How to Improve Cross-Functional Collaboration During Product Development

During the development and launch of a new product, collaboration between departments and teams is key as it brings together different perspectives, leading to more creative and innovative solutions. Here, we gathered insights from business leaders on ways to promote teamwork and communication across departments.

How to improve cross-functional collaboration

1. Have regular cross-functional meetings and project reviews

"One effective strategy we use to foster collaboration across departments is regular cross-functional meetings and project reviews. These meetings allow teams to share progress, challenges, and ideas openly. By encouraging open communication and mutual respect for each team's expertise, we ensure that everyone understands the broader goals and can contribute effectively.

"Furthermore, creating a collaborative workspace, whether physically or virtually, where teams can easily share documents, data, and feedback in real time enhances efficiency and ensures alignment throughout the product development lifecycle."
—Rene Ymzon, Advanced Motion Controls

2. Recognize people for their contributions

"Encouraging individuals to provide feedback openly helps build trust and understanding among employees. To facilitate this, we use a digital reward and recognition platform. This platform creates an online space where colleagues can give and receive praise for their professional achievements and hard work. By acknowledging and celebrating contributions, we foster a positive workplace environment. Combined with other strategies, our reward and recognition program helps us create a workplace where our team can thrive and communicate efficiently."
—Wojciech Dochan, Bravo Benefits

3. Promote teamwork from the beginning

"Consider a situation where a product development project requires both software engineering and marketing expertise. By including both engineers and marketers on the team from the beginning, the group can simultaneously address the technical and market viability aspects of the product. This synergy not only speeds up the development process but also ensures that the product is both technically sound and market ready upon launch, with staffing sufficient enough to secure sustainable sales.

"A five-person team exemplifying this approach might include a project manager, a software engineer, a designer, a marketer, and a quality assurance specialist. Together, these roles cover the entire spectrum of the problem-solving required for product development, from concept to customer feedback. This allows for comprehensive oversight and swift action on issues that arise. The immediate and constant collaboration among these different roles eliminates the typical delays caused by departmental hand-offs and approvals, significantly shortening the development cycle."
—Dianne Crampton, TIGERS Success Series

4. Frame problems as desired outcomes

"Frame problems and the desired outcomes, instead of outputs, for cross-functional teams to tackle. For example, picture a scenario where your company is launching a new feature and wants to drive engagement. Rather than asking your team to send an email out to customers telling them about Feature XYZ, frame the problem, 'I want to get in touch with 85% of our customer base and have 10% of them interact with Feature XYZ that we just launched.'

"This approach empowers employees to think outside the box, allowing them to feel invested in the solution and bring their unique perspectives to produce a satisfactory outcome."
—Jacob Rigos, Tulip Interfaces

5. Invest in leadership skills

"A key challenge with cross-functional collaboration is that, in addition to the wonderful breadth of ideas, there will be disagreements, conflict, compromise, and exploratory conversations that require patience, commitment, and sound facilitation skills. The best thing you can do is invest in leadership skills to facilitate the diverse perspectives to a consensus on the optimal product development outcome."
—Huw Thomas, Huw H. Thomas & Associates,

6. Implement a common product dashboard

"To improve communication between teams, implement a common product dashboard. This dashboard allows team members to see the larger picture, provide feedback, identify points of delay, and foster even greater collaboration. By sharing a unified view, teams can work more cohesively towards a successful product launch."
—Belinda Agnew, X:Enabler

7. Establish common goals

"One key strategy we use to foster collaboration is to establish common goals. By aligning certain departments with shared objectives, they start working towards the same outcome, improving communication and teamwork. This approach ensures that each team understands how their role impacts the final product, leading to better coordination and fewer misunderstandings.

"Establishing these common goals keeps everyone focused and motivated, driving our projects to successful completion. Furthermore, setting up shared success metrics helps maintain accountability and transparency across all teams, further reinforcing our collaborative efforts."
—Cameron Lee, ACCURL

8. Organize team-building activities

"Businesses can organize team-building activities to foster collaboration and communication across departments. These activities act as icebreakers, increasing bonding between employees, and so that employees will enjoy working together as a team."
—Puneet Sharma, Zoop

9. Utilize project management tools

"Using project management tools like ClickUp or Asana ensures that all team members are on the same page, can track progress in real time, and collaborate effectively, regardless of their department. This structured approach promotes transparency, accountability, and a unified effort towards common goals."
—Jim Campbell, Honeymoons

10. Lead by example

"One tip I have for successful cross-functional collaboration is to start at the top. If team members see their managers and leaders from other teams working together, they will more than likely follow that lead. Telling your team what to do will only get you so far if you are not going to lead by example. Cross-team collaboration will go much smoother if it's a practice that is not just implemented by the leader, but also practiced by them."
—Rob Deming, Rate Retriever

11. Foster openness with 'serendipity sessions'

"I have employed one of the most unusual but effective methods to ensure cross-functional collaboration: 'serendipity sessions.' These sessions are deliberately unstructured and unplanned to facilitate chance meetings and casual discussions among colleagues from different departments.

"Rather than formal, structured meetings, serendipity sessions promote informal encounters, such as virtual coffee breaks, virtual social events, or designated virtual 'watercooler' channels. During these times, people may talk freely with each other about ideas, provide insights into their respective areas of expertise, and brainstorm without any expectations. They enable the accidental exchange of information and thoughts, often resulting in out-of-the-box solutions and organic cross-organizational cooperation. They also foster openness within this business framework, meaning every employee must feel supported in sharing views."
—Cassie Fields, AutoLeap

About the Author

Post by: Brett Farmiloe

Brett Farmiloe is the founder and CEO of Featured, a platform where business leaders can answer questions related to their expertise and get published in articles featuring their insights.

Company: Featured
Website: www.featured.com
Connect with me on LinkedIn.