How NCT Aligns Daily Tasks with Strategic Goals

Aligning strategic goals with daily tasks is crucial for achieving long-term success, but what exactly does this 'alignment' mean, and how can it be effectively implemented within an organization?

Typically, an organization's leaders sit together and discuss high-level strategies to steer their organization toward targeted outcomes indicated by successful execution. 

According to Alfred Chandler, “Strategy is the determination of the basic long-term goals of an enterprise, and the adoption of courses of action and the allocation of resources necessary for carrying out these goals.”

Two key elements here for this article are the determination of long-term goals (strategy) and the adoption of necessary courses of action (execution). These elements will be primarily engaged throughout different levels of an organization, from C-level leadership to middle management to teams. 

When we talk about alignment in this respect, we are talking about how work on the day-to-day execution level is meaningfully synchronized and contributing towards these over-arching strategic goals throughout the organization. 

Research has suggested that while 82% of actors within organizations felt they were strategically in agreement and aligned, actual alignment was measured on average to be just 23% - two to three times lower than perceived alignment. 

BCG claims that in their experience, while C-level leaders can generally agree on and recite vision, strategy, and metrics at will, most leaders two or three levels below C-suite could not give a clear answer when asked how their department was contributing towards those goals. Furthermore, those first few layers beneath the executive leadership team frequently struggled to translate ideas into the right type of action.

Ultimately, an indication of alignment in some form will be whether or not a target is indeed met; however, this can be harmfully misleading. Mere metric indications of progress and attainment alone shed little light on the actual process. Any disconnect in alignment can lead to inefficiencies, wasted resources, and employee disengagement. In other words, there’s hitting goals, and there’s smashing them. 

Strategy should not be viewed as an added layer to the day-to-day actions of teams; it must be fully integrated into daily responsibilities, shaping every aspect of each task. Easier said than done, as we’ve discussed; that is until now. 

The NCT Goal framework is a modern framework that addresses common alignment issues throughout an organization by bridging strategy to daily actionable tasks through its implementation. 

In other articles, we’ve written in greater detail about the elements and benefits of NCT. This article aims to focus on how each element contributes toward fostering alignment, intending to encourage its implementation as a tool so you can fully harmonize your strategy with daily execution.

We’ll begin by briefly unpacking the elements through this lens.

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The NCT Framework Elements

To understand how NCT bridges the gap between strategic goals and daily execution, let's start by breaking down the three core elements of the framework: Narratives, Commitments, and Tasks (NCT).

Narratives 

This element represents the strategic ‘why’ behind the goals. Each strategy must start with a fundamental ‘why.’ There is no greater anchor to foster alignment than providing teams and leaders with the reason and the purpose behind an initiative.

This crucial element facilitates the deepest level of understanding behind an objective or initiative. When an overarching Narrative is thoughtfully crafted, it serves as a beacon to align all objectives and actionable tasks back toward it. 

2-3 sentences in length, it should serve as a story that will connect individual roles to an overarching vision to inspire action and commitment across all levels of an organization.  

Commitments

Commitments are the measurable outcomes that translate the Narrative into specific achievable goals. They offer clear objectives of ‘what’ is to be achieved and should be no more than 3-5 milestones of progress that satisfy the Narrative.  

While ambition is encouraged, it should be layered with a lens of realism so that each Commitment can be achieved without overreaching and pushing teams into frustration and burnout, derailing motivation and creating an environment of diminished long-term output. Communication is key, and while leaders are responsible for getting the most out of their teams, involving them in the process of grounding what is realistically achievable will assist in fostering their alignment toward strategic objectives.

Tasks 

Finally, the Tasks are the daily actionable steps that give life to the Commitments. These ground-level activities provide the roadmap of ‘how’ to attain the broader strategic objectives successfully. 

Tasks can be non-exhaustive yet should be specific and well-defined to avoid ambiguity in execution. They are where the majority of focus for any cycle should be spent and should have designated accountable owners who have a degree of autonomy of execution but are ultimately responsible for their completion. 

Each Task should be diligently assessed under the umbrella of the overarching Narrative in its inception and execution, with the Commitments translated into tangible indicators of progress to foster vertical strategic alignment. Tasks can promote cross-functional alignment by tying actionable work across different teams to the same shared Commitments. 

The strength of the NCT framework lies in its ability to transform high-level strategies into clear, actionable steps that can be easily integrated into the everyday responsibilities of teams and individuals. By connecting Tasks directly to strategic goals, NCT ensures that every action taken is meaningful and aligned with the organization's long-term vision.

While it is one thing to explain what these elements are and how they come together to foster alignment, it's another to illustrate, so let us now look at a case example to show you how the NCT framework fosters alignment in practice. 

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NCT Framework and Alignment: Case example

To illustrate how the NCT framework works in practice, let’s create a hypothetical scenario. Imagine a product-led software company, let's call them AppVantage, that is preparing to launch a new AI-powered automation feature called ‘Nexus.’ 

Over a period of one quarter, the company uses the NCT framework to ensure alignment between its strategic goal—successfully launching the new feature—and the daily tasks performed across teams.

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Narrative: Creating Alignment through a Unified Vision

At the start of the quarter, the leadership team at AppVantage crafts a compelling Narrative to communicate the strategic importance of the new feature. This Narrative shared across the entire organization, provides a clear and motivating reason for the feature launch, explaining how it ties into the company’s broader mission of improving productivity through innovative tools.

