Alignment Meetings Are a Lie. Build Decision Systems Instead.
Coordination theater drains momentum. Real alignment comes from decision clarity, not endless meetings.
Here's an uncomfortable truth: Alignment meetings don't create alignment. They create coordination theater.
Most make teams less aligned. We mistake coordination for clarity, talking for progress, meetings for momentum.
Teams absolutely need alignment, but not through endless meetings. The real issue isn't communication. It's decision infrastructure.
Think about traffic. The smoothest flow happens where roads are designed well - not where there are more traffic cops.
What does this look like?
Case 1: The Feature That Never Shipped ▸ "Old world:" Customer requests dashboard enhancement → PM schedules "alignment meeting" → 6 people debate who owns what → "Let's sync again next week" → Feature sits in limbo ▸ "New world:" Customer requests dashboard enhancement → PM "drives" evaluation, Engineering "contributes" assessment, Product Director "approves" scope, Sales Ops gets "informed" → Decision in 24 hours, work starts
Case 2: The Customer Who Couldn't Wait ▸ "Old world:" Customer demands faster delivery → Operations calls meeting → 8 people finger-point for 90 minutes → "Let's dive deeper next week" → Customer still waiting ▸ "New world:" Customer demands faster delivery → Ops Manager "drives" review, Plant Manager "approves" changes, Quality/Logistics "contribute" analysis → Decision same day, implementation starts next week
Case 3: The RFQ That Got Away ▸ "Old world:" 7-day RFQ arrives → Corporate Account Manager calls "all-hands meeting" → Teams promise inputs by Thursday → Day 5: still waiting → Day 7: scrambling → Day 8: "Thanks, but we chose another supplier" ▸ "New world:" 7-day RFQ arrives → Corporate Account Manager "drives" coordination, VP Sales "approves" strategy, Sales Ops triggers parallel processing across Finance/Pricing/Legal/Compliance → Drafts ready Day 2, final strategy review → Proposal submitted Day 5, customer meeting scheduled
No coordination meetings needed. The system and process handle it.
(DACI = Driver/Approver/Contributors/Informed)
The framework isn’t the point. Pick DACI, RACI, or invent your own. Start with operational decisions. The strategic ones will become obvious when you’re not drowning in coordination meetings.
Alignment isn't about better meetings. It's about building systems that work when you're not there to referee every decision.
The question isn't "When's our next alignment meeting?" It's "How do decisions flow when I'm not here?"
Because the best teams don't meet about decisions - they make them.