When every member of your organization understands the strategic objectives and how their individual roles contribute to these goals, you create a unified force moving in the same direction. This alignment enhances efficiency, boosts morale, and amplifies your collective impact.
Instructions
Use this worksheet annually to develop and refine your organization's unique alignment plan. This plan will help ensure that every level of your organization is aligned with your strategic goals and objectives.
Who should be involved?
CEO/Executive Director and senior leadership. All functions and departments should have one representative to get the most out of this exercise.
Before You Begin
Take a quick look through this entire guide to get a feel for the process.
Remember, this is about creating value for your organization – not checking a box.
Prep Time
10 minutes
Run Time
60-90 minutes
Team Size
3-10 people
Step 1
Define Strategic Objectives
Admittedly - this is a big first step, and it's really here just as a reminder that this guide expects you to have a strategic plan in place before beginning the organizational alignment exercise.
What are your organization's annual strategic OKRs? List your top strategic objectives for the yearand the key results that will measure when they are accomplished.
What are your quarterly OKRs at the organizational level? Identify key objectives and measurableresults you aim to achieve each quarter.
What are the annual and quarterly goals at the department/function level? Ensure each department has goals that support the overall strategy
Step 2
Identify Key Stakeholders and Teams
Who are the key leaders and decision-makers in your organization? List roles such as Executive Director / CEO, Program Leaders, Department Heads, Team Leads.
Which departments or teams need to be aligned with the strategic goals? Identify all functional areas within the organization and make sure they are involved in the alignment planning.
Who are the primary communicators and influencers within your organization? Consider individuals who can champion alignment efforts
Step 3
Guiding questions for alignment activities
How will you communicate your annual and quarterly strategic goals to the organization? Examples: All-staff meetings, webinars, emails.
What methods will you use to keep everyone updated on progress toward these goals? Examples: Monthly newsletters, dashboards, team meetings.
How will senior leaders engage with staff to reinforce alignment? Examples: Town halls, roundtable discussions, open-door policies.
Will there be opportunities for staff to provide feedback to leadership? Examples: Surveys, suggestion boxes, Q&A sessions.
Who are the key leaders and decision-makers in your organization? List roles such as Executive Director, Program Leaders, Department Heads, Team Leads
How will departments align their goals and activities with organizational objectives? Examples: Departmental planning sessions, cross-functional strategy teams.
How will you recognize and celebrate achievements and milestones? Examples: Award ceremonies, public acknowledgments, newsletters.
How will you gather feedback on alignment efforts and organizational health? Examples: Employee surveys, focus groups, stay interviews, exit interviews.
What processes will you have in place to act on this feedback? Examples: Action committees, follow-up communications, policy changes.
What communication channels will you use to disseminate information? Examples: Email, intranet, collaboration tools (e.g., Teams, Slack).
Step 4
Best Practices to Consider
Start Small: If you're new to organizational alignment planning, begin with a few key activities and expand over time.
Clarity and Transparency: Communicate openly and often about goals, progress, and challenges.
Leverage Technology: Use collaboration and communication tools to enhance engagement, especially for remote team members.
Engagement: Encourage active participation and two-way communication that is accessible and relevant to all staff members.
Adaptability: Regularly review the effectiveness of alignment activities and be willing to adjust activities based on feedback and changing needs
Reinforcement: Regularly reinforce how individual roles contribute to strategic objectives.
Recognition: Acknowledge and celebrate contributions and successes.
Train Leaders: Equip managers and team leads with the skills to effectively communicate and lead alignment efforts.
Step 5
Define Strategic Objectives
For each activity, fill out the template you can download as part of our downloadable playbook resource. The template has a blank worksheet for you to fill out as well as an example plan to give you ideas to get started.
Activity Name: What do you call this activity?
Purpose: What do you aim to achieve with this activity?
Lead/Facilitator: Who will be responsible for organizing and leading this activity?
Attendees/Participants: Who should be involved or informed?
Frequency and Duration: How often will this activity occur, and how long will it last?
Format and Medium: Is this a meeting, newsletter, video conference, etc?
Agenda/Key Topics: What are the main points or topics to be covered?
Desired Outcomes: What are the expected results or actions following this activity?
Example:
Step 6
Review and Finalize Your Plan
Consistency Check: Are all levels of the organization included in the alignment activities?
Frequency and Timing: Is the frequency of each activity appropriate to maintain alignment without causing fatigue?
Purpose Alignment: Does each activity have a clear purpose that supports organizational alignment?
Resource Assessment: Do you have the necessary resources (time, personnel, budget) to implement these activities?
Feedback Loop: Have you included mechanisms to receive and act on feedback from staff?
When everyone is focused on the most important things and working to accomplish them together, it’s amazing what you can do. If you have questions or need help with this process please contact us, we would love to hear from you.
