If you are an occasional gamer (like me) you might have inadvertently used and enjoyed the benefits of OKRs without even realizing it.
All games use Objectives, or Goals, to answer the question: “What is the object of the game?” This guides the user through pre-set steps and getting the highest possible enjoyment from the game. The goal might be to capture all the Pokémon or align falling blocks.
David Mullich lists the criteria of video game goals in his blog on Gamasutra. Ideally, each goal should have the following qualities:
- Clear
- Obtainable
- Concrete
- Challenging
- Rewarding
If you are somewhat familiar with the OKR methodology, the above list sounds exactly like the criteria for good Objectives and Key Results, used and popularized in Weekdone for achieving your business goals.
To give you a specific example of Objectives in games, here are some from one of my pastimes, Diablo 3:
The above picture shows my in-game Objectives and Key Results. Disregarding the game-like visual appearance, it is a list of goals to be achieved, with measurable Key Results. This means it can be copied to Weekdone for a quick overview that includes a dashboard and color-coded objective status:
How cool is this? Gamers are already unknowingly using the OKR goal-setting methodology, and having fun while at it! They can now transfer their experience from gaming to set personal and business goals using Weekdone and achieve a similar sense of pride and accomplishment for achieving them.
Without a goal, an activity is simply a leisurley pursuit without any resolution or sense of accomplishment. Goals give something for the player to strive for. They define what players are expected to accomplish within the laws that define the structure and boundaries of the game.
Goals give the player something to strive for in games, and objectives in business give employees something to strive for in their professional life. The first step to achieving them is then to write them down somewhere that allows for easy updating of their status, like Weekdone.
While games come with goals that are preset by their creators, finding your business goal might be trickier, as it is dependent on your industry. Luckily the recent Weekdone update has it covered. We embedded our hugely popular OKR Examples site right into Weekdone, which helps you get inspired by real, tried-and-true Objectives for your industry. Find the lightbulb icon in front of adding a new Objective, and get inspired!
