How to Pivot When OKRs Show You’re on the Wrong Path

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At a Glance

• Modern product development always has a plan, but data inevitably contradicts it

• Objectivity beats opinions when requesting course corrections

• Connecting customer insights to financial impact makes change requests unignorable

• Video clips and quantitative data together create compelling cases for pivoting

Hey folks,

The idea that modern product development methods don't have a "plan" is ridiculous. Whether you're working with an agile model or waterfall approach or have added in sprinkles of design thinking, product discovery, or lean startup, there is always a plan. We choose a direction and make a list of next steps.

Within days of kicking off the initiative, new data flows in and, inevitably, some of it will contradict your hard-fought plan. What now?

Here are a couple tactics for communicating the need for change when the data says it’s necessary.

– Jeff

P.S. I've got a public storytelling workshop launching this summer and opportunities to become a Certified Training Partner at Sense & Respond Learning. More details below.

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Article: How to Pivot When OKRs Show You’re on the Wrong Path

How could we be so wrong?

Modern product planning still draws heavily from the world of manufacturing. In that world, predictability is king. Sadly, in today’s software-driven universe, that’s not the case. When we try to predict the outcome of fixed-time, fixed-scope initiatives, we are wrong 100% of the time. (And if you know me, you know I don’t like to speak in absolutes, but in this case, it’s a fact.) 

The pace of change today is way too fast for us to know exactly what will work 3, 6 or 12 months from now. This is why Objectives and Key Results help us set goals that are appropriate for a world in rapid, continuous change. Instead of fixed scope goals, we focus on the positive impact we’d like to have on our customers. This perspective ensures that we are always looking at our plans with an objective lens. And if we’re not making a positive impact on the behavior of our customers, the work we are doing is wrong in some capacity and course correction is required.

Bring data, not opinions

There’s a famous quote from Jim Barksdale that goes like this: “If we have data, let's look at data. If all we have are opinions, let's go with mine.” If we’re going to communicate a desired course correction we have to remove bias from the conversation. Why? Because everyone has opinions and if you are trying to convince someone else to change course, odds are they outrank you. In the absence of data, they’ll go with their own opinion. 

Qualitative data is powerful, especially if you can show the people giving their feedback in real time. Video clips of usability tests or customer interviews are particularly effective. Quotes go a long way as well. You may get pushback that these are not “statistically significant” findings, but one video clip after another of target audience members saying the same thing over and over will have an impact. 

And then you show the quantitative data. This type of data proves that the qualitative feedback you’re getting is applicable to a broader audience, making it more urgent. How many people does this affect? Or, how many people might this affect when we scale it? What would that mean to our development efforts? Bringing in both kinds of data ensures that the change request you’re making doesn’t come across as subjective or personal.

Connect data to financials

The coup de gras of course correction is the connection of your findings to financials. This is ultimately what your stakeholders care about. Video clips of users failing to find value in your product is powerful. Connecting that failure, at scale, to the financial health of the initiative or the company is unignorable. 

For example, you might play 5 short clips of users struggling with the product workflow. You then follow that up with what percentage of the target audience these personas make up at scale and multiply that times the number of support calls required to service them, and you end up with a hit to costs and profit that your stakeholders have to deal with. The plan will contradict your request. However, the one-two punch of data and financials will ensure that at least your course correction is discussed.

Objectivity is the key

These two approaches ensure that your change request is objective. That’s important. If there is a perception of subjectivity in your request we end up back in a battle of opinions which you’re likely to lose. Objectivity doesn’t necessarily mean that your proposed change to the plan will be approved but at least you’ve made a strong, fact-based case for it. If it’s ignored, when the product launches and inevitably fails to meet expectations, you have the paper trail to show that this could have been avoided. That may not matter much, but at least you did all you could. What other techniques have you found useful in communicating change to stakeholders?

What I've Been Up To

Travel! I’ve been on the road for a couple of weeks, first to London to work with a client. It’s always nice to be in person these days and my business partner Josh Seiden was there as well. Always nice to see him in person. 

Next, it was on to Marrakech. I have been part of an entrepreneur group for years now and every year we take one long weekend abroad. This year we went to Morocco. I’d never been. To say it was an adventure would be an understatement. We learned so much about this culturally rich country exploring Marrakech and the nearby Atlas Mountains. 

Read, Watch, Listen

Read: God Is Not Great by Christopher Hitchens. This one is a new book club assignment and a fascinating, provocative read, if only for the history lessons. Hitchens was an investigative journalist and writer. He traveled the world and met seemingly everyone there was to meet. His opinions are strong as the title suggests and mileage will vary with the takeaways, but it’s super well-written and interesting. 

Watch: Andor (Disney). The best of the Star Wars spin-offs on Disney, Andor continues to get more intense in its second season with the rise of the Empire and the hidden conspiracy to build the Death Star (yeah, lots of Star Wars jargon here, but I’m guessing you know what I’m talking about). 

Listen: Common Saints. To be honest, I’m very new to this artist, but I’m really liking the grooviness. It’s like Tame Impala but lighter and more mellow. Given there’s a picture of one guy on Spotify I suspect that like Tame Impala, it’s a main artist with a rotating supporting cast.

What’s New on the Blog 

How to make your boss care about your initiative - For all the effort we put into our work, it often seems like our stakeholders are distracted by other priorities—even when they assigned the work in the first place. This article provides two powerful tactics for maintaining your boss's attention. The key is making them a hero through your work.

How to recognize OKRs masquerading as strategy - Too many teams mistake OKRs for strategy and end up pulling in different directions. In this issue, I break down three clear signs your OKRs are masquerading as strategy and share what it really takes to create alignment that drives meaningful progress.

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