The Alignment Playbook

To align every team to execute with a strong sense of purpose, with a bold vision, aligned on the right priorities, with clear goals, defined metrics, and with an inspiring high velocity rhythm.

Strategy Sessions

ALIGN THE MISSION

How to define a bold vision

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ALIGN THE STRATEGY

How to prioritize with a SWOT

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ALIGN THE OKRS

Building an Alignment plan

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IMPLEMENTATION

How to rollout team-wide

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Alignment Framework

Align the Vision
Mission

Create Mission

STEP 1: Align your team on a purpose-driven mission, bold vision, values, and a key metric for your org, team, project, or role.

FREQUENCY: Define annually

INSTRUCTIONS: Every team member to create a mission for role.

Add your 7-12 word mission statement to the top of your SWOT Analysis, Plan, Retro.

Group Planning: Have each team member create a team mission and link each team member's mission to the "team missions" section. Make sure you are aligned. Review and reconfirm quarterly.

Align the Strategy
SWOT Analysis

Create SWOT

STEP 2: Teams to analyze your current strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats related to team mission?

FREQUENCY: Perform quarterly

Complete 3 weeks before quarter start

INSTRUCTIONS: Every team member to perform a SWOT Analysis against their role.

Force rank all items in your SWOT sections in order of importance, drag and drop.

Make sure to write out a conclusion based on what you need to focus on next to make the most amount of progress vs your mission.

Group Planning: Aggregate the top 3 items of each section of each Team SWOT into an aggregate company SWOT. Then, use the stars and have each person vote on top 4 items per section, discuss. Break into groups to draft conclusions.

Align the OKRs
Alignment Plan

Create OKR Plan

STEP 3: Use your SWOT Analysis conclusions to drive your strategic objectives and key results on your Alignment OKR plan.

FREQUENCY: Build quarterly

Roll out to team first week of each quarter.

INSTRUCTIONS: Every team member to build an OKR Plan for their role.

Use your SWOT Conclusion to drive your Plan objectives.

Define initiative based key results that are measurable, outcome based -ex: deliver ##, Launch ## by ## date, Complete ##.

Group Planning: Have each team member create a team plan once the high level objectives have been set. Team member's top objectives typically roll up into the high level plan as key results. Link the Sub-plans from the company plan.

Align the Feedback
Retrospective

Create Retro

STEP 4: Perform a team retrospective. Look at what went well, not so well, what you learned. Define action items.

FREQUENCY: Complete quarterly

Complete at quarter end.

INSTRUCTIONS: Every team member to complete a Retrospective.

Force rank all items in your RETRO sections in order of importance, drag and drop.

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Group Planning: Aggregating Top 3 items of each section of each Team RETRO into aggregate company RETRO. Then, use the stars and have each person vote on top 4 items per section.

Alignment Operating Rhythm

The Alignment rhythm is the way we bring our alignment plan to life and drive execution and discuss success, blockers, to do across the teams.

We use google slides as our core for team wide communications and collaboration with our Alignment Plan added each week into the specific sections.

The blend of a system of record for strategy that fits to a single page, the alignment plan, and google slides for presentation is a magical combination.

WEEKLY
TEAM
TOP 6

Each week discuss each team members Top 6 most important priorities for the week, as mapped to the high level strategic plan objectives.

Create TOP 6 Weekly Top 6 Goals

WEEKLY
OPERATING
MEETING

Each week meet as a leadership operating team to discuss progress, blockers, and perform group deep dives on key related topics.

Operating Deck

MONTHLY
ALIGNMENT
REVIEW

First week of each month we have a 90 minutes review of just the alignment plan, no slides. Results and color forecasts are all up to date.

Alignment OKR Plan

QUARTERLY
BUSINESS
REVIEW

Two weeks after quarter start each team holds a QBR [quarterly business review] with their leadership team and extended leaders.

Alignment QBR Deck

Planning Timeline

PLANNING | Recommended CY Timeline

The Alignment Plan blends mission, strategy, team alignment, and execution all on a single screen designed to be easily presented and shared in slide decks for leadership meetings.

8.26.22Each team aligns on team MISSION

9.1.22Each team completes a RETRO

9.3.22Each team completes a SWOT

9.6.22Aggregate SWOT prioritization discussion [offsite]

9.17.22Each team drafts an Alignment Plan

9.20.22Aggregate team Alignment Plan discussion [offsite]

10.4.22Q4 Alignment Plan roll-out

11.11. 22Mission alignment

12.01. 22Each team completes a RETRO

11.18.22Each team completes a SWOT

11.29.22Aggregate SWOT prioritization discussion [offsite]

12.13.22Each team drafts an Alignment Plan