OKR Management has long been recognized as one of the most effective ways to set and achieve goals. But, with so many OKR software options on the market, it can be difficult to choose the right one!
For this reason, we’ve created this list of must-have features you should expect from any good OKR software.
Let’s dive in!
1) Ease of use
Before you choose an OKR software, you’ll want to make sure it’s easy to use. If employees can’t figure out how to use it or if it takes too long for them to learn how, you run into a problem. People lose interest and motivation quickly when they spend more time learning a tool than they do actually using it.
On top of that, training new employees can be a burden if there are steep learning curves involved.
Make sure your software is intuitive and easy enough for any employee to pick up and use immediately with no additional training or coaching needed.
2) Customization
Customers want options. That goes for customers in a grocery store, and it also goes for customers that use an OKR management software tool.
Options to customize reports, update documents, and adjust settings are just some of the many ways to make users happy and engage them on a deeper level. With comprehensive customization, users can feel as if they have ownership over their work — even if they’re simply plugging in data or navigating menus and settings with point-and-click ease.
If a potential client wants something that isn’t included in your offerings, don’t brush them off; remember: it means they have confidence in your company and know you’ll do whatever it takes to help build their business.
3) Mobile-friendly platform
The world has shifted to mobile, and any good OKR tool should be accessible from a smartphone. If you’re expected to use it on your phone during meetings, but it’s not mobile-friendly, you’ll find yourself frustrated instead of productive.
Worse yet, if employees can’t access the tools they need when they need them, that could slow down or prevent important work from getting done.
A great way to ensure an OKR tool is designed for mobility is by testing it out on your own phone.
Don’t just read about how many devices are supported—test it out for yourself!
4) Integration with other tools
Before you choose an OKR tool, make sure it’s compatible with other tools you use. Ideally, you want to keep all your data in one place.
For example, if you’re using a task management tool like Asana for employee and company tasks and projects, integrate that app with your new OKR software to help streamline workflow.
It may take some time to get everything set up, but once it’s working properly things will run much more smoothly—and that’s when goals are actually achieved.
The same goes for apps like Google Drive, Dropbox, and Slack. Whatever tools you currently use to get work done should be fully integrated into your new OKR software.
5) Security
Security is an essential aspect when looking for an OKR Management software. You want to know that any software you use has security measures in place to keep your company information safe and secure, which not all applications have.
So, be sure to check into what security features are available with any software you’re considering. Even if a program doesn’t offer much else beyond basic usability and functionality, it could be worth using just for its security features alone.
Security should always be a top priority when picking out any type of work management software as well as a product within your business.
6) Reporting and Analytics
Being able to track your progress toward OKRs should be a given—but not all tools do it well.
Reporting is crucial for helping teams see whether or not they’re on track, and having different reporting options is useful for digging into things that aren’t going as planned. You don’t need charts and graphs if you use your software day-to-day, but you should have access to them.
Allowing teams to compare their metrics with other teams within a company can also provide valuable insight. That kind of feature doesn’t happen by accident—you need great team analytics behind an app if you want to get data at that level.
If you want both good data and basic analytics, look for an app that includes both these features in its core offering.
There are a number of excellent tools for setting and tracking goals; however, we can’t recommend any single product as the best. Each one is unique, and will likely suit different companies and individuals better than others.
So instead of focusing on what we think you should use, this is to guide you through how to choose an effective OKR tool.
Once you know what features are important, it becomes much easier to find software that fits your needs perfectly.