Setting a strategy for a large corporate is no mean feat. It’s even harder to execute this strategy across multiple divisions and teams. This was the challenge for the Absa IT Office, where they needed what we termed the “trifecta of alignment” – alignment within teams, between teams and divisions, and to Group strategy. Our team facilitated workshops with the teams to ensure the first level of alignment. Secondly, we trained and onboarded hundreds of individuals and ten different teams to create the second level of alignment. Thirdly, we engaged deeply with the Group strategy and helped craft some of the team-level strategies to create the third level of alignment. Through regular check-ins and OKR entrenchment initiatives, were able to help teams not only achieve their strategic objectives but create synergies between teams and divisions, ultimately driving the overarching Group strategy forward.
“Our OKRs helped to create the right focus, enabling effective trade-off discussions and providing the team with a clear north-star to anchor us to our most important goals and ambitions.”
ABSA ITO TEAM MEMBER
CLIENT
DATE
2021
DURATION
One year
INDUSTRY
Financial Services
With Absa’s Technology division’s strategy being set in alignment to the Group strategy, the ITO executive committee decided to adopt the OKR methodology to help create focus, alignment and collaboration on the execution of their most important strategic objectives.
Four buckets of needs were identified:
- Create focus across the business around the critical strategic initiatives
- Improve collaboration and communication across the business
- Provide alignment across different teams on critical priorities
- Move from an output-based mindset towards and outcomes-based mindset
In November 2021, Step started an engagement with Absa Technology to formulate the team’s OKRs. Step Advisory has extensive experience in facilitating OKR setting for executive teams by translating strategy into OKRs. We leveraged on our experience and relationships to create a common language across various teams, upskilling them on the OKR methodology through multiple training and immersion sessions.
Following the training, OKRs were set for the ITO Exco, creating clear focus areas and transparency across the technology division. Each OKR had clear ownership, accountability, and deadlines. Business-as-usual goals were split out and tracked separately in a Balanced Scorecard to create a focus on progressing the strategy.
OKRs were then drafted (and cascaded) for multiple departments and teams within the ITO, rolling down to more than 19 teams, and subsequently across Technology.
With multiple teams onboarded, trained and OKRs set, it was essential to find more effective ways of tracking, aligning and monitoring the various OKRs. A cloud-based tool, Gtmhub, was used to track progress, ensure traction, increase clarity and promote transparency. A regular meeting rhythm was implemented for various teams to ensure that goals aren’t “set and forgotten”. This is an essential part of the OKR methodology and significant effort was spent on creating comfort around agendas, meeting times, use of tools, etc.
Step delivered an aligned set of OKRs for each team which successfully fed into Technology’s strategy. These OKRs will be driven by each team and reset quarterly. Overall, the OKR processes and practices that Technology adopted were successful in creating alignment and collaboration as discussions were elevated to break down siloes.
Critical elements that were addressed include the clarity of team level goals; individuals understanding the key difference between OKRs and KPIs; habits of check-ins and resetting goals.
