Building & Managing Cross-Functional Teams in Software Development
Teams come in all shapes and sizes. They can be very disorganized and chaotic, or smooth-sailing with seamless communication and collaboration. Cross-functional teams have been shown to benefit software development projects in many ways. Here’s how and what it means for you.
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More chaptersDo you remember the days of working on a school group project, feeling like you were the only one doing all the work? Perhaps you know what it’s like to work in a siloed organization, where departments and data are separate from one another, making it difficult to collaborate.
If you said ‘Yes’ to either of the above, then you know what it’s like to work in a dysfunctional group environment. And, while dysfunction can occur in any group dynamic, cross-functional teams have been proven to help improve collaboration, streamline information flow, and accelerate project delivery.
Read on to discover what cross-functional teams are, their benefits and importance, how they work in an Agile environment, and how to effectively build and manage them.
Key Takeaways:
- Cross-functional teams bring together specialists from various departments, who combine their expertise to work toward a common goal.
- Agile in software development uses cross-functional teams to facilitate continuous feedback and delivery, meaning that clients are always in the loop as to what is going on.
- Orient Software follows the Agile methodology and uses cross-functional teams to ensure you receive the best, hand-picked specialists for your project.
What Is a Cross-Functional Team?
A cross-functional team consists of specialists who come from different departments within modern organizations. They come together to combine their skills, knowledge, and experience to achieve a unified goal. That goal could be delivering the entire final product or contributing to a significant portion of a larger project. In a software development project, a cross-functional team may consist of a project lead, a UI/UX designer, programmers, developers, and QA and testing experts.
The purpose of a cross-functional team is to break down information silos that typically slow down traditional functional teams. Through a near-daily feedback and collaboration cycle, cross-functional teams can share expertise and ideas with greater ease and efficiency, without communication delays from other departments. The result is a faster and more streamlined project delivery, along with greater client involvement and higher satisfaction.
What Are the Benefits and Importance of Cross-Functional Teams?
There are many reasons why companies today are embracing cross-functional teams. When executed properly, they have the potential to improve communication and support cross-functional collaboration, improve risk mitigation, and save money through smarter resource allocation. Let’s quickly explore these benefits in greater detail.
Improved Communication and Collaboration
Cross-functional teams consist of hand-picked experts who are chosen to meet the needs of a specific project. When such teams work well together and are unified in their drive to deliver a successful outcome, everyone benefits - including the client.
Such teams can share ideas, inspiration, and feedback with a higher level of clarity, speed, and consistency than a traditional functional team. They can share progress updates, troubleshoot problems, and offer feedback on a continuous basis, without the friction and delays that come with cross-departmental communication. The result? Reduced waiting times and faster goal or milestone achievements.
Improved Company Morale
While most cross-functional teams have a designated team leader, each team member is equally responsible for their contribution to a project. And, they all have equal say in what goes into the end product. So, everyone can share their input without fear of retribution.
As a result, cross-functional team members enjoy a higher sense of purpose and individuality, with a strong understanding of how their contribution benefits the entire project - not just a small portion of it. The result is a more positive work environment and, in turn, the potential for a better product.
Improved Risk Mitigation and Reduced Scope Creep
Changing requirements, tight deadlines, and new technologies can easily disrupt a software development project. Functional teams, with siloed departments that focus on their own goals, may fail to anticipate and address these risks. Inconsistent risk assessments, where different teams have different priorities, can cause this to happen.
Cross-functional teams, on the other hand, have a higher chance of identifying and mitigating risks. By forming together as a unified group, bringing their cross-functional collaboration skills to the table, they will have a unified, holistic view of the unique problems that could affect a software development project. The result is a centralized risk mitigation that everyone is on the same page about.
Improved Resource Management
When the right cross-functional team is brought together to complete a specific project, the potential for cost savings - through more efficient resource allocation - can be significant. These cost savings can be minor and hidden, in the form of reduced communication delays between departments, or they can be more significant cost savings, in the form of hiring only the right people for the right job.
Let’s say you want to launch a new mobile app on Android and iOS. In this case, you’d need a team with experience in cross-platform mobile app development. Such a team might consist of a React JS developer, with React being one of the most popular JavaScript libraries for creating native Android and iOS apps.
How Do Cross-Functional Teams Work in Agile?
If you’ve been reading up on cross-functional teams, then you may have come across the term ‘Agile’. But what exactly does it mean? Read on to find out what Agile is and how it relates to cross-functional teams.
Understanding Agile
Put simply, Agile is a type of workflow that many tech companies and most software developers have adopted over the years. The concept of the Agile methodology emerged in the 1990s, in response to the limitations of the traditional waterfall methodology.
Agile aims to break down larger projects into more manageable phases, with continuous feedback and integration implemented at each phase. These phases are also referred to as ‘sprints’, where a particular goal or milestone is achieved within a set time period, typically within a few weeks.
