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Written by Matt Spry
Updated yesterday

What is Roda?

What is Roda?

Roda is a strategy delivery platform that uses the power of the flywheel to help leaders build momentum in their business and achieve their most important goals.

It is designed to help bridge the gap between vision and results.

Roda is built around a simple, proven and powerful idea to help organisations build focus, clarity and momentum.

Why should I use Roda?

The Roda Flywheel is a simple, proven and powerful way of helping you and your team align around your most important goal and deliver it together. If you’re on a mission to achieve something big, Roda can help you get there quicker.

What is the philosophy behind Roda?

Roda is built around three key ideas. We believe that organisations are more likely to achieve their goals if they:

  1. Align their teams and activity around their most important goals

  1. Build a shared understanding of priorities and performance across their organisation

  1. Drive accountability to deliver key outcomes

Who is Roda for?

Roda has been designed and built for leaders of ambitious organisations who are committed to building something great together, and who believe in our philosophy (see above).

Where did the idea for Roda come from?

Over many years working as strategy consultants, we (co-founders Matt + Mark) tried many different delivery frameworks with clients to use after our strategy development work was complete, such as OKRs, balanced scorecards, strategy maps etc. None hit the mark in terms of being intuitive, sustainable and impactful in the way we wanted. We were frustrated that too often our clients were struggling to follow through on the work we had done together and turn their vision into reality.

That changed when we used the flywheel model to help a digital agency client rethink their project delivery model. Using the flywheel as a framework we built out the key steps and realised that we could measure each step to provide a simple, visual way of articulating to the whole team where they were performing well, and where they could improve.

We were struck by how quickly the whole team understood the concept, no matter their previous experience or level of business education.

From that workshop the spark of Roda emerged, and we started to test and develop the concept further with other clients in other contexts, before committing to build the product you see today.

How to use Roda

What is a flywheel?

A flywheel is a simple visual way of showing how small wins for your business build on each other over time and build momentum towards achieving your goals, whether you're aiming for growth, improved operations management, better employee recruitment and retention, or any other goal.

The Roda flywheel shows the key repeatable steps and associated targets your organisation must keep delivering to achieve your goals.

What is a flywheel archetype?

An archetype is a pre-designed flywheel built around the common steps required to deliver a specific goal. For example, our growth archetype is built around five flywheel steps – awareness, conversion, delivery, retention, and innovation.

Archetypes provide an easy way to start using Roda to deliver your strategy.

When going through on-boarding, you have 3 options:

1. You can use an archetype to start with, using the step names and selecting metrics from the drop down list for each step

2. You can build a flywheel from scratch by adding steps, renaming steps and creating metrics for each step

3. You can use some steps and metrics from an archetype and then customise the rest of your flywheel.

What is a flywheel goal?

A flywheel goal is the primary outcome that your organisation wants to achieve. It is a single measure that reflects a quantifiable outcome.

For example, if your primary goals is growth, you could - for example - choose to measure revenue, total customer numbers, new customers, gross profit or net profit.

What are flywheel steps?

Flywheel steps are the key repeatable activities that must occur to achieve your flywheel goal. Each step builds on the last and feeds into the next and represents a closed loop of activity. Failure to achieve one step will impact your ability to achieve the next step, and so on. This feature is one of the key strengths of the Roda flywheel, as it helps leaders, and their teams understand where they need to focus their energy and resources to keep their flywheel moving and maximise their chances of achieving their primary goal.

For example, the Roda growth archetype is built around five key steps – awareness, conversion, delivery, retention and innovation.

We offer templates for Growth, Operations Management and Impact objectives and a list of metrics to choose from to build these flywheels.

You can also build 3,4,5 and 6 step flywheels from scratch during onboarding and can also easily add steps to, or delete steps from your flywheels, at any time.

What are step metrics?

Step metrics are the measures that best reflect the outcomes of performing each step for your organisation.

For example, in the awareness step in Roda’s growth flywheel archetype, you may choose to track metrics covering website traffic, social media engagement, newsletter subscribers or event attendance.

What are metric targets?

Metrics targets are the aspirational levels of performance you believe you need to achieve for each metric to deliver each step and achieve your flywheel goal.

How do I set my metrics for each step?

During the set-up process you will be able to select metrics for each flywheel step from a pre-populated list of common metrics or build your metrics from scratch. Or, you can have a mixture of both!

How often do I set my flywheel goal?

You set your flywheel goal during set-up, and choose your target on a quarterly basis. During set-up you can choose where you are in your flywheel reporting cycle, so you can align your flywheel goal with other reporting cycles e.g. financial years, OKR cycles.

Can I change my flywheel after I have gone through the set-up process?

Yes, Roda is fully customisable to your needs.

