as part of our internal code of conduct&nbsp;</li></ul><hr><ul><li>Objective: Skyrocket revenue to an all-new high&nbsp;</li><li>Key result 1: Hit quarterly revenue of $5’000’000&nbsp;</li><li>Key result 2: Increase conversion rates from SQL to opportunity to 13%&nbsp;</li><li>Key result 3: Upsell to 25% of existing customers&nbsp;</li><li>Key result 4: Reduce churn rate by 2.5%&nbsp;</li></ul><hr><ul><li>Objective: Improve customer satisfaction&nbsp;</li><li>Key result 1: Boost Net Promoter Score from 5.8 to 7&nbsp;</li><li>Key result 2: Decrease the number of complaints from 12 to 8&nbsp;&nbsp;</li><li>Key result 3: Gain feedback from 50 lapsed customers&nbsp;&nbsp;</li></ul><hr><h3>OKRs for enterprises</h3><ul><li>Objective: Accelerate our global growth&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</li><li>Key result 1: Hire 50 new personnel at our EMEA offices&nbsp;</li><li>Key result 2: Achieve $500M in total global sales&nbsp;</li><li>Key result 3: Produce localized marketing materials in our top 6 geographical markets&nbsp;</li></ul><hr><ul><li>Objective: Speak the language of our prospects&nbsp;&nbsp;</li><li>Key result 1: Hire a country manager for each of our top 6 geographical markets&nbsp;</li><li>Key result 2: Release localized website in our top 6 geographical markets&nbsp;</li><li>Key result 3: Produce 2 new ad creatives for each of our top 6 geographical markets&nbsp;</li></ul><hr><ul><li>Objective: Crown the customer&nbsp;&nbsp;</li><li>Key result 1: Gather feedback from 10 customers each month&nbsp;</li><li>Key result 2: Reduce customer support ticket response times to 2 hours&nbsp;</li><li>Key result 3: Increase customer retention to 90%&nbsp;</li></ul><hr><ul><li>Objective: Supercharge our company culture&nbsp;&nbsp;</li><li>Key result 1: Execute a company fitness challenge with 85% participation&nbsp;</li><li>Key result 2: Produce a summary of results from employee engagement surveys&nbsp;</li><li>Key result 3: Achieve 100% positive feedback on this year’s holiday party&nbsp;</li></ul>

Businesses must be proactive about setting and accomplishing goals at every stage of their lifecycle. Startups, SMBs, and enterprises can use OKRs in business to facilitate alignment, spearhead innovation, optimize resource allocation, boost performance, and improve flexibility.&nbsp;&nbsp;Making OKRs indispensable to your business helps you maintain a competitive edge while continuously exceeding performance expectations. Using the right <a href="https://quantive.com/resources/articles/strategy-execution-platform">strategy execution platform</a> for your business, you can plan, align, execute, assess, and adapt your OKRs to ongoing growth and success. See how you can use <a href="https://quantive.com/products/results">Quantive to create a tailored strategy execution here</a>.&nbsp;<hr>Quantive is your bridge between strategy and execution. Founded on the objectives and key results (OKR) methodology, <a href="https://quantive.com/products" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">our Strategy Execution Platform</a> is where businesses plan successful strategy, focus and align teams to it, and stay on the leading edge of progress.As your company looks to achieve the best possible results, you need a modern approach to <a href="https://quantive.com/products/results" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">run your business</a> and <a href="https://quantive.com/products/signals" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">change your business.</a> <a href="https://quantive.com/modern-operating-model" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Modern Operating Model</a> brings strategy, teams, and data together to help make decisions faster, optimize operations, and drive better business outcomes.Whether you’re a large enterprise facing competitive disruption or a small business leading the innovative charge, Quantive helps gets you where you want to go.Ready to achieve the best possible? Start using <a href="https://quantive.com/products/results/pricing" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Quantive for free.</a>