Introduction
When alignment breaks down, it’s rarely because people can’t do their jobs. It’s because everyone sees a different version of the same problem.
Each team brings their own context. Without a shared frame, they talk past each other. Strategy in design isn’t about roadmaps or slide decks. It’s about creating the conditions for teams to make clear, aligned decisions, without needing to ask you for clarity.
Diagrammatic Thinking
Design often introduces noise.
A “good enough” wireframe can still pull attention in five different directions—copy, layout, colors, data fidelity, interaction flow.
With multiple stakeholders, the same artifact produces multiple interpretations.
And when time is tight, design becomes a liability. People start looking for a direction, not trying to find one.
So I strip it down.
Diagrams remove variables. They reduce surface-level distractions so we can focus on structure, process, and decisions...
enterprise ALIGNMENT
Every team: product, dev, design, analytics, business, account; has a different lens.
Diagrams flatten those lenses. We replace layered interpretations with shared clarity.I use:
Boxes and arrows for flow and structure (familiar to military logic)
Color only when we need to differentiate objects or categories
No styling artifacts that could distract from the core idea
WHEN I USE THIS
1. Cross-team discovery
Helps surface unseen dependencies or decision points before solutions are pitched.2. Feature scoping or planning
Clarifies how responsibilities hand off across apps, teams, or domains.3. Priority realignment
When multiple squads are out of sync, diagrams give us a shared source of truth that resets the room.
What it replaces
Instead of:
Design mockups that prompt premature critiques
Slide decks that create passive participation
Long-form documentation no one reads
I use fast, clean diagrams.
Everyone sees the same system. Everyone knows where their piece fits.The moment teams have a shared understanding, they can stop arguing about symptoms and start solving the real problem. That’s the real leverage of alignment diagrams.
What does this all mean?
Design is an under utilized resource for efforts outside of design. The value of design thinking from a person whom already works cross-collaboratively can provide much more value than what their capacity dictates.
E F Schumacher
© JACKWILSONDESIGN
© 2024