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Where Iconic Teams Begin
The Alignment.io Playbook

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.

The Alignment Advisor
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TUESDAY @ 9AM PST
Join us to define your mission
Join Session
WEDNESDAY @ 9AM PST
Join us to prioritize with a SWOT
Join Session
THURSDAY @ 9AM PST
Join us to build an OKR Goals Plan
INFLUENCES
Follow this 4 step strategic alignment process to create your alignment plan. It starts by defining a purpose-driven mission with a bold vision.

DEFINE
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.
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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.

EXECUTE
OKR 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.

IMPROVE
RETRO

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.

Mission

Reconfirm your bold, purpose-driven vision for your organization, team, project, or role
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.
Tags: Mission
Visibility: Team Edit
Title: Company Dept | Mission
‍
Create Mission
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LEADER PREP: Leaders, copy your team members mission statements to your "Mission section" and list as line items in addition to your team mission statement
ALIGNMENT: Leaders, copy your team members top 3 items from each section to your team SWOT. The copying exercise is a good way to read and digest the inputs from each team. Ded-up items if necessary.
ALIGNMENT: Leaders, add your team members 3-4 key objectives to your team Alignment plan as key results tied to your objectives.  Tune the text to include core key result initiatives so it communicates the initiative and inspires the team.
ALIGNMENT: Leaders, copy your team members top 3 items from each section to your team SWOT. The copying exercise is a good way to read and digest the inputs from each team. Ded-up items if necessary.
Blank Template
Completed Example
Example - Dark
Alignment Plan: Starting Template

FEATURED EIR

STEIR Playbook

Jim Benton
Experiences: Co-founder & COO of ClearSlide, VP of Sales at Sequoia backed AdBrite, Ticketmaster, Evite, AT&T

Specialties:
- Go-To-Market (built tens of millions in recurring revenue bases, developed $1M+ ARR deals)
- Customer Driven Innovation (5 patents, 3 WSJ articles highlighting innovations)
- Strategic Leadership (leading with purpose, vision, & clarity through repeatable frameworks)
- Company Builder (raised $120M+ across 7 rounds, Greylock, Bessemer, Sequoia Capital)
- M&A (completed 4 acquisitions, developed multi-million dollar partnerships)
- Featured speaker (Chicago Techweek, CEB, AA-ISP, SMA, Forecast + others)

View on Linkedin

The 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.
Example Alignment Operating Deck

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
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 Strategic Retrospective Template

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 Strategic Retrospective Template

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 Strategic Retrospective Template

Alignment Playbook

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.
Q4 2022
Q1 2023
Q2 2023
Q3 2023
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
12.20.22Aggregate team Alignment Plan discussion [offsite]
1.10.23Q1 Alignment Plan kickoff
2.28. 23Mission alignment
3.01. 23Each team completes a RETRO
3.10.23Each team completes a SWOT
3.14.23Aggregate SWOT prioritization discussion [offsite]
3.21.23Each team drafts an Alignment Plan
3.28.23Aggregate team Alignment Plan discussion [offsite]
4.5.23Q2 Alignment Plan kickoff
5.30.23Mission alignment
6.01.23Each team completes a RETRO
6.06.23Each team completes a SWOT
6.13.23Aggregate SWOT prioritization discussion [offsite]
6.20.23Each team drafts an Alignment Plan
6.27.23Aggregate team Alignment Plan discussion [offsite]
7.11.23Q3 Alignment Plan kickoff

FEATURED EIR

STEIR Playbook

Jim Benton
Experiences: Co-founder & COO of ClearSlide, VP of Sales at Sequoia backed AdBrite, Ticketmaster, Evite, AT&T

Specialties:
- Go-To-Market (built tens of millions in recurring revenue bases, developed $1M+ ARR deals)
- Customer Driven Innovation (5 patents, 3 WSJ articles highlighting innovations)
- Strategic Leadership (leading with purpose, vision, & clarity through repeatable frameworks)
- Company Builder (raised $120M+ across 7 rounds, Greylock, Bessemer, Sequoia Capital)
- M&A (completed 4 acquisitions, developed multi-million dollar partnerships)
- Featured speaker (Chicago Techweek, CEB, AA-ISP, SMA, Forecast + others)

View on Linkedin

Key Features

Alignment Playbook

Team-powered

Sub-Projects
The system of record for your teams strategic work.
Strategic Retrospective Template

Integrated Voting

Click Star to Vote
Vote on items by clicking the star icons, then set your sort by to "votes" in the project settings.
Prioritize your SWOT by Votes

Single Screen Focus

Expand Items
Set the focus to prioritize on what matters most. Click the expand icon to view all items.
Strategic Retrospective Template

Customization

Color Theme
Click on the section title and customize text, colors, and drag & drop to move items.
Customize your template color theme

Activity Stream

Connect with Tags
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Smart Notes

Embedded Notes
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