Aligning Resources With Performance Appraisals

It seems these days that everyone is bashing performance appraisals for one reason or the next.
They take too long, they're backward-looking, they take practice - you name it, and there are more excuses than

In Increasing the Value of Performance Appraisals, the point comes down to the fact that performance appraisals do look backward, but it is the forward-looking aspect that is part of the continuous process of securing and aligning resources. That's why Discipline III. Align Systems is so critical to the small business.

BOTTOMLINE: Alignment ensures that the right tasks are being done with clear targets and priorities that are in collaboration with and driven from the overall corporate goals and objectives. (Sounds like "strategy-driven execution" to me!)