How to Change Your Strategy Mid-OKR Cycle When Disruption Happens

The average completion rate for OKRs is between 60% and 80%. 

But what if things change in between?

Just imagine that you’re midway through your OKR cycle, and suddenly, a major disruption hits your industry. For instance, a company like DeepSeek emerges, claiming its technology is faster and uses significantly less energy than traditional US-made chips. Meanwhile, the stock market and crypto markets experience a sharp decline, adding another layer of uncertainty.

What do you do? Do you abandon your OKRs? Do you stick to them rigidly and risk becoming irrelevant?

The answer is neither. Instead, you need a structured approach to adjust your Mid-OKR strategy while maintaining focus and alignment. In this guide, we’ll break down the steps to effectively pivot your OKR strategy, keep your teams motivated, and avoid common pitfalls in implementing OKRs during uncertain times.

Key Takeaways

• If disruption happens, make adjustments to keep your goals relevant.
• Not all goals need to change, focus on the ones that are impacted.
• Communicate changes clearly and involve your teams in the process.
• Regularly monitor the success of your updated OKRs to ensure alignment and progress.

Why Changing Strategy Mid-OKR Cycle Is Sometimes Necessary

OKRs are designed to be ambitious and adaptable. However, many companies treat them like fixed contracts. The truth is, OKR cycles should be dynamic, especially in industries prone to rapid change.

Let’s look at why you might need to adjust your strategy mid-OKR cycle:

• Competitor innovations, regulatory changes, or economic shifts can significantly affect the direction of your business.
• Advances in technology, such as AI or new software solutions, can make your current strategy obsolete.
• Mergers, leadership shifts, or changes in budget allocations may require a realignment of your goals.
• New trends or shifting customer needs may require you to refocus your priorities.

If you ignore these disruptions and stick to an outdated OKR strategy, you risk losing market relevance and team motivation.

How to Adjust Your OKR Strategy When DeepSeek Disrupts the Market

Let’s break down how you can adjust your OKR cycle effectively when a disruption like DeepSeek happens. The goal is to realign your team’s focus, allocate the right resources, and keep everyone working toward relevant and meaningful objectives.

1. Reassess Your Current OKRs in Light of DeepSeek’s Impact

Start by revisiting your OKR cycle and reviewing the objectives and key results that may have been impacted by the emergence of DeepSeek. Some questions to ask include:

• Are our current OKRs still aligned with market realities?
• Can we achieve our existing OKRs, or are they unrealistic now? 

For example, if you were focused on optimizing cloud AI services with older chips, you may need to change your focus to adopting more energy-efficient hardware to keep pace with DeepSeek.

• Do we need to rethink our entire approach? 

By revisiting your OKR strategy, you ensure that you’re not wasting valuable time and resources on objectives that no longer make sense.

2. Focus on Realigning Your Key Results to Adapt to DeepSeek

Once you’ve reassessed the big picture, it’s time to shift focus toward the key results (KRs) that need adjustment. Consider the following:

This stage requires an understanding of where the disruption, DeepSeek, in this case, has altered the landscape, and refocusing your efforts accordingly. 

3. Communicate the Strategy Change and Align Your Teams

When you decide to shift your OKR strategy, ensure that everyone understands the reasons behind the change. Clear communication ensures your teams remain aligned and focused on new, relevant objectives.

Here’s how to manage that communication:

• Inform teams about DeepSeek’s impact on the market and why your strategy needs to adjust.
• Ensure your teams understand new priorities, such as pivoting to more energy-efficient hardware or adapting AI to match the latest technological trends.
• Encourage team collaboration across departments (R&D, marketing, and operations) to align efforts toward the new strategy.

Using OKR software can help manage and update the goals across teams in real time, making sure everyone stays on track.

4. Track Progress Using OKR Software

Once you’ve made the changes, it’s time to start tracking progress. Effective tracking is essential to measure how well your OKR strategy is performing in the new market landscape.

Questions to ask:

• Are teams aligned around the new key results? 
• Is the progress on the new key results measurable? (OKR software to track accurately)
• Do you need additional resources to achieve the new OKRs? 

Common Mistakes to Avoid When Adjusting Mid-OKR Strategy

While adjusting your OKR strategy is necessary, it’s also important to avoid some common mistakes that could derail your efforts.

• Turning OKRs into a Task List: OKRs are about driving measurable outcomes, not managing day-to-day tasks. Avoid using your OKR software as a task management tool.
• Setting Committed Goals as OKRs: OKRs should focus on aspirational goals, not routine, business-as-usual tasks. For example, a sales target of $10,000 per month is committed and should not go into the OKR. However, an aspirational goal of $14,000 can be included.
• Ignoring Team Feedback: It’s important to involve your team in the decision-making process, especially when making adjustments to the OKR strategy. Top-down changes without feedback can lead to resistance and disengagement.
• Overcomplicating OKRs: Keep your OKRs simple. Avoid making them too complex or unrealistic. The simpler the goal, the easier it is to stay focused and aligned.
• Not Using OKR Software: Tracking your OKRs using dedicated software helps keep your objectives and key results structured. It ensures everyone is on the same page and allows for real-time updates.

Target Align

OKR software

Implementing OKRs is a continuous journey, not a one-time task. With the right tools and approach, your startup can use OKRs to drive growth and keep everyone aligned.

Target Align’s OKR platform is perfect for startups, offering:

• Free Trials: Start using OKRs with no commitment.
• Custom Training: Learn OKR best practices through instructor-led courses.
• Integrated Tools: Easily align, collaborate, and track progress.

Target Align helps small and medium-sized businesses adopt OKRs to reach key milestones quickly. Our software and training support companies in scaling up to meet their goals.

Interested in learning more about OKRs? Sign up for Target Align’s video course or explore our OKR 101 resources.

FAQs

1. When should I change my OKRs?

You should adjust your OKRs if a major disruption like a new competitor, technology, or market shift makes your current goals unrealistic or irrelevant.

2. How do I ensure alignment when changing OKRs?

Clear communication is essential. Explain the reasons for the changes, set new priorities, and use OKR software to keep everyone informed and on track.

3. Should I completely scrap my OKRs if disruption happens?

Not necessarily. If the disruption only affects a portion of your OKR cycle, focus on adjusting the key results that are impacted, rather than starting over from scratch.

4. What’s the biggest mistake companies make with OKRs?

Treating OKRs like a task list or setting overly simplistic, committed goals instead of aspirational, stretch goals that drive growth.

References: 

https://www.whatmatters.com/faqs/creating-new-okrs-changing-and-cascading-together

https://community.quantive.com/blog/okr-program-failure-prevention-guide

https://www.theokrgroup.com/changing-okrs-mid-cycle-is-that-allowed/