[IOT] project management: how to build a better cross functional team?

A cross functional team is a group of people from different disciplines , They perform special tasks , Coordinate the work of different departments to deliver value .

Cross functional teams have a common purpose or vision , And clear goals .

Goals have milestones , Everyone on the team shares a completion date .

Team members put the success of the project first , And allocate enough time to achieve it .

Build a cross functional team 6 Tips  

1、 Find the right leader

The right leader needs to have four basic qualities ：

• Trustworthy ;
• Competent ;
• competent ;
• Have the right identity to meet the challenge .

2、 Let qualified people play their roles

people , And the relationship between them is very important for innovation .

No one would argue that individuals have a huge impact .

The team is made up of people , It must be made to produce the correct chemical reaction .

3、 Make sure their roles are clear

A good cross functional team , Roles are clearly defined .

Team members know what they should do , And how they should connect with each other .

Cross functional teams also have clear decision models , Everyone knows who is making the decision .

if necessary , The upgrade path is also clear .

A typical management upgrade process ：

4、 Optimize the allocation of team resources

Even the best cross functional teams , Have the best members .

If you don't have the right funds or enough prototypes / Test facilities , It's going to get into trouble .

Management's job is to ensure that the team has everything it needs to succeed .

Make sure that people are not scattered too thin .

5、 Establish clear ground rules with management

Be a senior leader 、 When team leaders and team members have clear rules for participation , Cross functional teamwork will be more effective .

They know their roles and responsibilities , And how they relate to what other people do .

If the team starts off track , They also have clear escalation paths to correct the team . 

6、 Clear objectives and communication

An effective cross functional team has a clearly agreed and measurable goal .

And they continue to communicate throughout the project .

Many agile teams hold short meetings every day , This is a best practice for effective teamwork .

Clear goals and good communication skills help drive the team to create amazing results .

The benefits of cross functional teams ？

Accountability is the main advantage of cross functional project teams .

Using the team consistently is an effective way , Can achieve any corporate goal that requires multiple disciplines , To produce accountable results .

Formed a cross functional team , Produce specific results in a quick and effective manner .

Cross functional collaboration is related to innovation . 

Innovation usually comes from the integration of disciplines .

Because of the catalytic nature of bringing together brilliant ideas , Cross functional teams often exceed expectations .

When a domain port is different from another domain port , There may be a clash of ideas , So as to create an environment conducive to innovation .

Cross functional teams can reduce time to market through a more effective decision-making process .

Cross functional teams also encourage employee involvement .

A cross functional team as a team with common goals 、 Part of a cohesive team .

Unique rewards , And an attractive social environment .

More dedicated employees perform better 、 Working longer 、 Work harder .

Cross functional teams can also concentrate resources and improve efficiency .

Team leaders check to make sure there are no gaps in skills or required resources .

Use resources in a targeted way , Then release resources when the project is no longer needed .

How to develop cross functional collaboration ？ 

The process of developing a specific cross functional team must start with the leader .

In most organizations , Will appoint a team leader .

Leaders must have the skills and experience to coordinate teams and deliver successful results on time and on budget . 

When the project starts new product development , Leaders need to understand the goals of the project and the skills needed to achieve them .

Usually this leader comes from the product development plan management or product management functional organization .  

The development team may usually hire more technical project managers .

They need to analyze the skill set needed to succeed , Provide teams with different skill sets from different areas of the company .

Leaders work with senior managers , Fill the product team with key skills , Point out where there are gaps and where the organization may need access to resources . 

There are clear decisions

Once the team and the team leader have agreed on their respective roles and responsibilities .

Projects can be divided into tasks , And map their dependencies .

Identify and map interdependencies between each task and other functions and individuals .

Assign a person with direct responsibility for each task .

Leaders' responsibilities to cross functional teams

• Communicate the objectives or vision of the project to the team ;
• Set the path to achieve the goal ;
• The leader is also responsible for getting the right resources for the team , And be responsible for continuous project management , for example , Track deliverables and milestones ;
• In the case of product development , Additional responsibilities are required , for example , Ability to work with sales and finance organizations , And ensure that their requirements are met and communication is smooth .

Few project teams have enough resources to start a project , And deliver... On a predictable schedule .

More often than not , One of the key risk mitigation efforts is to manage the ebb and flow of resource availability .

Because individuals are engaged in different projects at different times , When you need experts in a field , The team is not available .

Due to lack of appropriate resources , There are always circumstances that can derail the project .

project manager 、 Roles such as core team and adjacent team are not clearly defined , Can lead to communication and decision-making problems .

Thus, the progress is delayed 、 Cost overruns and organizational chaos .

Especially for companies with organizational silos , More serious .

How is it different from agile teams ？

In Agile Development , Cross functional team （Scrum） Hold a short standing meeting every day to remove obstacles .

Scrum Master、 Roles such as product owner and team members are carefully defined .

The team divides their work into several Sprint, And use Story Point Burn out charts assess their progress .

Although cross functional teams are part of agile , But it doesn't depend on any other aspect of agile .

An organization that performs any type of project-based work .

Whether it's a new product development project , Or infrastructure improvement , Can take advantage of cross functional teams .

For the complete contents, please refer to the official account ~

# Columnist #

Wei Sir, official account ： Jianyi business , Everyone is a product manager columnist . Focus on the field of intelligent hardware , Good at market analysis 、 Product design and development 、 Production management, etc , Like reading and mountain climbing .