In our last interview with Magdalena Przelaskowska and Zofia Kłudka we discussed how a clear mission statement and well defined business model can help startups’ founders restore the direction when their business starts to grow and they are literally flooded with tons of decisions at the same time. Good strategy is one, but not the only prerequisite to straighten things up. Another important thing is a perfect work organisation.
Agnieszka: Slow and clumsy implementation can virtually kill every good strategy and even most powerful mission. What are the critical factors of successful implementation? From my observation even small teams are capable of working out very satisfactory results in a very short period of time. Those teams use a well structured measurable approach, that is whenever they start working on a project, they start with a precise definition of project objectives and desired outcomes.
Magdalena, Zofia, what are your experiences with using OKRs methodology to improve teams’ performance? Why do measurable KPIs have such a power to put things into the right order?
Magdalena Przelaskowska: It’s important in business and especially in startups where resources are scarce to prioritize and focus on what matters most. We need to know what our main goal is and how success looks like. One of the tools that helps with it are the OKRs. OKRs helps you to understand where the company is going, what should be prioritized by the team and it helps keep everyone disciplined.
Zofia Kłudka: The idea of a product or service is the very beginning, but quickly you will realise that there are plenty of good ideas and only few of them become sustainable business. The real deal is to work effectively and overcome challenges and obstacles along the way. OKRs methodology might help with that. When the goal is clearly defined, measurable and ambitious it is easier to keep focus and get back on track even when there are turbulences in the meantime. And they always are.
OKRs help align individual goals with the company direction. They should work cascade ways as the first person to set OKRs is the CEO, than their direct reports and their direct reports and so on to make sure all in the company are aligned with strategic goals. It effectively builds connections and gives a sense of purpose for the whole team on all levels.
Agnieszka: Another important element that helps increase work efficiency is clear project ownership and task division. Teamwork is great and necessary, but if we do everything together it means that no one is responsible at the end of day. So not only the question “what is our objective and desired result”, but also “who is responsible for it” is essential to increase our work efficiency.
Magdalena: OKRs brings transparency, as people can see what each team member is working on. It also fosters teamwork, as everyone is aware of what the company OKRs are, so all employees are working towards a common goal.
It’s important to understand what each team member is responsible and accountable for. It’s like a waterfall, each piece (OKR) is linked to another one and they all bring us closer to company wide OKR.
At the end of the quarter or year we can reflect on OKRs and measure what we did and how we did it, whether we achieved what we set out to achieve.
Zofia: The first phase of developing a product and company is very creative, special and bonding for the founding team. Lots of things are done together and a lot of time is needed for brainstorming. Founding team is highly motivated, an ideal product is an obsession for them, but at the same time, this way of working might be a little bit chaotic.
Creating clear ownership and dividing roles provides more order, therefore will boost the pace and of progress. It may also show what kind of competencies are missing in the team.
Agnieszka: Deadlines and milestones are another crucial lever. It seems so obvious, but from my experience simple status meetings and status reports done on a regular basis can sometimes bring miracles. Setting detailed deadlines in the project incentivises people to think of what exactly they need to do in order to meet the deadline.
Magdalena: Project trackers help us structure our work and plan ahead. It’s crucial to understand what is the deadline as it motivates the team, but also helps set up a plan. Once you have it, you can review the progress once a week with the team, implement necessary adjustments or solve challenges you hit along the way.
Zofia: Setting realistic deadlines is more difficult when you are doing something for the first time or when technology you are working on is new – no doubt about it! You need to be flexible.
Still being agile should not disable planning. Deadlines, KPIs, team meetings for many are closely connected with the corporate world, but they are so common there because they are simply effective.
I personally really like working with deadlines as this helps me to organize my time. Status meetings are valuable tools to make sure everyone in our team is on the same page, it builds engagement and helps avoid entanglements.
Agnieszka: And last but not least – the power of communication. From my observations, it is still a highly underrated element of project management. Many project misunderstandings come from lack of right communication. Team members do not exchange information, each works on his part and at the end of the day we all meet with puzzle bits that don’t fit each other.
Magdalena I think in general communication is key. Especially now when most of us are working remotely, it’s better to over communicate then under communicate. We might think that people understand what they need to do, and are aware of the vision, but it’s always better to talk about it and ask questions.
We often read or hear that listening skills are so important. From my experience I can say that it’s important not only to listen, but to actually hear what our team has to say.
Feedback is a gift and often it makes a huge difference in a project or task. The more we talk with each other while working on a project the better results we get. Of course we need to list action items after each discussion, not to fall into a trap of endless discussions and no decisions.
Zofia: From my experience, one of the key competencies in project management is communication: both external and inside the team.
Many managers (and founders) will be surprised how many team members would like to speak if they have the opportunity and safe space to share: their ideas, challenges but also fears, and ambitions. Everyone from a team has different experiences and perspectives which might be a source of important insights which could lead to creating better products and/or more effective workflow.
If you’re the one who is leading the team meetings think about what you would like to achieve during that. Organize and enter every meeting with a purpose. Depends on the needs it might be a work progress checking, brainstorming about new ways of dealing with a problem but might be as well getting to know if the team isn’t overload which might lead to quitting a job in the longer perspective.
Agnieszka: Magdalena, Zofia – thank you very much for this conversation.
Agnieszka Węglarz is an independent consultant, business strategist and practitioner in B2B and B2C, as well as lecturer, speaker and blogger. She has over 20 years of professional experience working as manager in both large corporations and SMEs, where she was responsible for strategy, marketing and business development. She uses her long term executive experience and training expertise to assist companies and their managers in building their business strategy using a workshop methodology. She specializes in business modeling, segmentation, value proposition, sales and marketing strategies as well as consultative selling. She runs her own consultancy business, as well as cooperates with Google for Startups Campus in Warsaw as the leading expert in Business Model Mastering – a Program for European startups providing founders and their teams with a structured approach to run their company and accelerate their growth. Agnieszka is an author of many business publications. You can read her writing on her business blog on www.agnieszkaweglarz.com and watch her business content on her YouTube channel – Biznes Ring by Agnieszka Węglarz. You can contact her by writing to: agnieszka.weglarz@g2m.biz.pl or directly by sending a message via LinkedIN.
Magdalena Przelaskowska, Senior Startup Partner Manager, Google for Startups
Passionate marketing expert with additional economics background from renowned London Universities. Worked at OMD International in London where she successfully coordinated pan-European offline and online branding campaigns for Sony CE before joining Google. Started at Google EMEA HQ in 2011. In 2013 worked in Google Peru where she conducted analysis on the potential of South American markets as a new export direction for European companies.
From 2014 specialized in development of the business in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia by focusing on export. Joined Google for Startups Campus in Warsaw as CEE Program Manager, one of six globally, in October 2015 to build and create programs that will educate and inspire startups to grow and go global.
Currently runs Google for Startup Accelerator: Europe and Israel where she provides access to the best of Google – its people, network and advanced technologies. Excited and frenzied about the entrepreneurship and startup scene. Recent graduate from Stanford University, Advanced Project Management. Windsurfer and Ski Instructor in her free time.
Zofia Kłudka, startup advisor and project manager.
She’s active in the startup ecosystem, having experience in working for a VR/AR startup Immersion and supporting development of European startups and their founders at Google for Startup Campus in Warsaw where she created business and leadership programs. Graduate of sociology and management, combining business knowledge with soft skills.