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Breaking away from conventional ways of thinking. Focuses on breaking down complex ideas to reveal new understanding.
Alright, so welcome to another episode of the Deep Dive.
You know the drill by now.
We take these huge, complex topics and break them down into something you can actually
use.
Exactly.
No jargon, no fluff.
Just the good stuff.
Right.
And today we're focusing on something super practical.
How businesses can improve their IT service management.
We all know how crucial that is these days.
Absolutely.
And instead of just talking theory, we're going to dissect a real world example.
Well, almost real world.
Okay, I like where this is going.
Hit me with it.
So we found this really cool case study from the podcast "Con Punto y Koma" by the Lean
IT group.
They created this hypothetical company, Nexura Digital, to illustrate their points.
I'm listening.
What's so special about Nexura Digital?
Well, they're using this fictional company to demonstrate how OKR's objectives and key
results can be integrated with ITIL 4.
Uh-huh.
Okay, so it's like we're getting this behind the scenes look at a successful transformation,
right?
Yeah, you got it.
We see the challenges, the strategies, the whole nine yards.
So it's not just about theory, it's about application.
Precisely.
And this is relevant whether you're leading an IT department, working in one, or just
interested in how organizations can function more effectively.
So what's our mission for today's deep dive?
To understand exactly how Nexura Digital is using OKR's to transform its IT service management,
and more importantly, what key insights we can all glean from this example.
Love it.
All right, let's dive into Nexura Digital.
Who are they?
What do they do?
What are their goals?
Okay, so picture this.
Nexura Digital is this financial services company operating entirely in the digital
space.
Digital first.
Got it.
And they're based in Latin America.
They have a big vision to become the leader in digital financial services for the entire
region.
Ambitious, right?
Definitely.
What's their mission?
How do they plan on getting there?
Their mission is all about empowering their clients through digital solutions.
They want to be known for security, efficiency, and innovation.
All the good stuff you'd expect.
Sounds like a well-oiled machine so far.
But I bet there are some challenges, right?
No company is perfect.
You know it.
The case study highlights some pretty common problems.
They're very reactive in their operations, always putting out fires instead of preventing
them.
Oh, the classic firefighting scenario.
Been there.
Right.
Their IT processes aren't as mature as they could be.
And there's a bit of a disconnect between IT and the rest of the business.
You know, that whole IT is just a cost center mentality.
Yeah.
Unfortunately, we hear that a lot.
So how is Nexura Digital addressing these challenges?
You mentioned ITIL 4 earlier.
Exactly.
ITIL 4 is a framework, a set of best practices for managing IT services effectively.
Think of it as a roadmap to better IT service management.
Okay.
So they're using ITIL 4 as a guide to improve their operations.
What does that look like in practice?
It's about shifting from a reactive to a proactive approach.
Instead of just fixing things when they break, they want to anticipate needs, improve efficiency,
and deliver value.
Makes sense.
It's about IT becoming a strategic partner, not just a fix-it team.
Exactly.
And their ITSM project is pretty ambitious.
They're not aiming for small tweaks.
They want to completely transform IT into a strategic enabler for the entire business.
A bold move.
But we all know how powerful IT can be when done right.
So let's talk OKRs.
How do objectives and key results fit into all of this?
This is where the rubber meets the road.
OKRs help Nexura Digital translate their grand vision into concrete actions.
So OKRs are like the bridge between aspiration and reality.
You could say that.
It's about setting clear objectives, the what we want to achieve, and then defining key
results, the how we measure success.
I see.
So objectives are the big picture goals, and key results are the specific measurable milestones
along the way.
Exactly.
So objectives need to be ambitious, inspiring, and aligned with the overall strategy.
They need to give everyone a sense of purpose.
Precisely.
And key results, they need to be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound.
Right.
So no vague aspirations.
We need to know exactly what success looks like and when we need to achieve it.
That's the key.
And it's important to differentiate between KPIs and OKRs.
They're often confused, but they serve distinct purposes.
Yeah, I can see how that could get murky.
So what's the key difference?
KPIs.
Key performance indicators are like the gauges on your car's dashboard.
They tell you how things are running right now.
