01 · Notice the drift
Drift Diagnostic
A focused assessment of where leadership intent and operational reality have separated, what that is putting at risk and what should be corrected first.
Start with the DiagnosticThe method
Alignment is not agreement. Alignment is the delivery of the tasks CORE™ produces.
CORE™ is Fundamental's central model. It turns a company's direction into departmental objectives, observable results and the specific execution tasks required to produce them. It does not end with recommendations, and where Fundamental has the capability, we can take responsibility for delivering the work.
The method
CORE™ is how we do the work.
CORE™ is Fundamental's model for turning an owner's intentions into clear direction, observable results and accountable execution.
C · Company
Establish one direction.
Departments cannot align around an ambition that has not been made clear. Company sets the direction in plain, working language: the business you are trying to build, the customers it exists to serve and the change it is here to make. Not a slogan, a reference point for decisions.
Alignment into execution
Alignment is not agreement. Alignment is the delivery of the tasks CORE™ produces.
CORE™ does not produce a strategy deck that is handed back to the leadership team. It produces a live, prioritised programme of execution.
Each objective has a defined result. Each result is supported by specific execution tasks, with clear ownership, priority and evidence of completion.
A business is only aligned when those tasks are actually delivered. Some are delivered internally. Where Fundamental has the capability, we can take responsibility for delivering the work.
C
Company
The direction the business is pursuing.
O
Objectives
What must change to support that direction.
R
Results
The evidence that the objective has been achieved.
E
Execution
The specific work required to produce that result.
Every execution task has
- A clear purpose
- A named owner
- A defined priority
- An expected result
- A delivery route
- A visible status
How CORE™ runs: the 1-3-5 structure
CORE™ decides what matters. The 1-3-5 structure is how it operates week to week: one company direction, three objectives per department, five live priorities beneath each objective.
1
Company direction
One direction that gives the business a shared reference point, with one connected mission for each department.
3
Departmental objectives
Three meaningful objectives connected to the direction, each with one defined result or body of evidence.
5
Live priorities
Five visible priorities beneath each objective, each with a named owner. The remaining work stays visibly queued.
Each objective carries one defined result, reviewed in a short weekly leadership review. The purpose is to protect focus and expose new drift before it becomes expensive.
Why it holds
Focus is protected by limits, not by effort.
Most alignment attempts fail because everything stays important. CORE™ deliberately limits how much can be live at once, so priorities can be defended when pressure arrives.
Fewer objectives
Three per department, each expressing change rather than routine activity.
Defined results
One result or body of evidence per objective, agreed before work begins.
Visible ownership
Five live priorities with named owners, with the rest visibly queued.
Short review
A focused weekly review that examines evidence and surfaces new drift early.
The journey
From noticing the drift to delivering the work.
Fundamental connects company direction to the work required to make it happen, then helps deliver that work.
01
Notice the drift
The Drift Diagnostic identifies where leadership intent and operational reality have separated.
02
Correct the drift
The CORE™ Alignment Programme establishes company direction, objectives, results and the prioritised execution tasks required.
03
Deliver the work
Fundamental scopes and delivers the agreed strategic, creative and technical execution tasks.
04
Keep it true
The Alignment Partnership maintains alignment, monitors results, identifies new drift and continues delivery as the business changes.
Execution tasks can be commissioned as clearly scoped, outcome-based projects, or delivered through the ongoing Alignment Partnership. They are not automatically included within the initial CORE™ Alignment Programme.
Putting CORE™ to work
Where CORE™ is applied
CORE™ is introduced during the Alignment Programme, and the execution tasks it produces are delivered as scoped projects or through the ongoing Alignment Partnership.
02 · Correct the drift
CORE™ Alignment Programme
A structured programme that translates the owner's intentions into a business the leadership team can understand, measure and operate.
Explore the Alignment Programme03 · Keep it true
Alignment Partnership
Ongoing delivery of the execution tasks CORE™ produces, keeping the company aligned as people, priorities and circumstances change.
Explore the PartnershipNext step
See what CORE™ would look like in your business.
We start with a short fit conversation, not a proposal.