How can you facilitate cross-functional teams?

Ensure you set and gain agreement of a set of team ground rules. Agree to hold each other accountable for adhering to them. Set expectations for each team member so that everyone is in agreement.

One thing I have found useful is a RASCI matrix to identify what is each team member's role in the cross-functional process being facilitated. RASCI stands for Responsible, Accountable, Supported, Consulted, and Informed for their area of expertise.

Hosting a team agreement session is typically the first place to start. This ensures that the whole team has alignment and clear vision of what the team is trying to accomplish and as well as the norms on how they want to work together as well.

One thing I've found helpful is to help identify the skills and experience across the team. Many that I've worked with come from a silos background, but are often willing to broaden their T shaped skills to benefit the team and the objectives. Talking with each one individually about their development goals also builds that rapport and gives you insight into what motivates them. Coach and encourage them to pair or try something that aligns with that development. When others know you care and are invested in their success, it really helps bring the entire team up.

Team meetings should be held only as needed to resolve issues, agree on direction, or communicate complex or urgent direction. Meeting notes should be simple, focused on decisions and action items, published right after the meeting, and should serve as the basis for future agendas.

When problems do arise ensure you conduct an after action review to identify the root cause (s) and put a plan in place to mitigate and ensure it is not repeated.

A great avenue to support this idea is facilitating consistent retrospectives as a team. If done well, these can extremely powerful and valuable. Look at metrics and goals the team set for themselves and evaluate how they did, what adjustments need to be made and if they should write any experiments that they can try as a team to continue to push themselves to grow and reach new levels of efficiency. These can also be a great opportunity to do team building activities and have some fun that will go a long way to creating healthy and strong relationships and build the trust needed to be able to have the inevitable tough conversations that may arise.

Important to consider the value of time. Be efficient and mindful of having the right people in the room to effect the change. Otherwise you will find multiple meetings with inaction. When people know their time is respected and clearly needed, they will rise to the occasion. Setting of clear expectations and verbalizing appreciation for efforts includes shared data to demonstrate progress. Acknowledge those who share feedback and insights who are key drivers. Allow that positive momentum to drive the effort. Include stakeholders at varied levels that have the ability to make decisions and / or provide information that is critical to success. Secure buy in at every step. Do not be discouraged. Positivity is contagious.