Build the team
Team alignment map
Plan a piece of work together by agreeing the mission, joint objectives, who commits to what, the resources needed and the risks.
- Time45 to 90 minutes
- People3 to 10 people
- Steps5
What it's for
Teams often discover too late that they meant different things by the same goal. The team alignment map makes the assumptions visible: what we intend to achieve together, who does what with whom, what we need, and what could stop us. The second half, resources and risks, is where most plans find their gaps.
Fill it from left to right to plan, then work back from the risks: each risk should turn into a new commitment or resource.
How to run it
Agree the mission5 min
What the team is here to do, and by when.
Objectives10 min
What do we intend to achieve together?
Commitments10 min
Who does what, with whom? Each person writes their own.
Resources and risks15 min
What do we need, and what could stop us?
Deal with the risks10 min
For each risk, add a commitment or resource that answers it.
Tips
- Commitments are written by the person making them. A commitment written for someone else isn't one.
- Unaddressed risks are a sign the plan isn't ready.
Where it comes from
Created by Stefano Mastrogiacomo and described in High-Impact Tools for Teams (2021), written with Alexander Osterwalder.
Pairs well with
Team charter
One page that says why a team exists, what it is aiming for, who does what, and how it will work.
RACI chart
For each task or decision, agree who is responsible, who is accountable, who is consulted and who is informed.
Objectives and key results
Set an ambitious objective and three or so measurable key results that would show you achieved it.