Align Tools

Probably the single most important step upper management can take to ensure enhanced team alignment is to encourage tech alignment. Agile comes out of the software development world, and the entire Agile mindset is built upon the use of new tech tools. E-mail and Excel sheets invariably lead to communication blockages, batch work, and long wait times for information. These outmoded tools should be discarded in favor of group communication platforms like Slack and centralized, collaborative document-sharing platforms and project management tools.

The advantages realized by such a shift are potentially enormous. Research demonstrates that adopting a centralized team chat tool like Slack helps teams to minimize email clutter, and ensures that internal requests are processed quickly. Using a centralized data sharing hub like DealRoom allows team members to upload requests to a shared platform, where requests can be tagged, viewed, and accessed by anyone — drastically reducing the time and effort required to locate information and coordinate work items.

Tech alignment improves workflow beyond just the front end. The most recent software on the market tracks user behavior information, creating an immensely valuable trove of data that teams can use to identify invisible bottlenecks and blockages, and further refine their processes in future iterations.