Introduction
Welcome to the Rhythms OKR Training Guide. This resource is designed to help your team quickly learn how to use Rhythms to support your OKR program, whether you're new to OKRs or transitioning from another platform. The guide is organized into six practical modules that take you from initial workspace setup through daily operations and program monitoring. You can work through the material at your own pace; Some teams complete an accelerated adoption in 2-3 sessions, while others prefer a more comprehensive approach over 8-10 sessions. Each module includes core workflows for hands-on learning and related topics for reference when specific questions arise.
Module 1: Workspace Foundation & User Access
Module Focus: Configure your workspace, manage user access, and establish security controls.
Set up the foundational infrastructure for your OKR program. You'll configure user management, establish role-based permissions, and integrate enterprise identity systems. These administrative capabilities ensure your team has appropriate access while maintaining security and compliance requirements.
Core Workflow:
User Management in Rhythms - Inviting team members and managing workspace access
Create and Manage Teams in Rhythms - Organizing departments and groups for OKR collaboration
Rhythms OKR Roles and Permissions - Understanding role hierarchy and permission controls
Using Time Periods to Align OKR Cycles in Rhythms - Guide to configuring and managing OKR time periods
Related Topics:
Enterprise User Management in Rhythms - Complete framework for SSO, SCIM, and RBAC
Set Up Single Sign-On (SSO) in Rhythms - Corporate credential authentication
Setting Up Automated User Provisioning (SCIM) and HRIS Integration in Rhythms - Automated user lifecycle management
Module 2: Integration & Automation Setup
Module Focus: Connect external tools and configure organization-wide automation rhythms.
Enable workspace integrations that keep your team connected and establish predictable check-in cadences. You'll configure collaboration platform notifications and set up organization-wide or team-specific check-in rhythms that align OKR updates with your business calendar.
Core Workflow:
Connect Rhythms to Your Favorite Collaboration Platforms - Slack and Teams notification configuration
Enable Integrations for Your Workspace - Workspace-level integration configuration
Check-in Rhythms: Align OKR Updates with Your Business Calendar - Organization and team-level check-in cadence setup (Beta Feature)
Module 3: OKR Philosophy & Model Configuration
Module Focus: Design your organization's OKR framework and configure alignment behavior.
Understand how organizational goals connect across levels and time horizons. You'll make strategic decisions about your OKR model design and configure the technical rules that govern how objectives align and contribute to each other throughout your organization.
Core Workflow:
OKR Alignment and Time Horizons: Building Effective Goal Hierarchies - Conceptual foundation for goal relationships
Designing Your Organization's OKR Model - Strategic OKR framework decisions
Model Customization: Configuring Alignment and Contribution Rules - Technical alignment configuration
Related Topics:
Introduction to OKRs - Foundational OKR concepts and terminology
Breaking Down Annual OKRs into Quarterly Goals: A Decision Framework - Translating strategy across time horizons
Module 4: Creating & Managing OKRs
Module Focus: Author OKRs through multiple methods and manage them through their complete lifecycle.
Master the practical mechanics of building and maintaining OKRs in Rhythms. You'll learn conversational, form-based, and document-based creation methods, configure automated progress tracking during creation, understand how progress rolls up through hierarchies, and manage OKRs from draft through completion.
Core Workflow:
Creating OKRs and Initiatives in Rhythms - Complete authoring workflow with all creation methods
How to Set Up Auto-Updates - Configuring automated progress tracking during OKR creation
Intelligent Progress Rollup: How Rhythms Calculates Parent Progress - Understanding how child progress aggregates to parents
Related Topics:
Understanding Metric Types in Rhythms - How different tracking methods work
Managing and Updating OKRs in Rhythms - Editing and restructuring existing OKRs
Understanding OKR Automatic Rollup - Conceptual overview of progress and status calculation
OKR Visibility — Who can see an OKR - Configuring access and visibility controls
Assign Delegates: Keep OKRs Current Without Being the Bottleneck - Distributing update responsibilities
Closing and Scoring OKRs - End-of-cycle evaluation and retrospective
Module 5: Check-ins & Progress Operations
Module Focus: Establish effective practices for keeping OKRs current through regular updates.
Learn to write valuable check-ins that provide context beyond automated metrics. You'll understand how to communicate progress, blockers, and status effectively, ensuring stakeholders have the information they need without requiring additional meetings.
Core Workflow:
Effective Check-ins to Track OKR Progress in Rhythms - Best practices for writing meaningful updates
Module 6: Program Health & Views
Module Focus: Monitor program health and organize OKR visibility for different audiences.
Use reports to understand program-level health metrics and create custom views that filter and organize OKRs for specific teams, roles, or purposes. You'll learn to diagnose common program issues and build visibility structures that support your organization's workflows.
Core Workflow:
Reports in Rhythms: Monitoring and Improving OKR Program Health - Program health analytics and diagnostics
Using Views to Organize and Monitor OKRs - Creating and managing custom views
Related Topics:
Filtering and Grouping OKRs in Views - Advanced view configuration for different audiences
Using This Guide
Choose Your Adoption Pace:
Accelerated Adoption (2-3 sessions): For teams experienced with OKRs who want to get up and running quickly. We'll focus on platform-specific features and workflows, covering Modules 1-2 in your first session, Modules 3-4 in your second, and Modules 5-6 in your third.
Standard Adoption (6 sessions): Our most popular approach. Work through one module per session with dedicated time to practice and apply what you've learned. This pace helps teams build confidence and establish sustainable habits.
Comprehensive Adoption (8-10 sessions): Perfect for organizations new to OKRs. We'll take extra time with complex topics like Module 4 (Creating & Managing OKRs), ensuring everyone has hands-on practice and can address specific use cases.
We're here to support whatever pace works best for your team. Mix and match approaches across different groups, adjust timing as you go, or create a custom schedule that fits your organization's needs.
Before You Begin:
Confirm you have admin access to your Rhythms workspace
Review your organization's OKR goals and strategy (if documented)
Identify which team members should be involved in setup and training
Prepare any questions specific to your implementation
As You Work Through Modules:
Focus on "Core Workflow" articles during active learning sessions
Bookmark "Related Topics" for reference when specific questions arise
Each article includes FAQs addressing common scenarios
Test configurations in your workspace as you learn
Training Your Team Members
This guide focuses on administrator and program manager setup. Once your workspace is configured, your team members will need training on how to use Rhythms for their individual OKRs.
What Team Members Need to Learn:
Module 1 (Simplified): Understanding their role and permissions (skip SSO/SCIM technical details)
Module 2 (Simplified): How notifications work (skip admin configuration)
Module 3 (Full Module): OKR alignment philosophy helps everyone write better goals
Module 4 (Full Module): Creating OKRs, setting up auto-updates, understanding how their work contributes to parent goals
Module 5 (Full Module): Writing effective check-ins and providing valuable updates
Module 6 (Simplified): Using personal views and engaging with team OKRs (skip program health reports)
Recommended Team Member Reading List:
Introduction to OKRs - Start here for foundational concepts
Creating OKRs and Initiatives in Rhythms - How to author your goals
Effective Check-ins to Track OKR Progress in Rhythms - Keeping goals current
Using Views to Organize and Monitor OKRs - Finding and organizing relevant goals
Pro Tip: Many organizations find it effective to have administrators complete this full guide first, then create a condensed "team member quick start" session covering just the four articles above.