Introduction
Welcome to setting up integrations in Rhythms! Integrations connect your team’s favorite work apps and data sources to Rhythms, enhancing both OKR check-ins and organizational cadences. As an admin, you can enable these integrations to help your team track progress seamlessly, pull real-time data into key results, and optimize workflows.
This guide will focus on enabling integrations for OKR check-ins, while also noting how calendar integrations can support broader organizational rhythms like driving agendas and capturing progress updates. We’ll walk you through the setup process, list available options, and share tips to maximize their value.
Note: Only admins can enable or disable integrations in Rhythms.
Available Integrations in Rhythms
Rhythms offers a variety of integrations to enhance OKR tracking and organizational workflows. Below is a breakdown of what’s available:
Immediately Available Integrations (Enable with a Toggle): These can be enabled directly in the admin portal:
Microsoft Excel: Integrate spreadsheets to manage and analyze data seamlessly for OKR check-ins.
PowerBI: Connect to track progress on key business metrics for data-driven OKRs.
Linear: Integrate tickets with meetings and objectives for contextual work management.
GitHub: Connect repositories and track engineering metrics for technical OKRs.
Azure DevOps (ADO): Link development work items directly to your OKRs.
Planner: Link task boards and plans to track project-based OKRs.
Jira: Link tickets with objectives, and contextual work management for OKRs.
Google Calendar: Sync with Rhythms to optimize organizational cadences, drive meeting agendas, and capture progress updates.
Outlook Calendar: Sync with Rhythms to streamline organizational rhythms, align meeting schedules, and track progress updates.
Zoom: Allow users to connect rhythms with Zoom for meetings, driving agenda, and capturing progress updates.
Integrations Available on Request (Click the "Request" Button): These require a request to the Rhythms team before they can be enabled:
Tableau: Connect to track progress on key business metrics for OKRs.
Azure Data Explorer: Pull analytics into reviews for data-driven strategic decisions
Dynamics 365: Connect customer data and update based on review outcomes.
SmartSheet: Integrate sheets for tracking and managing strategic initiatives.
Google Looker: Pull analytics dashboards into reviews for data-driven decisions.
Snowflake: Connect data warehouse insights directly to strategic metrics for OKRs.
Salesforce: Integrate sales data and update opportunities from meeting outcomes.
Microsoft Project: Align project objectives and milestones in sync with OKRs.
Asana: Sync projects and automatically surface relevant updates in meetings and reviews.
Monday.com: Connect boards for meetings, objectives, and discussion alignment.
Not Seeing an Integration? If an integration isn’t listed, you can reach out to the Rhythms team via the "Help and Support"
How to Enable Integrations in Rhythms
Follow these steps to enable integrations for your team in the Rhythms admin portal.
Step 1: Access the Integrations Section in Admin Settings
Log in to Rhythms as an admin and navigate to the admin portal.
In the left navigation bar, locate and click on "Integrations."
Tip: Bookmark the Integrations dashboard for quick access during future updates.
Step 2: Choose How to Enable Integrations
Option 1: Enable All Integrations at Once
Toggle the "Enable all current & new apps" switch (visible at the top-right of the integrations page).
This makes all current integrations available to your team and auto-enables any new integrations added in the future.
If you toggle off 'Enable all current & new apps,' new integrations won't automatically enable, but existing enabled ones will remain active.
Tip: This is great for teams that want to explore all options without manual setup.
Option 2: Enable Integrations One by One
Browse the list of immediately available integrations (e.g., PowerBI, Google Sheets).
Toggle the switch next to each integration to enable it individually.
Tip: Start with 3-5 key integrations your team already uses to keep the rollout manageable. For this option "Enable all current & new apps" is turned off.
Step 3: Request Additional Integrations
For integrations listed as "Request" (e.g., Tableau), click the "Request" button next to the tool.
This sends a request to the Rhythms team to enable it for your workspace.
Tip: If you don’t see the integration you need in the list, reach out to the Rhythms team via the "Help and Support" section in the admin portal.
Step 4: Verify Integrations Are Enabled
Once enabled, the toggle next to each integration will show as active (e.g., the switch will be in the "on" position).
Notify your team that they can now connect these apps to their OKRs .
Tip: Test an integration yourself by connecting it to a sample key result (for OKR-focused apps) to ensure it works as expected.
