Oboard OKR App Becomes The Bridge Between Jira and Non-Jira Users

Managing a team can be challenging, especially when different teams use different tools. If your team is split between Atlassian-first and non-Astrian-first members, you might find it challenging to keep everyone aligned and working towards the same goals. That’s where OKRs — Objectives and Key Results—come in. They’re a powerful way to set clear goals and track progress.

But how do you centralize all your OKRs in a single place when your team uses different tools? The Oboard OKR App is designed to solve this exact problem. With Oboard, you can quickly bring Jira and non-Jira users together under one OKR system, ensuring everyone is on the same page and working towards the same objectives.

This article will show you how to use the Oboard OKR App to integrate Jira and non-Jira users into one cohesive OKR structure. We’ll walk you through the setup, integration, and best practices to ensure your team is aligned, productive, and moving forward.

Understanding OKRs

What Are OKRs?

OKRs  (Objectives and Key Results) are a goal-setting framework used by teams and organizations to define action-oriented goals and track their outcomes. 

• Objectives: These are the goals you want to achieve. They should be ambitious yet achievable, providing clear direction and inspiration.
• Key Results: These measurable indicators show if you’ve achieved your Objective. Each Objective typically has 3-5 Key Results, which should be specific, time-bound, and measurable.

For example, an Objective might be to “Improve Customer Satisfaction,” with Key Results like “Increase Net Promoter Score (NPS) from 7 to 9” and “Reduce customer support response time to under 2 hours.”

Why Use OKRs?

OKRs help teams stay focused and aligned. They provide a clear direction and measurable targets, making tracking progress and staying motivated easier. By setting OKRs, everyone knows what they’re working towards and how their efforts contribute to the bigger picture.

By using OKRs, teams can:

• Set clear goals: Everyone knows what they’re aiming for.
• Track progress: Regular check-ins help monitor progress and adjust as needed.
• Improve performance: Focusing on specific outcomes drives better performance and results.

There are very notable differences between teams that are using OKRs and those that don’t. For example, OKRs boost the understanding of the company’s Vision and overall alignment by 40%. This, in turn, increases the workers’ engagement and satisfaction with their work by over 20%, making them more motivated. As a result, OKRs increase overall team performance by at least 10% YoY. If you do not implement OKRs across all workers and departments of your company, including your non-Jira users, you leave this performance and the value it produces on the table.

Whether your team uses Jira, another productivity platform, or several at once, OKRs provide a structured way to set goals and measure success. The Oboard OKR App makes it easy to implement OKRs across diverse teams, ensuring everyone is aligned and working together effectively.

Challenges of Combining Jira and Non-Jira Users

At first glance, aligning Jira and non-Jira workers seems relatively straightforward — just do it manually in a spreadsheet! It’s just one or two teams, so surely it won’t lead to any particularly laborious outcomes. Except it does, since the more your company grows, the less flexible it becomes — and the more OKRs it needs to track.

As this process becomes more and more difficult, the alignment between Jira and non-Jira teams erodes. Teams start facing various obstacles that stem from differences in workflows, communication styles, and tracking methods — and aligning them manually becomes more and more difficult. Here are some issues you may encounter in these situations:

• Different Workflows and Tools. One of the main challenges of integrating Jira and non-Jira users is the difference in workflows and tools. Jira users often rely on Jira’s features for project tracking, issue management, and reporting. Non-Jira users might use various tools, such as spreadsheets, Trello, or Asana, leading to fragmented processes.
• Communication Barriers. With different tools comes the challenge of communication. Jira users might be accustomed to specific terminologies, notifications, and collaboration methods within Jira, while non-Jira users have their own set of practices. The lack of those features can lead to misunderstandings, missed updates, and a lack of cohesive communication across the team.
• Tracking and Reporting Inconsistencies. Another significant challenge is ensuring consistent tracking and reporting. Jira — especially once enhanced with OKR Board for Jira — provides robust reporting tools incompatible with those used by non-Jira team members. This disparity can result in inconsistencies in tracking and reporting progress, making it difficult to get a unified view of the team’s progress toward their OKRs.

As a result, aligning OKRs across Jira and non-Jira users can be complex. Objectives and Key Results need to be relevant and actionable for all team members, regardless of the tools they use. However, with team members using different platforms, it can be challenging to ensure that everyone is equally accountable and that progress is transparent. This can lead to some team members feeling disconnected or undervalued.

Finally, integrating diverse workflows into a single, cohesive OKR system is a significant challenge. It requires a flexible solution that accommodates different tools and processes while providing a unified goal-setting, tracking, and reporting platform. Without such a solution, teams may struggle to achieve proper alignment and collaboration.

