How do you develop quarterly/annual customer success OKRs and tie those to individual projects?

Developing quarterly or annual customer success OKRs and tying them to individual projects involves a structured approach:

1. Understand Company Goals: Align OKRs with overall company goals.

2. Define Objectives: Set specific objectives for the team.

3. Identify Key Results: Establish measurable Key Results for each objective.

4. Align Projects: Assign individual projects that contribute to Key Results.

5. Assign Ownership: Specify ownership of projects to team members.

6. Set Milestones: Break down projects into milestones with timelines.

7. Monitor Progress: Regularly track progress and adjust as needed.

8. Iterate and Improve: Continuously refine the OKR process.

9. Communicate Effectively: Keep teams informed and engaged.

This structured approach ensures alignment with company goals, accountability for outcomes, and effective project execution to drive success in customer success initiatives.

Here's my framework for developing and cascading CS OKRs:

1. Start with Annual Company Goals

• Revenue targets

• Growth objectives

• Strategic initiatives

• Market positioning

2. Define Annual CS Department OKRs

• What must CS achieve to support company goals?

• Set 3-4 major objectives with measurable results

• Example:

  • Objective: "Drive predictable growth through customer expansion"

  • OKRs: NRR target, expansion revenue, multi-product adoption rate

3. Break Into Quarterly Focus Areas

• Which quarterly milestones lead to annual goals?

• What seasonal factors affect prioritization?

• Example Q1 focus:

  • Onboarding optimization for new year customers

  • Annual renewal preparation

  • New feature adoption campaigns

4. Map Projects to OKRs Example cascade:

   Annual OKR: Increase NRR to 120%

   ↓

   Q1 OKR: Improve product adoption rates by 25%

   ↓

   Projects:

   - Launch in-app onboarding automation

   - Create customer maturity model

   - Build product usage dashboards

5. Individual OKRs & Projects

• Each CSM gets metrics aligned to team goals

• Projects assigned based on: (Team leads and OPs team will own these)

  • Individual strengths

  • Account portfolio needs

  • Bandwidth/capacity

  • Development goals

6. Regular Check-ins

• Weekly: Project status updates

• Monthly: Metric reviews

• Quarterly: OKR scoring & adjustments

• Annual: Strategic planning