# AWS Organizational Change Acceleration (OCA) 6-Point Framework – 2. Align Leaders
*Amazon Web Services* ([contributors](contributors.md))
*January 2025* ([document history](doc-history.md))
The AWS Organizational Change Acceleration (OCA) 6-Point Framework is intended to cover the full scope of people-related issues and challenges throughout the lifecycle of a cloud transformation, which might include migration, modernization, generative AI scaling, and innovation. This framework guides customer adoption of AWS technologies, processes, and new ways of working by:
+ Identifying, aligning, and mobilizing key leaders
+ Assessing and mitigating the organizational impacts of cloud transformation
+ Designing change acceleration, communications, and training plans
+ Developing leadership, sponsorship, and culture strategies
The framework's six points align with an agile sprint cadence, from program initiation through sustainable long-term change. The following diagram shows these six points and their subpoints.
*Align Leaders *is the second point. It helps you align and mobilize leaders around desired cloud outcomes, organizational impacts, and stakeholder readiness. *Align Leaders* contains five subpoints:
+ [2.1 IT and business leader alignment](alignment.md). Establish shared understanding and commitment to cloud initiatives.
+ [2.2 Stakeholder assessment](stakeholder-assessment.md). Identify impacted stakeholders, their influence, and disposition toward cloud adoption.
+ [2.3 Change impact assessment](impact-assessment.md). Analyze macro effects on skills, processes, and technology for each stakeholder group.
+ [2.4 Organization readiness assessment](readiness-assessment.md). Evaluate the organization's ability to adapt to cloud transformation.
+ [2.5 Business case for change](business-case.md). Create a compelling message that links cloud transformation to business rationale.
This guide discusses each subpoint of *Align Leaders* in detail.
## Intended audience
This guide targets leaders who are responsible for accelerating cloud transformation. Following these recommendations will help minimize risks and maximize value.
## Targeted business outcomes
The *Align Leaders* phase of the AWS OCA 6-Point Framework contributes to the following outcomes:
+ **Value realization and return on investment (ROI)**: Aligning IT and business leaders helps prioritize and align people-related factors to your cloud strategy and desired business outcomes.
+ **Transformational leadership**: Leadership becomes aligned and mobilized to accelerate cloud transformation.
+ **Cloud acceleration**: The alignment process establishes direction, metrics, governance, and program budget. These are all required to quickly mobilize resources for cloud transformation.
+ **Organizational alignment**: The process works with leaders to establish desired business outcomes and specific goals to begin the change and start aligning organizational entities and performance levers.
## About the OCA 6-Point Framework guides
This guide is part of a set of publications that cover the OCA 6-Point Framework, which is a programmatic and evidence-based organizational change adoption framework.
The content set includes a comprehensive set of templates, guidelines, supporting artifacts, assessments, accelerators, and tools that are designed to accelerate cloud transformation. We recommend that you start with the [overview](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/prescriptive-guidance/latest/strategy-ocm/) to understand the framework and its six points, and then consult the following individual guides for detailed discussions of each point.
1. [Mobilize Team](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/prescriptive-guidance/latest/oca-framework-mobilize-team/)
1. Align Leaders (this guide)
1. [Envision the Future](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/prescriptive-guidance/latest/oca-framework-envision-future/)
1. [Engage the Organization](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/prescriptive-guidance/latest/oca-framework-engage-organization/)
1. [Enable Capacity](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/prescriptive-guidance/latest/oca-framework-enable-capacity/)
1. [Make Culture Change Stick](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/prescriptive-guidance/latest/oca-framework-make-culture-change-stick/)
For a comprehensive set of cloud transformation strategies, guidance, and resources, see [Accelerating cloud transformation](https://aws.amazon.com/prescriptive-guidance/accelerating-cloud-transformation/).