Overview

A scale-up in the retail space partnered with Aligned to Achieve (A2A) for a focused 90-minute strategy alignment session bringing together cross-functional representatives from Product, Growth, Engineering and Design. The goal was to crystallise their two top business objectives, boosting website traffic & conversions by 33%, and reducing customer churn by 33%, and to surface the highest-impact actions to align teams around those targets  .

Workshop Format

  • Participants: 24 team members across four departments, organised into six small groups
  • Exercise: Each group completed the A2A strategy game, mapping business goals, team goals, blockers and proposed initiatives
  • Synthesis Points: At the conclusion of each phase, all groups came together to harmonise their boards into a single, shared A2A report

This blend of independent group work and full-team alignment enabled both diverse perspectives and rapid consensus on priority actions.

Immediate Outcomes

  • Five Consolidated Initiatives: The groups agreed on the five most impactful actions to drive alignment (see Strategic Focus Areas below).
  • SMART Criteria Adoption: A commitment to apply Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound discipline to all activities.
  • Governance Agreement: Progress on these initiatives will be reviewed weekly in the Growth stand-up and monthly in the Leadership Team meeting.
  • Ownership Assigned: Each initiative now has a dedicated “champion” accountable for delivery.
  • Mission Review: A recommendation to revisit their overarching objectives in light of new strategic insights.

“Feedback was really great and immensely valuable to dive into these topics as a team prior to going through them in greater detail later that week. And everyone had heaps of fun!”

Head of Growth

Strategic Focus Areas Identified

  1. Embed SMART Discipline for All Activities Ensure every project and task is framed with clear success metrics and deadlines to improve focus, accountability and outcome measurement.
  2. Launch an Innovation Hub Create a structured platform where employees can pitch, prototype and lead new ideas—rewarding contributions that align to their growth and retention goals.
  3. Strengthen Cross-Functional Collaboration Formalise inter-team projects with shared objectives and success metrics, supported by collaboration tools and regular joint reviews.
  4. Modernise Technology & Streamline Processes Conduct a technology audit to replace outdated systems, automate repetitive tasks and free capacity for strategic work.
  5. Build a Feedback-Driven Customer Loyalty Programme Design a loyalty initiative underpinned by continuous customer feedback loops, personalised offers and data-driven refinements.

Next Steps

  • Map the five initiatives against their refreshed objectives and update the strategic plan.
  • Assign detailed project plans, timelines and resourcing for each initiative.
  • Integrate initiative progress as a standing agenda item in weekly and monthly governance forums.
  • Reconvene the full A2A group in Q1 2026 to review early wins, surface roadblocks and adjust course as needed.

Conclusion

By combining structured group exercises with rapid alignment checkpoints, the A2A workshop delivered both clarity on top priorities and a cohesive action plan, uniting disparate teams around shared, measurable goals and laying the groundwork for sustainable growth and customer loyalty.

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