In the early days of my career, I had a chance to work with a cross-functional team at a fast-food restaurant chain in China.

The 30 people of the cross-functional team had an important mission.

Our task was to elevate customer experience by installing digital menu boards and self-ordering kiosks at restaurants, as well as setting up infrastructures at restaurants so that table services could be offered to customers in need.

Looks like a simple task, right?

Yet, note that the cross-functional team had to upgrade 1,800 restaurants in a year.

I was the lead of the cross-functional team. What should I do?

First, plan well.

A cross-functional team has to agree on the project objectives and milestones in its first project meeting.

1. What should we achieve in the end?
2. Where are we right now?
3. How should we get there?
4. How should we measure success?

This is critical because it helps us plan our resources well ahead in order to avoid any surprises such as resource shortage in the middle of a project.

Coming back to the restaurant upgrade project, the cross-functional team and I agreed on the target ROI, deployment schedule (that is, which restaurants should we prioritize and monthly completion rate), resources needed and logistics.

The cross-functional team has to discuss RACI in the same meeting as well.

1. Responsible – Who will do the work?
2. Accountable – Who will approve the work in the end?
3. Consulted – Who will be the subject matter expert who answer any questions during the project?
4. Informed – Who will receive any project updates?

RACI avoids duplication of work among team members.

Second, test and learn.

We defined our ROI, project objectives, and milestones earlier. However, are we sure we can deliver all these?

It is time to do a pilot test.

There can be many ways for us to conduct the test, such as consumer research, operations review, financial analysis, and so forth.

Coming back to the restaurant upgrade project, did the cross-functional team see a satisfactory usage rate of the self-ordering kiosks and table services at restaurants? Why did customers use or not use those services? Coming to hardware deployment, did our engineers encounter any issues, and why?

After the pilot test, adjust our tactics in order to meet the project objectives and milestones if necessary.

Third, monitor.

After we adjust the tactics, just fully deploy the project according to what we planned earlier.

The third stage is an important one to build the cross-functional team’s credibility in the company. The team must closely monitor the progress.

1. Solve any problems immediately if they appear.
2. Give your managers and colleagues an update on the current project status. Let them know what to expect.

Coming back to the restaurant upgrade project, the cross-functional team may face some occasional issues. For example, how should we install self-ordering kiosks at a restaurant with a special floor plan?

If a project is huge, get a deployment handbook which outlines all the rules and requirements.

Lastly, evaluate the project and celebrate.

When a project is completed, review the project outcome.

1. Have we achieved our project objectives in the end? Why or why not?
2. What contributes to the success of this project? What can we do better next time?

Coming back to the restaurant upgrade project, the cross-functional team in fact exceeded the target set at the beginning of the project. This was attributed to proper project planning, close monitoring of project progress, as well as the team’s agility in responding to any issues.

The cross-functional team eventually got the Best Project Team of the Year Award.

Cross-functional collaboration happens everywhere. How’s your experience with cross-functional collaboration? Let’s discuss.

Vincent

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