KPIs Measure the Work. OKRs Move the MSP. Viva Goals Puts Them in Teams

An MSP dashboard can be green across the board while the company stands still. Plenty of MSPs are good at setting KPIs and not so good at developing goals that motivate the whole company to improve those numbers. Take ticket resolution time: if you are a tier 1 tech, how does your contribution to that metric move the company forward on its top-level objectives? Are you really making an impact, or just keeping a number happy?

To be clear, we remain strong advocates for KPIs. But as a company matures, KPIs alone are not enough to drive the outcomes the business wants to see. Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) were pioneered by Andy Grove at Intel and have provided clarity on what matters most at some of the most successful companies in the world, including Google. This post covers what OKRs buy an MSP, then introduces Viva Goals, Microsoft's OKR software offering built into Teams.

How an OKR is built#

There is plenty of written material on OKRs, but the original publication is Measure What Matters by John Doerr. OKRs are a goal-setting framework for defining clear, measurable goals and tracking progress against them. Each one consists of an objective, a broad, ambitious goal the organization is trying to achieve, plus a set of key results, the specific, measurable outcomes that get the organization there. OKRs typically live at the company or department level and are meant to be challenging and aspirational, pushing teams to stretch and think big.

What OKRs buy an MSP#

1. Focus#

Distraction is the default state of an MSP at any size. Microsoft ships 20 new Intune features, a client's server goes down, Jim at customer XYZ clicks another phishing link in an email, you name it. It is also dangerously easy to get consumed by the day to day with customers and lose sight of the most important thing: growing the company. OKRs cut through that noise and make it obvious what is most important to work on.

2. Empowerment#

Instituted correctly, OKRs let every member of the organization deliver a high output of work and enjoy doing it. Everyone from leadership to a tier 1 technician should clearly understand how their work impacts the MSP's goals as a whole and feel their contributions pushing toward them.

3. Alignment#

With remote and hybrid work still rising, alignment matters more than ever. Communication breaks down more easily, and the slower feedback loop makes it easier for people to feel their work does not matter. OKRs add clarity about what is driving business outcomes, and individuals see how their work affects other teams.

4. Tracking#

With OKR software in place, individuals check in weekly, if not daily, to update progress on their own objectives. That rhythm reinforces what needs to get done and shapes how they schedule their week. The MSP, in turn, gets a constant read on whether it is on track to meet its goals.

5. Innovation and ownership#

Studies have shown that individuals who set their own goals and take ownership of them are far more likely to achieve them. Leadership sets objectives at the top, but the point of OKRs is that everyone in the organization sets goals of their own, not all of them directly linked to the top-level set. That ownership sparks innovation, because people find their own creative ways to solve problems instead of being told what to do.

Viva Goals: pricing and setup#

Pricing: $6 per user per month, as of January 2023.

Setting it up: Setup is light. After you procure the licensing, assign the license to users, and they can add the Viva Goals app from within Teams. As an admin, you can also pin the app to their sidebar so it is in front of them by default.

Full demo on video: watch the Viva Goals walkthrough (opens in new tab).