The nation's top companies are assigning an increasing volume of critical work to cross-functional teams. Whether called new product development teams, continuous improvement teams, concurrent engineering teams, or infrastructure teams, these cross-functional teams are the structure of choice for rapid response to the complexities of today's marketplace and technology.

Merely assembling a group of highly competent individuals, however, does not create a high-performing, cross-functional team. A supportive environment, clear task, team agreements, and trusted, dependable team members are essential ingredients for the team's success. QuickStart for Teams (QST) ensures that your organization's cross-functional teams are grounded in these essential elements.

The goals of QST are to ensure that all members of a team share a commitment to a common vision, that the appropriate processes and agreements are in place so that the team can solve problems more effectively and quickly.

The outcomes you can expect from QST are:

  • a meaningful charter statement
  • explicit, helpful agreements about how the team will function
  • clear agreements about how the team will manage its meetings
  • dynamic roles for the team leader, the team sponsor, and the team members
  • a blueprint for communication both inside and outside the team (especially with key stakeholders)
  • a plan for how the team will start the work they've been chartered to perform

Although there is a learning component to this process, QST is not a training class. Each QST process is customized for your unique team.

QST includes:

  • a two-hour meeting with the team's executive sponsor and the team's leader to clarify their roles, and to modify the process as appropriate for the individual team
  • A 1.5 day meeting with the entire team to craft a clear charter, a set of operating agreements, and team plans.

eight hours of follow-up that includes:

  • attending team meetings
  • coaching of team leader
  • evaluation and fine-tuning

For more information on this topic, contact Randi Brenowitz at
650-843-1611 or info@brenowitzconsulting.com

 

 
 

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