The use of technologies by companies has become more common and important than ever. One of the most important softwares used by many modern companies focuses on setting goals. The Chief Information Officers must make sure that the technologies used by their company are implemented and managed across the entire organization. There are many factors to consider when choosing the right goal setting software and how it will be implemented.
Utilize OKRs
OKRs are “Objectives and Key Results”. OKRs help managers utilize goal setting software to align and connect individual goals with larger company goals. Good OKRs align employee goals with their team goals, and each team goals with organizational goals. Setting OKRs in the goal setting software will help employees see how they contribute to larger goals and impact other employees / departments. This will improve employee engagement. Using OKRs in the goal setting software will also bring transparency for expectations and deadlines of different teams.
Engagedly offers a customized consulting service program for OKR launch and coaching. Working with a coach is a proven best practice to help drive business outcomes and implement your OKR strategy. There are three phases:
- Phase 1: OKR Training and Launch
Educate the leadership on how to use OKRs and align them with business strategy.
- Phase 2: Coaching
Redefine leadership OKRs after the initial training workshops and 1:1 coaching.
- Phase 3: Ongoing Feedback
Continuously set effective and challenging OKRs and refine them continuously with ongoing feedback from OKR coach.
Visualize The End Users Needs
When considering what you want in your goal setting software, consider the needs of your employees and other end users of the software. CIOs should study the processes used by your employees in the goal setting software and see if repetitive tasks can be automated. Goal setting software is great for fostering cross-functional leadership. Leaders of each business unit need to work together to recognize dependencies of different teams and how that will affect tracking in the goal setting software.
Forbes shares that good CIOs know how to pull your future goals into the present moment. First talk to each department head and determine the future outcome they want. Work all the way backwards until you define what you can do today to progress towards that future. Make a schedule of important tasks and consult the employee on how much time they estimate will be needed for each. It is a good idea to make stretch goals that will take the employee out of their comfort zone. If you are achieving every goal in your goal setting software, you are not setting goals high enough. Communicate with your employees that it is normal to not achieve every goal. By working towards goals that seem unachievable, we can use goal setting softwares to measure the real capacity of the organization.
Check Legacy Technology
Legacy technology is when a company continues to use an old or outdated system. Because a CIO might have put a lot of money or effort into a software in the past, they might overlook the higher cost of keeping the software. This is true with goal setting softwares. If you are struggling to set goals and make changes in your current software, you should consider changing to a newer option. Don’t blindly stick to a goal setting software that worked in the past but no longer is best fit.
One of the most common and impactful problems of outdated goal setting softwares is limited integration. If teams rely heavily on another application or platform, then a different and newer software may integrate better. Mike Loukides, VP of emerging tech content at O’Reilly Media says CIOs must ask “What do I want to do now that I can’t do, or only with great difficulty?” when examining a goal setting software. If your legacy technology is not flexible enough to satisfy the needs of you and your employees, it is time to upgrade.
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Author
Srikant Chellappa
CEO & Co-Founder of Engagedly
Srikant Chellappa is the Co-Founder and CEO at Engagedly and is a passionate entrepreneur and people leader. He is an author, producer/director of 6 feature films, a music album with his band Manchester Underground, and is the host of The People Strategy Leaders Podcast. He is currently working on his next book, Ikigai at the Workplace, which is slated for release in the fall of 2024.