Monitoring current performance.
I get it.
What about OKRs?
OKRs are more like setting your GPS destination.
They tell you where you want to go and whether you're on track to get there.
Ah, so KPIs are about the present, and OKRs are about the future, both important but for
different reasons.
You got it.
And within OKRs, you have two types, committed and aspirational.
OK, what's the difference between those?
Committed OKRs are the must-haves.
The team is expected to achieve these 100%.
Essential for keeping the lights on, right?
Exactly.
Then you have aspirational OKRs.
These are more ambitious, more challenging.
The ones that push you outside your comfort zone.
That's the idea.
Even achieving 70% of an aspirational OKR is considered a win.
It's about aiming high and pushing boundaries.
I like it.
So let's look at Nexura Digital's specific OKRs.
I'm ready to see how this all comes together.
OK, so their first OKR is a committed one.
Strengthen IT service management.
Pretty straightforward, right?
Yeah, it lays the foundation for everything else.
And remember those challenges we talked about?
Reactive operations, immature processes.
This OKR tackles those head-on.
OK, how so?
It has three key results.
The first one is about creating documentation for at least five key IT service management
processes.
Bringing some order to the chaos.
Exactly.
So that process needs a designated owner, someone accountable, and it all needs to be
communicated to the entire IT team.
No more guesswork.
Structure and clarity.
I like it.
What about the second key result?
It's about making sure those new processes are actually used.
Right, because documentation alone doesn't solve anything.
You need people to actually change their behavior.
Exactly.
So they aim for 75% adoption of these processes by the technical team.
How do they measure that?
Through training sections and surveys after implementation.
Making sure everyone is on board and using the new processes.
Smart.
And the third key result?
The third key result focuses on self-service.
They want to publish and automate at least 10 high-demand IT services on a self-service
portal.
So, empowering users to find solutions themselves.
Exactly.
Available 24/7 with automatic status tracking.
This takes a huge load off the IT team and makes things so much easier for the users.
Win-win.
I'm surprised there was a KPI linked to this OKR.
Right.
The KPI is the percentage of tickets resolved using the knowledge base.
Their target is to hit 30% resolution within six months.
So the OKR is the strategic push for self-service.
And the KPI measures how effectively that's working in practice.
Precisely.
They work hand-in-hand.
One sets the direction, the other tracks progress.
Cool.
Let's move on to the second OKR.
This one is aspirational.
It's all about improving the internal customer experience.
Putting the focus on the users.
I love it.
It recognizes that IT is a service provider and those internal customers deserve a great
experience.
Absolutely.
What are their key results for this one?
The first one builds on that self-service portal we talked about.
They want to reduce level one ticket volume by 30% through self-service.
Makes sense.
If people can solve their own basic issues, it frees up the IT team for the more complex
stuff.
And it leads to happier users who get their problems solved faster.
The second key result focuses on customer satisfaction.
How do they measure that?
They use post-service surveys to measure their, see, AFTI, their customer satisfaction score.
They're aiming for at least a 4.2 out of 5.
So they're not just assuming things are better, they're actively seeking feedback.
That's right.
And the third key result for this OKR is all about speed.
They want to reduce the average resolution time for level one incidents.
Okay.
What's their target there?
They want to go from eight hours down to four hours.
That's a huge improvement.
Talk about efficiency.
And what's the KPI for this OKR?
The KPI tracks the average resolution time for level one incidents.
And their target, like you said, is to reach that four-hour mark within the first semester.
Great.
So again, the aspirational OKR sets the ambitious goal.
And the KPI provides the real-time data to track their progress.
Exactly.
They go together.
On to OKR number three.
Let's do it.
Okay.
So this one is committed, and it's about something we hear all the time.
Aligning IT with business processes.
Yeah.
So there's a gap between IT and the rest of the company.
Crucial stuff.
Absolutely.
The first key result is to design an IT service catalog that maps directly onto five priority
business processes.
So making sure IT services are relevant to the core functions of the business.
Exactly.
The catalog defines the services, who's eligible for them, and the expected service levels,
the SLAs.
Clear, transparent, and aligned with what the business actually needs.
You got it.