  • You can change your flywheel goal and flywheel target at any time by clicking on the goal in the centre of the flywheel, then clicking on the three dots in the top right hand side of your the box with your main target in it, and clicking on 'Change Goal Type' or 'Update Target'

  • You can change the name of your flywheel and step names by clicking on the flywheel icon next to your flywheel name on the menu drop down. This is on the top left hand side of the home page. This takes you to a page where you can fully customise your flywheel, including changing step names and adding or deleting steps. You can also change the order of the steps by clicking on the arrows next to the step name

  • You can change your metric name, target, and owners at any time. Click into the relevant step to see your metrics. Then click on the three dots in the top right hand side of your metric box, and select 'Edit metric'. Then you can change the target the 'Enter a target for this quarter' or for a more in depth editing and customisation, click on the pencil icon on the right hand side, in the box with the current metric name in it. Clicking into this will allow for you to edit 'Metric name', 'Metric description', 'Unit name'. 'Unit type', 'How you would like to report this metric', 'Graph type' and 'Target Type'. Explanations of what these mean in more detail are displayed on the right hand side of the screen as you progress through editing and via the 'i' icon next to each editable part of the metric

  • You can add a metric at any time, up to a maximum of 6 per step. Click into the relevant step to see your metrics. Then click on the three dots in the top right hand side next to the step name, and select 'Add metric'

How often do I report on progress towards my flywheel goal?

You update actual progress towards your flywheel goal on a monthly basis.

How often do I set my metrics?

You set your metrics during set-up and have the chance to change them at any point.

How often do I set my metrics targets?

You set your metric targets during set-up and have the chance to change them at any point.

How often do I report on progress towards my metric targets?

Every week users will be asked to update their metrics with actual performance numbers. Reminders are sent via e-mail, and there are prompts within Roda when check-ins are due.

Check-ins are currently made within Roda, but we plan to allow users to update via WhatsApp, Slack and Teams to make it easy to keep your flywheel updated.

How do I set my flywheel goal and metric targets?

During the set-up process you will be guided through flywheel goal and metric target setting. You will be prompted to change them during each quarterly review, but can also adjust them at any time, should you wish.

How do I know if my flywheel is working?

Your flywheel is working if you are making the progress you want towards your main goal.

When you first start using Roda, think of your flywheel steps and metric targets as a hypothesis - “I believe that if I achieve these things at each step, I will make the progress I want towards my main goal”.

Week by week, and quarter by quarter, you will learn more and more about what actions drive the results you want and optimise your flywheel.

Roda is a tool that encourages and facilitates deep learning about your business model and how you can best drive the results you want.

Can I change my flywheel goal?

Yes. You can change your flywheel goal and flywheel target at any time by clicking on the goal in the centre of the flywheel, then clicking on the three dots in the top right hand side of your the box with your main target in it, and clicking on 'Change Goal Type' or 'Update Target'

What is a health indicator?

A health indicator is a simple way to show whether a flywheel step or metric is performing above or below target levels. Health indicators are small circles, and are either green, amber or blue:

  • Green means that you are on track! For a metric it means that you are at or above the target level, whilst for a step it means that 50% or more of your metrics are at or above their target level

  • Amber means that you are not currently on track to hit your target. For a metric it means that your performance is below the target level, whilst at a step level it means that more than half of your metrics for that step are below target levels

  • Blue means that a check-in is needed i.e. the step or metric does not have data for the most recent week

There is one health indicator shown on the flywheel for each step, and each metric within each step. Step health indicators are shown on the main flywheel, whilst metric health indicators are shown next to each step.

Health indictors allow you to see at-a-glance how well your flywheel is performing at both a step and metric level.

What do the three colours mean?

The three colours we have used throughout Roda to show the status of metrics and steps have specific and consistent meanings:

  • Green means that you are on track! For a metric it means that you are at or above the target level, whilst for a step it means that 50% or more of your metrics are at or above their target level

  • Amber means that you are not currently on track. For a metric it means that your performance is below the target level, whilst at a step level it means that more than half of your metrics for that step are below target levels

  • Blue means that a check-in is needed i.e. the step or metric does not have data for the most recent week

What are the different permissions in Roda?

There are 2 roles in Roda:

  • Admins can invite other users and manage everything to do with your company and flywheels.

  • Viewers can see the flywheel and metrics, but won't be allowed to check-in or complete reviews unless they are assigned as metric owners.

Can I change the name of my flywheel?

You can change the name of your flywheel by selecting the flywheel icon next to your currently selected flywheel in the sidebar.

Can I change what my steps are called?

You can change the name of a step by selecting the flywheel icon next to your currently selected flywheel in the sidebar.

Can I change what my metrics are called?

You can change what a metric is called at any point after you have set-up. If you visit the metric page and then click on the 3 vertical dots, you'll be able to change the name of a metric. Please note that this won't have any impact on functionality.

How do I navigate the Roda platform?

We have tried to make the UX and UI highly intuitive and have provided the product tour to show users around the platform. Please also get in touch with us if you would like to set-up a call to walk through the platform in detail. We'd love to speak to you.