And, who comes together to complete sprints in an Agile workflow? Teams that consist of specialists from different departments work to achieve a common goal. Sound familiar? That’s right, this is where Agile and cross-functional teams have a lot in common.
How Cross-Functional Collaboration Supports Agile
Cross-functional teams help make the Agile methodology work smoothly in a software development project. Here are the following ways in which it does just that.
- Greater innovation through diversity: Agile is all about implementing continuous feedback and delivery into the software development life cycle. And, with cross-functional teams, specialists from many backgrounds come together to share diverse perspectives. The combination of these two factors increases the odds of more creative solutions to complex problems.
- Greater flexibility and adaptability: Another core aspect of Agile is the ability to adapt flexibly to changing requirements. This benefit is enhanced by the presence of a cross-functional team. They can collaborate frequently and in (near) real-time to adjust scope, troubleshoot problems, and brainstorm ideas. In turn, cross-functional teams can easily embrace new information, insights, and changes.
- Faster project delivery: Speed is everything in the world of technology. What is new and fresh one day can be obsolete in a matter of months. This is why embracing cross-functional teams in Agile is so important. By embracing shared goals, collaborating in real-time on a regular basis (without cross-department delays), and having clear roles and responsibilities, cross-functional teams can deliver quality products to market in a rapid time.
How to Build and Manage a Cross-Functional Team
By now, you know what a cross-functional team is and how they work. But how do you build and manage one? If you plan on outsourcing your software development to a third party, they will take care of this for you.
This is the case when you reach out to Orient Software. We carefully assess your project requirements, including your technical needs and business goals. Then, we hand-pick specialists who align with your project and desired outcomes. You’ll also be assigned a dedicated project manager, who will serve as your primary contact.
What does this mean for you? Only the most suitably skilled and qualified people will be assigned to your project. And, you’ll have direct access to a leader who will do everything to help bring your vision to life.
That said, it’s worth knowing what a good cross-functional team looks like. Here’s how a typical cross-functional team is built and managed.
Define Goals and Milestones
The first step to building and managing a cross-functional team is to define the project goals. To do this, your project manager will take the time to understand your needs. This may include your pain points, current technical setup, and estimated budget and timeline. They can then define the goals and milestones that need to be hit to achieve their desired outcomes.
Suppose you operate in the finance sector and require a custom web app; a cross-functional team will be established to bring your idea to life. They could break down each step, from design to programming, into manageable phases. And, by following Agile thinking, they could incorporate QA and testing into each phase, facilitating early bug detection and resolution.
Choose a Leader
Not every cross-functional team needs to have a leader. But most will benefit from having one. For most software development projects, you’ll be assigned a dedicated leader or project manager. They will be responsible for steering the team in the right direction, ensuring your technical and business goals are met.
Establish Ground Rules
A good cross-functional team works together in harmony. They are all on the same page about their roles, expectations, and behavior.
Tasks will be spread evenly among each team member, ensuring no one person is doing more than someone else. Good cross-functional teams also encourage open communication. Team members will have the freedom to contribute without fear of retribution.
Choosing the right tools and software for communication and using them properly will also facilitate more streamlined communication. These communication tools are ideal for remote cross-functional collaboration, especially for successful cross-functional teams that don’t have daily team meetings.
At Orient Software, our 350+ team of highly skilled talent uses the latest communication (and project management) tools to work independently and collaboratively. Our highly effective, modern communication solutions ensure seamless collaboration between team members and clients, where you are in the loop every step of the way.
Risk Management
Risks are all too common in software development projects. Delays, scope creep, and going over budget. Any of these risks can jeopardize the quality and timely delivery of a product. The result can impact your ability to compete in a fast-paced, dynamic landscape.
At Orient Software, our cross-functional teams conduct thorough risk assessments to identify potential technical security, performance, and scalability risks.
An example of a scalability risk is custom software that is expected to handle increased workloads and users in the future. One way to achieve software scalability is to adopt a microservices architecture, where only the required parts can be scaled without affecting the whole system.
Why Choose Orient Software for the Best Cross-Functional Teams
How we work at Orient Software is effective, simple, and tailored to your needs. Our cross-functional teams follow Agile principles to deliver the best results for your project.
By taking the time to understand your business and project details, we hand-pick experts that match your needs. This enables us to focus on your specific situation, understand how your business works, and what it needs to succeed.
After quickly forming the necessary team for your project, we designate a dedicated manager to oversee the entire process. Your appointee works with you to not only build and manage the team but also keep you in the loop, from concept to completion.
Discover how Orient Software’s Agile and cross-functional approach can deliver impressive results for your business. Contact us today. Let’s bring your vision of the perfect digital transformation to life.
Shannon Jackson-Barnes
Writer
Shannon Jackson-Barnes
Writer
