Synchronization itself is a vast terminology that still remains undiscovered. With the passing time, there is a need to survive while merging with the changes. Teams today are mostly cross-functionally integrated and this integration at times turns to dis-integration if not considered and managed aggressively and tactfully.
Team synchronization is a need of an hour, no matter what great technology you craft to get your work done, synchronization is a key. Delivery cannot be at the best of quality and time unless the synchronization aspects are understood by the team. Where many clients want the projects to go cross-functional, the teams are with the responsibility to synchronize among themselves. This team synchronization is just not in terms of attending meetings, taking notes, meeting deadlines, but it is more than that, and this is what my talk is about.
Synchronization is an effective and powerful measure. When there are teams crossing boundaries, they tend to build dependencies over time. Where we always try to keep the development team at one location, there might be the release management team or integration team working in different time zones over the globe. At times your development team gets distributed and if not in sync impact overall timelines in reaching market.
Cross-functional synchronization among teams will only be effective if we as teams try to work towards both the technological and behavioral aspects. Talking on the technology side is the visualization, i.e. leveraging the audio and video capabilities. Clarity is a key and therefore when you have a piece of work or discussion just right in front of your eyes and you can talk about, it makes the process go smoothly. However, effective communication and the understanding to work together, while calling out dependencies and helping each other in resolving the issue is of utmost importance.
While the teams adhere to active listening, active questioning, and together, resolving complexity goes hand in hand. It’s also important for the teams and individuals, think ahead of time and communicate the risks or concerns there might run into. More importantly, building trust among each other plays a vital role. The distributed teams must work towards building a collaborative environment where the mutual partnership to deliver the quality product is important.
Culture does create an impact. Teams must imbibe a culture of connecting effectively at the personal and professional front. Transparency in communicating, expecting failures, and working towards the weaknesses are some traits of teams that work in synchronization. Honestly, synchronization among cross-functional teams comes with continuous effort and the driving force of delivering as a team. To an extent, it also depends on the individual who collectively tries to work as a team and not as “I” dominated contributor.