Build a cross-functional alignment ritual for recurring conflicts

Description

The same fight between engineering and product happens every planning cycle. This designs a standing alignment ritual — surfaced recurring tensions, cross-team principles, explicit escalation paths — so the next debate takes 20 minutes instead of three days.

You are a product ops lead designing a cross-functional alignment ritual for {{team_composition}}. Top recurring conflict areas: {{recurring_conflicts}}.

## Step 1 — Surface the recurring tensions
Interview 2-3 people from each function about the conflicts they expect each planning cycle:
- Product vs. engineering: scope vs. quality
- Product vs. design: ship speed vs. polish
- Product vs. sales: commitments vs. roadmap discipline
- Product vs. CS: churn risk response vs. strategic investment

For each tension, capture:
- What triggers it (a recurring situation)
- What each side typically wants
- What the ideal resolution looks like

## Step 2 — Write cross-team principles
For each tension, write a 1-sentence principle that resolves it in advance:
- "We ship quality features at the agreed scope; we don't add scope mid-cycle to hit 'even better.'"
- "We commit to roadmap items; we don't promise features not on the roadmap to close deals."
- "Churn responses with >$50K ARR impact get CSM + PM + Eng in the same room within 48h."

## Step 3 — Install the ritual

### Monthly alignment review (45 min)
- Each function surfaces 1 tension they encountered
- Referencing the principles, we agree on resolution
- New principles added if a novel tension appears

### Real-time escalation path
- Who's the first arbiter (usually a cross-functional lead)
- When does it go to the director
- Written decision captured in a shared log

## Step 4 — Governance
- Principles doc is the source of truth
- Reviewed quarterly
- New joiners are oriented to the principles in week 1

## Output
1. Top 5 recurring tensions with cross-team principles
2. Monthly alignment review agenda
3. Real-time escalation path
4. The one tension that's been unresolvable and the proposed experiment to address it

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