Even in traditional work environments, clarity about priorities and responsibilities can be elusive.

The best way to offset sudden digital silos is with simple, yet precise goals. And if your team is working remotely for the first time, clear goals are even more vital for productivity and morale.

Fortunately, the OKR framework is a simple yet effective method for communicating priorities and responsibilities. They clearly outline a company’s top priorities and the metrics that need to be tracked to ensure success. OKRs also provide a structure for regular progress monitoring and performance reviews.

Whether you’ve been working remotely for years or just started, OKRs can improve your company’s operations and encourage all team members to stay productive. This article will highlight why OKRs are a great tool for remote work.

No more guesswork

OKRs remove guesswork remote employees have to do to figure out what their company’s top priorities are. When done right, OKRs are simple. And since they’re completely transparent and easy to understand, everyone—regardless if they work at the office or at home—should know the company’s objectives for any given quarter.

Results-focused team management

Not only do they make objectives clear, OKRs lay out the parameters for reaching them. The key results are collectively agreed upon by the team as what success should look like when an objective is completed.

As a next step, teams and individuals should then take ownership of specific KRs or turn it into their own OKR that aligns with that high-level objective. This process is called "cascading" or "laddering".

Another benefit of focusing on desired results is that performance is no longer tied to work hours. It would be irrational to expect everyone in a remote team to work the traditional nine to five. We suggest remote teams to “replace the flawed ‘hours at work’ model of productivity measurement with result-oriented performance analytics based goals.” Instead of spending time tracking hours, the team should focus on tracking whether they’re making progress on their goals.

Tracking KRs makes it easy to verify that work is being done without micromanaging, allowing for genuine trust to be built between leadership and employees.

A built-in rhythm for balanced reviews and conversations

OKRs can help a remote team establish a rhythm for checking-in on their top priorities and team performance. Normally, OKRs are graded every quarter. But the system can be adjusted to fit the organization’s needs. If necessary, the team could use a monthly review cadence.

OKRs enable fast decisions while serving as a vaccine against rush decisions. They should be quick, light, flexible, and constant drumbeat that frames every conversation. Now is the time to pause, reflect, and ask the right questions.

The point is that OKRs are meant to be reviewed regularly and can be adjusted according to the team’s evolving needs and priorities. This allows remote teams to have frequent conversations about what is working well, what needs to be improved, and what can be dropped. This process should make it more likely that the best ideas win, not just the loudest. The switch to remote work is a great opportunity to find ways to get full-participation from both the introverts and extroverts in your company.