🌐 Cross-Team Collaboration
Coordinating effectively when multiple teams work toward a shared goal.
Challenges
- Different priorities and timelines
- Unclear ownership at boundaries
- Communication gaps between teams
- Conflicting processes and tools
- Dependencies that block each other
Coordination mechanisms
| Mechanism | When to use | Cadence |
|---|---|---|
| Shared Slack channel | Ongoing communication | Always open |
| Cross-team standup | Active collaboration phase | 2-3x/week |
| Dependency board | Tracking inter-team blockers | Updated daily |
| Integration demo | Validating cross-team work | Per milestone |
| Steering committee | Strategic alignment | Bi-weekly |
Interface contracts
When two teams share a boundary (API, data, design system):
- Define the contract — Schema, SLA, format, behavior
- Version the contract — Breaking changes need coordination
- Test the boundary — Contract tests, integration tests
- Assign a DRI per side — One person per team owns the interface
Escalation path
Team members try to resolve → Team leads discuss →
PM/EM alignment → Steering committee decision- Escalate early, not as a last resort
- Escalation is not failure — it's efficient routing
Best practices
- Establish shared goals, not just team goals
- Co-locate (physically or virtually) during critical phases
- Celebrate cross-team wins together
- Run joint retrospectives after major milestones
- Document agreements, don't rely on verbal commitments