And the second key result is all about collaboration.
They want to run at least three workshops with business leaders.
Making sure IT isn't operating in a vacuum.
Exactly.
These workshops validate the service catalog and allow for adjustments based on real feedback
from the business side.
Love it.
It's a two-way street, not IT dictating what the business should get.
And the third key result for this OKR is about demonstrating value.
How do they plan to do that?
They want to implement a quantitative metric to measure the perceived business value of
at least three prioritized services.
So not just saying we're valuable, but actually showing it with data.
Precisely.
And they'll gather feedback from key users to get a real sense of how those services
are impacting the business.
Impressive.
What's the KPI they're using here?
The KPI for this one is the percentage of IT services with monitored SLAs.
They want to reach 80% by the end of the first quarter.
So they're holding themselves accountable for delivering on those service level agreements.
It's about building trust and reliability.
All right, on to the final OKR.
This one's aspirational, right?
You got it.
And it's about fostering a culture of continuous improvement within the IT department.
Always striving to be better.
I like the sound of that.
It's about building a mindset of ongoing learning and improvement.
How do they plan to achieve that?
The first key result is about regular process reviews.
They'll hold monthly ITSM process reviews.
And crucially, they need to document any corrective actions and improvements.
So it's not just about identifying issues.
It's about taking action to fix them.
Right.
And they need to show their work, document the improvements, and make sure they're implemented.
Accountability.
What's the second key result?
The second key result is all about preventing those pesky recurring incidents.
Everyone hates those.
For real.
They want to conduct a documented root cause analysis for 100% of recurring incidents at
level two and above.
So not just fixing the symptom, but understanding the underlying problem and preventing it from
happening again.
Exactly.
It's about getting to the root cause and finding a permanent solution.
And the final key result for this OKR.
They want to boost the number of continuous improvement proposals coming from the technical
team by at least 25% compared to the previous six months.
So empowering the people on the front lines to suggest improvements.
Exactly.
They're the ones closest to the work, so they often have the best insights.
And the KPI link to this OKR is pretty interesting.
Tell me more.
It's the ratio of recorded problems versus the number of repetitive incidents.
Their target is one documented problem for every five repetitive incidents.
I see.
So they're encouraging the team to identify and address the underlying problems, not just
keep patching the same issues over and over.
Exactly.
It's a more strategic approach to problem solving.
So to sum up, Nextdoor Digital is using OKRs to set clear strategic goals for their IT
service management.
And they're using KPIs to track their operational performance and see if they're making progress
towards those goals.
They work together.
Two sides of the same coin.
Got it.
And the Computo Ecoma podcast really drives home the "Why ITSM?" question.
Yeah, why go through all this trouble?
What's the big payoff?
They want to shift IT from reactive to proactive, align it with the business, adopt best practices,
and deliver a better, more measurable user experience.
All great things.
So let's wrap this up.
What are the key takeaways for our listeners?
What can they learn from Nextdoor Digital's journey?
The first big takeaway is the importance of aligning IT initiatives with the overall vision
and mission of the organization.
Don't just do IT for IT's sake.
Make sure it serves the bigger picture.
Absolutely.
IT should be a strategic enabler, not a siloed department.
Right.
Second takeaway.
OKRs can take that big vision and break it down into manageable, measurable steps.
Making the abstract concrete.
Exactly.
Third, use KPIs alongside your OKRs to track both operational performance and strategic
progress.
You need both.
Like we said, two sides of the same coin.
And finally, build a culture of continuous improvement.
Don't just settle for good enough.
Always be striving to be better, more efficient, more effective.
Always learning, always evolving.
It's the only way to stay ahead.
That's the key.
So for everyone listening, think about what excellence and execution means for you.
What are your big goals and what are your hows, the specific measurable steps you'll
take to get there?
Great advice.
Whether you're in IT or any other field, that mindset of setting clear goals and tracking
your progress is essential for success.
It's about moving beyond simply being busy and focusing on achieving the outcomes that
truly matter.
Couldn't have said it better myself.
And that, my friend, is how you elevate your game.
This has been another deep dive.
We'll catch you next time.
Until then, keep learning, keep growing.