How Your Team Can Use Integrations for Key Result Check-ins
Once integrations are enabled, your team can use OKR-focused integrations (like PowerBI or Excel) to streamline check-ins. Here’s how to use integrations for OKR check-ins:
Step 1: Access the Key Result
Navigate to the key result they want to update (e.g., "Achieve 85% user retention in beta").
Click the "Check-in" button at the top of the key result view.
Step 2: Connect Work Apps to the Check-in
In the check-in screen, click "Connect work apps."
They’ll see a list of OKR-focused integrations you’ve enabled (e.g., PowerBI, Excel, GitHub).
Select the app relevant to their key result (e.g., PowerBI).
Step 3: Configure the Integration Connection
For an app like PowerBI:
They’ll be prompted to configure the connection.
Select a workspace from the dropdown (e.g., "Business reports").
Choose a specific report (e.g., "Retention").
The system will scan for available metrics.
Pick the metric that aligns with their key result (e.g., "Retention Rate").
Tip: Encourage your team to double-check their selections to ensure the right data is pulled.
Step 4: Complete the Check-in
After connecting the app, they can add notes using the rich text editor.
Set the check-in date (defaults to today’s date, March 25, 2025).
Submit the check-in with the integrated data.
Tip: Remind your team to add their own notes even with integrated data, to keep everyone aligned.
Benefits of Using Integrations for Check-ins
OKR-focused integrations make tracking more effective for your team. Here’s why they’re a game-changer:
Data Accuracy: Pull real-time data directly from source systems—no more guesswork.
Time Savings: Skip manual data entry and reduce errors.
Transparency: Create a clear audit trail of data sources for key result progress.
Consistency: Ensure everyone works with the same data, fostering alignment.
Focus on Insights: Spend less time gathering data and more time analyzing results.
Calendar integrations, on the other hand, help optimize organizational cadences by aligning meeting schedules, driving agendas, and capturing progress updates, ensuring your team stays in sync across workflows.
Best Practices for Managing Integrations
Maximize the value of integrations with these tips:
Start with Familiar Tools: Enable OKR-focused integrations your team already uses (e.g., Excel or PowerBI) to encourage adoption for check-ins, and enable calendar integrations to streamline cadences.
Communicate Availability: Let your team know which integrations are enabled and their purposes—share this guide for OKR check-ins and point them to cadence-focused guides for calendar tools.
Monitor Usage: Check in with your team to see which integrations are most helpful for OKRs and cadences, and if they need others.
Keep Permissions in Check: Ensure team members have the right access in both Rhythms and the connected apps to avoid connection issues.
Setup Success Tips
Here’s how to make your integration setup even better:
Explore the List First: Review the available integrations above to understand their purposes (OKR check-ins vs. organizational cadences) before enabling them.
Enable Gradually if Needed: If you’re unsure, enable integrations one at a time and test them with your team to build confidence.
Check Toggle Status: After enabling, confirm the toggles are active in the integrations section to ensure they’re ready for use.
Request Proactively: If your team needs a specific tool, use the "Request" button early to get it enabled sooner.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: What’s the difference between immediately available and request-only integrations?
A: Immediately available integrations (e.g., PowerBI, Google Calendar) can be enabled with a toggle. Request-only integrations (e.g., Tableau, GitHub) need a request to the Rhythms team so they perform additional configurations before they can be enabled.
Q: How do calendar integrations differ from other integrations?
A: Calendar integrations (e.g., Google Calendar, Outlook Calendar) focus on optimizing organizational cadences, driving agendas, and capturing progress updates, while other integrations (e.g., PowerBI, Excel) are tailored for seamless OKR check-ins with data-driven tracking.
Q: What happens if I disable the "Enable all current & new apps" toggle?
A: New integrations won’t auto-enable, but any integrations already enabled will stay active for your team.
Q: Can I request an integration that’s not listed?
A: Yes! Contact the Rhythms team through "Help and Support" in the admin portal to request unlisted integrations.
Q: Do team members need admin access to use integrations?
A: No, but they’ll need appropriate permissions in the connected app (e.g., PowerBI workspace access for OKR check-ins, or Google Calendar access for cadences) to use the integration.
Q: How do I know if an integration is working?
A: Test it by connecting it to a key result (for OKR-focused apps) or syncing a calendar event (for cadence-focused apps), or ask a team member to try it out.
Get Started with Integrations
You’re ready to enable integrations and supercharge your team’s OKR check-ins and organizational cadences! Start by enabling a few key tools from the list above, test them out, and watch how they streamline workflows. For more help, visit the Rhythms Resource Center or check out related guides like "Creating Objectives in Rhythms".