Custom item type for OKR/Project Charter

Keeping track of projects with all their moving parts can be a difficult task. In the past, my organization has used a shared drive to save information-gathering documents. We’ve had Project Charters, RACI Charts, Objectives & Key Results (OKRs) to name a few. These documents are often created, but not always utilized. Information grows inaccurate over time. And even when it gets updated, sometimes a copy from six months ago still makes an appearance on a key call with stakeholders.

We created an OKR task item type to help us track this same key information. OKRs get attached to our projects, vendor selections, and anything else we want to have an eye on. They are a quick reference guide that can help anyone feel up to speed in a flash.    

Here is an example of the kind of information we pull together into a single OKR.

Our OKR Request Form asks targeted questions and utilizes custom fields to gather the information we need most. Next the OKR is approved by our leadership team. From there our Project Management team will get involved, helping with timelines and resourcing.

The OKR becomes a true living document and single source of truth for our projects. Since shifting our OKRs into Wrike, we are seeing more engagement with our leaders. We can pull together reports and trust them to be accurate.

Most importantly, the OKR is easy to complete. This crucial information-gathering step is no longer being rushed through or skipped all together. We’re having better conversations on planning calls (which have gotten shorter.)

Lastly, project engagement has gone up!