We have been working with a few clients that have a need to strengthen their Strategic Team Alignment. Here, we share some tips we use to get your team better aligned:

1.  Develop a clear and compelling vision for the team, based on its mission of supporting the corporate vision. 

This vision needs to be articulated in graphic terms so that all can visualize what things will be like as the vision becomes reality, and so that all members of the group will want to be part of the effort to make it a reality.  The vision focuses on "where are we going" and "why," but not the "how." 

It should drive everything else.  Visions are usually reviewed yearly, but may not change more than every 4-5 years, although in today's ever-quickening pace that may change!

 

2.  Based on the vision, develop strategic goals for the entire department.  As the name implies, strategic goals establish the strategy, the "how" in general terms; they are directional statements that point the organization toward ways to bring the vision to reality. 

These goals should be those that every function can feel ownership of, so that each has "skin in the game."  Typically strategic goals are reviewed at least annually, but may take 2-3 years to fully accomplish.

 

3.Develop specific, measurable targets required to move the organization toward goal accomplishment for the coming year.  (Since development work may require longer than 12 months, benchmarks are needed in order to meet the final target.) 

These targets (or objectives, if you will) become part of your business plan, as they will require budget and other resource allocations.   

 

4.Clarify roles needed in order to accomplish the goals and targets.  Even though I've listed this as step 4, this work actually grows out of and occurs almost simultaneously with steps 2 and

 

5. Analyze, redesign/create effective processes for achieving goals.  Again, some of this will occur simultaneously with the earlier steps, but typically this is the outgrowth of establishing common goals, clarifying roles, and developing business plans.  

Need some help - give us a call.

Alignment Session(s): We at JGL Management Consulting facilitate meetings at which your group will:  

• clarify department vision and its implications
• agree on a set of strategic goals to support the vision and the implication of each goal for each function
• at a minimum, create the framework for developing operational objectives or targets to support each goal, develop criteria for prioritizing, and create an interdependency matrix for each
• clarify roles in relation to the vision, strategic goals, and operational targets; clarify consulting roles of key people whose responsibilities cut across other areas
• identify key processes to be targeted for analysis and improvement