Meet Oboard OKR App — the OKR software that natively integrates with the tools you use every day.

What is the Oboard OKR App

Six years ago, Oboard released the first version of OKR Board for Jira — now the Atlassian marketplace’s most popular OKR management app, with over 3,400 installs. It’s an excellent goal-setting tool and is actively used at both emerging startups and Fortune 500 companies, but it didn’t solve the problem of connecting Jira and non-Jira users. 

The Oboard OKR App is our solution to the problem. It’s a separate, standalone Web App that is available regardless of your project management tool of choice, and has all the features of the OKR Board for Jira. Namely:

• Automated Progress Tracking. The Oboard OKR App allows you to connect Jira Issues to your OKRs, using their statuses to calculate your KR progress automatically. Now, your reports are updated in real-time, remaining accurate and relevant.
• Visual OKR Roadmaps. The app provides visual roadmaps that help teams break down yearly OKRs into manageable quarterly objectives, aligning them with departmental and team goals. Such an approach ensures a clear and unified direction for the entire organization.
• Customizable Dashboards. The customizable dashboards allow users to tailor their reporting and analytics to fit their needs. This flexibility helps teams monitor their progress and make data-driven decisions.
• Integration with Jira and Beyond. Seamlessly integrates with Jira, allowing Jira users to continue using their preferred tool while benefiting from the advanced OKR management features of Oboard. Additionally, the app supports integrations with other tools via its Public API, making it accessible to non-Jira users.
• User-Friendly Interface. The app is designed with accessibility in mind and offers an intuitive interface that simplifies OKR management. It makes adopting the platform easy even for big teams, who can start using it effectively without extensive training.
• Comprehensive Reporting. Detailed reports offer insights into progress, performance, and areas needing improvement. These reports help managers and teams make informed decisions and adjust strategies. You can export your reports in PDF or XLS with a single click.
• Outcome Management. The focus on outcome management helps teams set and track OKRs and achieve the desired outcomes. This holistic approach ensures that all efforts are aligned with the organization’s strategic goals.

The OKR App can work either standalone or with the OKR Board for Jira, creating a unified workspace for users within and outside the Atlassian ecosystem. All users have access to the same features and can be managed equally.

How to Combine Jira and Non-Jira Users in One OKR Structure

Once you set up the Oboard OKR App, connecting both Jira and non-Jira users with it is extremely easy. First, you must set up the OKR Workspace — which our onboarding will guide you through. Just select:

• Your OKR intervals — to determine for what period you want to set OKRs;
• Your OKR levels — to determine at what scale you want to work with OKRs;
• Your OKR groups — to finalize the structure of your OKRs and divide your users into “teams.”

You can simply use the default pre-set values — they are reasonable and will suit most businesses. But if you want to customize them, you can do so either during onboarding or later in the settings.

You will also need to connect your OKR Board for Jira with the Oboard OKR App — the instructions can be found in Settings > Integrations. This will automatically sync all your OKRs and existing Jira users into the OKR App.

However, for non-Jira users, you’ll have to invite them manually:

1. Click “Invite User” at the bottom left.
2. Type the user’s email address — you can include multiple if you want to.
   1. Optionally, click Access Settings and assign them roles in Workspaces. You can also do it later in Settings > Groups & Users.
3. Click “Invite Users” to send them email invites.

Your invitees will receive an e-mail with an invite link. After clicking on it, they’ll be prompted to secure their Oboard account with a password and be allowed to use the OKR App. At this point, you’ll be able to manage them the same way you would OKR Board for Jira users.

Conclusion

Successfully managing a diverse team where some members use Jira and others don’t can be daunting. However, the Oboard OKR App provides a robust solution to this challenge. By unifying all team members under one OKR structure, regardless of the tools they use, Oboard ensures that everyone is aligned and working towards the same objectives.

With features like automated progress tracking, visual OKR roadmaps, customizable dashboards, and seamless integration with Jira and other tools, the Oboard OKR App streamlines the goal-setting process. Properly implementing it also enhances communication and collaboration and boosts overall productivity and performance.

Implementing the Oboard OKR App in your organization will help bridge the gap between Jira and non-Jira users, creating a cohesive and efficient workflow. Embrace this innovative tool to keep your team focused, aligned, and driven towards achieving their goals.

Ready to transform your team’s productivity and alignment? TRY IT FOR FREE and experience the benefits of a unified OKR structure with the Oboard OKR App.