Managing Projects with Cross Functional Teams

This two-day workshop will cover the challenges, potential pitfalls, best practice recommendations, and lessons learned in leading cross-functional project teams.

Overview

With the ever-increasing outsourcing, off-shoring, and specialization efforts of today’s global business environment, cross-functional are becoming the norm of project teams. The cross-functional nature can inherently be advantageous as they are intended to engage the specialized expertise, increase visibility, and gain efficiencies of the available resources across the organization. To do this effectively, proper communication and adequate control measures must be in place. These team structures, however, are prone to challenges including misaligned priorities, inadequately defined objectives, and unclear roles and responsibilities.  These challenges must be successfully addressed and managed throughout the project life cycle.

This two-day workshop will cover the challenges, potential pitfalls, best practice recommendations, and lessons learned in leading cross-functional project teams. Topics will include Effective Stakeholder Assessment, Project Objective and Vision Definition, Sponsorship Expectations, Scope Alignment, Roles and Responsibilities Designation, Team Ground Rules and Norms, and Effective Team Communications. Participants will be introduced to the purported advantages and common constraints of the cross-functional team structure followed by discussion and application of better (and useful) practices to capitalize on the advantages of the cross-functional team setting.

Audience

Cross-functional project team members.

Length

16 hours

Outline

  1. The Cross-Functional Team
    • Definition of the Cross-Functional Team
    • Advantages
    • Current Challenges and Pitfalls
  2. Best Practices in Planning
    • Stakeholder Assessment
    • Project Objectives and Vision Definition
    • Project Scope Alignment
    • Team Structure
    • Ground Rules
  3. Best Practices in Executing, Monitoring & Controlling
    • Roles and Responsibilities
    • Sponsorship Expectations
    • Communications and Reporting
    • Conflict Management and Negotiation
  4. Closing
    • Key Lessons Learned
    • Action Planning