How do I add a flywheel?

You can add a flywheel by navigating through 'Flywheel' at the top left of the screen, and clicking on 'Add new Flywheel'

How do I delete a flywheel?

You can delete a flywheel by clicking on 'Flywheel' at the top left of the screen, clicking onto the flywheel icon next to the name of the flywheel you wish to delete, then clicking on the red rectangle box at the bottom of the page.

Can I extract data or reports from Roda?

You can use the 'Save Image' button on all key pages within the platform to extract all the information as a picture, from that page.

Can I add my company logo or personal profile pictures to my Roda account?

You can add company logos and personal profile pictures or avatars to your Roda account by clicking on 'Settings' and clicking on 'Company & Billing' for logos, and 'Profile' for personal pictures or avatars.

How do I sign out of Roda?

You can sign out of Roda by clicking on the arrow - which is pointing to the right - at the bottom left corner of your screen.

Making Roda better

Does Roda offer templates?

Yes! We call these ‘archetypes’, predesigned flywheels designed to help you achieve a specific goal such as growth, improving operations management or social impact.

We will be expanding our library of archetypes over time to ensure that we can help more organisations achieve their goals.

Archetypes can be customised and adapted to make sure that they work for you. Our aim has been to get you started with Roda as quickly and easily as possible, so you and your team can start focusing on delivering.

I have an idea for a new flywheel archetype, what should I do?

We are always interested to hear how our customers want to use flywheels to achieve their goals, so if you have ideas for a flywheel archetype, please get in touch via the chat function.

I have an idea for a new feature, what should I do?

We are committed to developing Roda into a tool that adds huge value to users. If you have ideas for a feature that will help you, please get in touch via the chat function.

Does Roda integrate with other tools and platforms?

Our first versions of Roda will require manual data input from users. However, we plan on building integrations to key partner tools and platforms to make the user experience even easier.

We are committed to developing Roda into a tool that adds huge value to users, so if there is a tool or platform you would like a future integration with, please get in touch via the chat function.

Policies

What is your privacy policy?

What are your T&Cs?

You can read our T&Cs here - [link]

What other policies should I be aware of?

Here are links to other policies:

  • Acceptable use - [link]

Managing my account

Do you offer referrals codes or introduction fees?

Yes we do!

Please request a referral code via the chat function. Our referral programme offers XXX to existing customers who introduce new organisations to Roda who sign up for a paid account.

Which plan is right for me?

We believe in simplicity and transparency. Therefore, we have one pricing plan, based on the number of users you have. The price per user declines as your team grows.

How long is the free trial?

Our free trial is 45 days long. This period ensures that you will get to experience setting up for flywheel, several weekly check-ins, and a monthly flywheel goal review.

At the end of your free trial period you'll need to purchase a monthly subscription to continue using Roda. Your subscription price depends on the number of users you have in your company.

How do I add users?

Admins can add users by visiting this link: https://app.rodastrategy.com/members, or by clicking on 'Invite team members' at the bottom left of the screen.

How do I find out how much my account will cost?

We believe in transparency, so you can always see the price of an active subscription by navigating to your organisation's settings page and tapping "manage subscription". If you are still trialing Roda, then tap "see pricing" to view the price of your subscription.

How do I change my plan?

Your plan is affected by the number of active users in your organisation (you can control this via your members page). Navigate to your organisation's settings and tap "Manage Subscription" to view the impact this will have on your next bill. Mid-month changes are prorated onto your next invoice.

How do I update user details and permissions?

Admins can manage users by visiting this link: https://app.rodastrategy.com/members, or by navigating to Settings > Organisation > Members, and then clicking on a row in the user table to access their details. You can change their role from the "role" drop-down.

What payment methods do you take?

We use Stripe as our payments platform, and they accept most payment methods. See their full list here.

How do I update my payment details?

Navigate to your organisation's settings and tap "Manage Subscription" to view and update your billing information.

How do I cancel my account?

If you'd like to pause or cancel your subscription, then please navigate to your organisation's settings and tap "Manage Subscription". If you cancel your plan, all of your data will still be available for future use. You'll be able to continue to use Roda until the end of the current billing period. You can restart your plan at any time from the same page.

If you are looking to delete your account, then you can do so by navigating to your profile page and tapping "delete your account".

  • If you are the only user in your company then your account and company will be deleted immediately. If your company has a subscription, then this action will also cancel it immediately.

  • If you have any other admin users in your organisation, then any metrics you own will be assigned to them. Note: this action will not remove your company or cancel your subscription.

  • If you have any other regular users, but no admin users, then you'll need to grant admin access to somebody else or remove everybody else from your organisation before deleting yourself. Note: this action will not remove your company or cancel your subscription.

Troubleshooting

I have a problem, what should I do?

In the first instance, please contact our customer experience team via the chat function.

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