Narrative Example: "At AppVantage, we are committed to continuously improving our users' productivity through cutting-edge features. This quarter, we are launching our new AI-powered automation feature ‘Nexus’ to help users streamline repetitive tasks and increase efficiency. This launch is critical to maintaining our competitive edge and meeting the evolving needs of our customers, strengthening their loyalty, and reinforcing our position as a progressive industry leader.” 

How NCT ‘Narratives’ Foster Alignment

The Narrative is a unifying story that connects each team’s efforts to the overarching strategic goal. Communicating the ‘why’ behind the feature launch provides a grounding sense of shared identity and ensures that leaders and their teams, from product development to marketers, understand how their individual tasks will contribute to the organization's success. 

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Commitments: Translating Vision into Measurable Goals

With the Narrative in place, the leadership team comes together to translate it into specific Commitments that guide the organization's focus and provide the teams with milestones to indicate progress. Leadership consults their respective teams to gain ground-level insight on what can remain ambitious yet realistically achievable targets. They then break down the overarching strategy into measurable objectives the teams can work toward. 

Commitments Example: For the AI automation feature, the main commitments are:

1. Launch ‘Nexus’ by Week 4 with no critical bugs.
2. Achieve 20% adoption of ‘Nexus’  by the end of the quarter.
3. Ensure a 95% positive user satisfaction rate based on feedback gathered after the ‘Nexus’ launch.

How NCT ‘Commitments’ Foster Alignment

Commitments provide clarity by turning the Narrative into concrete, measurable targets. Each team knows exactly what is expected and can prioritize their work accordingly. For example, the product development team’s Commitment is to ensure the feature is bug-free before launch, while the marketing team focuses on driving adoption. 

These Commitments will serve as a bridge to align the actionable daily Tasks with the strategic goal the Narrative sets, ensuring that every effort is focused on outcomes that matter. 

Tasks: Daily Execution with Focus and Purpose

Once the Commitments are established, each team leader defines the Tasks their team members need to focus on daily to achieve these objectives. 

An example of how tasks may look in this scenario are; 

Tasks Example: 

Product Development Team:

1. Final bug testing and quality assurance: Perform rigorous QA and bug testing for the AI automation feature by Week 3 to ensure stability and performance.

Assigned to: Deepak Gujarati, Anna Kowalska

2. Feature rollout plan: Coordinate with the engineering team to ensure a smooth release by Week 4, with incremental rollouts to minimize risks. 

Assigned to: Annemarijn de Bruin

Marketing Team:

1. Create user guides and tutorials: Develop detailed content (videos, guides, articles) to educate users on how to leverage the new AI automation feature by Week 4 

Assigned to: Matt Rodriguez, Tia Yeo, Gordon Bennet 

2. Launch targeted campaigns: Run email and in-app marketing campaigns promoting the feature launch to current users by Week 4 and emphasize its value to increase adoption. 

Assigned to: Kennedy Madeuke, Sofia Vagias

Customer Relations Team:

1. Prepare support materials: Create FAQs, troubleshooting guides, and support scripts for customer-facing teams to handle common questions or issues related to the new feature by Week 3. 

Assigned to: Ahmed Bouchlaghmi, Alice Heeley

2. Conduct proactive outreach: Reach out to power users and high-value customers to offer personalized training sessions on the new feature starting Week 5. 

Assigned to: Patricia O’Brian 

Sales Team:

1. Upsell opportunities: Prepare sales teams to use the new feature as an upselling point for existing customers, particularly those on lower-tier plans, by Week 4.

Assigned to: Huong Pham 

2. Engage with potential customers: Highlight the new feature in sales pitches to potential clients, positioning it as a differentiator against competitors by Week 6.

Assigned to: Lisa Nguyen, Carlos Tevez

Data and Analytics Team:

1. Track adoption rates: Set up dashboards to track feature usage and adoption rates daily, starting from Week 4.

Assigned to: George Baranov, Magnus Fetchner

2. Collect feedback: Implement in-app surveys to gather real-time user feedback after feature use and track overall satisfaction starting Week 5.

Assigned to: Kaveh Pourjalili, Fabiana Allegrino

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How NCT ‘Tasks’ Foster Alignment:

By breaking down the Commitments into actionable tasks, alignment is cross-functionally maintained across all teams, eliminating siloed disconnection that often leads to confusion and misalignment. They are all working towards the same objectives, with their roles clearly set out and defined. Each Task is directly tied to one of the measurable goals outlined in the Commitments, ensuring that every action moves the company closer to its strategic objective. 

Additionally, Tasks are assigned to individuals, so there is no room for doubt of accountability and direction. Teams and daily individual efforts are tied directly to the strategic goals of the Narrative, providing clarity and alignment. 

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Conclusion

The NCT framework offers a structured and practical approach for bridging the gap between high-level strategy and daily execution, ensuring that alignment is embedded at every level of the organization and throughout each team and individual. From creating a compelling Narrative that connects teams to a shared purpose, defining Commitments that break down the strategy into measurable goals, and assigning specific Tasks that give every team and individual clear direction, NCT provides the roadmap needed to foster alignment throughout every level of the organization.

By aligning daily tasks execution with overarching strategic objectives, NCTs eliminate silos, clarify responsibilities, and create a sense of ownership. This ultimately leads to more efficient goal attainment, a streamlined allocation of resources, reducing waste, and promoting individual engagement with organizational objectives. 

If you’re a leader seeking to ensure that your team’s daily tasks are aligned with your organization's strategic objectives, check out the complete guide to NCTs and consider adopting the NCT Goal Framework into your approach. Don't just hit your goals. Smash them!