Leading Cross-Functional Teams: A Project Manager’s Guide to Success

As a Project Manager (PM), you must be a jack of all trades but a master of none. This means having a fundamental understanding of every role within your team, even if you are not an expert in any of them. This ensures that you can identify what is required for each role and hire highly skilled subject matter experts to build an elite team.

Managing cross-functional teams requires a strategic approach. It is not just about assigning tasks but also engaging with team members to understand their expertise, dependencies, risks, and impacts. This enables you to translate technical insights into a clear plan that the team and stakeholders can buy into.

Staging the Team: Roles and Responsibilities

For a software development team, the key players typically include a Technical Architect, Lead Developer, UX Designer, Business Analyst, Scrum Master, UI/UX Designer, DevOps Engineer, and Software Developers.

Having the right mix of roles in appropriate capacities leads to better outcomes and a stronger project. However, in cases where a full-stack team is not feasible, the PM must creatively bridge gaps. For example:

• If there is no UX designer, front-end developers may need to assist by designing in Figma or creating low-fidelity wireframes.
• If there is no dedicated QA or technical lead, peer-to-peer reviews can help maintain quality.
• If manual testing is required, the PM may need to step in occasionally.

While temporary role coverage is possible, taking on more than two missing roles diminishes efficiency. PMs should document resource constraints and advocate for necessary roles using data-driven justifications.

Ideally, the core team — Technical Architect, Lead Developer, UX Designer, Business Analyst, and DevOps Engineer — should be involved from the discovery phase to shape the project’s foundation. Additional developers and specialists can be onboarded as development progresses.

The Dual-Hat Approach: PM & Scrum Master

A Project Manager ensures smooth delivery by managing risks, dependencies, and execution, while the Scrum Master focuses on team engagement and support. The key distinction lies in their priorities: the PM emphasizes customer value and project milestones, while the Scrum Master fosters team collaboration and problem-solving.

Many professionals adopt a dual-hat approach, balancing both PM and Scrum Master responsibilities. This requires leading strategic discussions with stakeholders while actively engaging with the development team to remove roadblocks and enhance productivity.

By effectively navigating both execution and facilitation, the PM can ensure that projects remain on track while fostering a high-performing, collaborative team.

Managing Low Performance

Every PM aims to work with a high-performing team, but at times, low performance needs to be managed carefully. Rather than immediately replacing a struggling team member, consider the following approach:

1. Document performance concerns — Keep a record of ongoing issues instead of relying on isolated incidents.
2. Consult technical leads — Validate concerns with experienced team members for additional context.
3. Schedule a one-on-one session — Frame it as a check-in rather than a performance review to maintain trust.
4. Prepare discussion points — Use structured feedback to highlight specific areas of concern and expectations.
5. Support improvement — Provide guidance and resources to help the individual improve.
6. Allow for response — Listen to their perspective before making any decisions.
7. Agree to action items — Define clear improvement steps and set up a performance tracker.
8. Check in periodically — Follow up regularly to assess changes in work quality and attitude.

By using this approach, you create opportunities for improvement while maintaining overall project momentum.

Configuring the Jira Board & Dashboard

Choosing the right Agile framework is critical for project success. While Scrum is widely used, Kanban may be better suited for continuous workflows, such as DevOps support.

Key Considerations for Jira Setup:

• Select the right project type — Opt for a company-managed board for greater flexibility.
• Establish Epics — Use the timeline feature to define major project milestones.
• Set up sprints — Populate the backlog with user stories and define sprint goals.
• Configure the board — A simple workflow such as To Do → In Progress → In Review → QA → Done is a great starting point.
• Leverage dashboards — Create reports to track sprint progress, bug resolutions, and team velocity.
• Integrate with additional tools — Connect Jira with repositories, release management tools, Slack, and Confluence for enhanced collaboration.

A well-structured Jira setup streamlines development processes and enhances team efficiency.

Setting Team Expectations

At the start of a project, establishing a team contract helps define how the team operates and how issues will be addressed. This contract fosters accountability and supports a strong collaborative environment.

Setting clear expectations from the outset aligns the team’s efforts and ensures accountability.

To foster a productive and engaged team:

• Encourage collaboration — Promote open communication and shared responsibility.
• Communicate the big picture — Help the team understand how their work contributes to the overall project.
• Encourage transparency — Create an environment where feedback and discussions are welcome.
• Adapt and evolve — Continuously refine workflows and methodologies based on experience.

By mastering these aspects of cross-functional team leadership, PMs can drive project success while fostering a collaborative, high-performance culture.

Optimizing Communication Across Disciplines

Effective communication across different disciplines is essential. Each domain seeks to uphold its best practices, but what is best for an individual discipline may not always be best for the project as a whole. A PM must bridge these gaps and ensure alignment.

Approach to Communication Optimization:

• Create dedicated project channels — Have a general channel for key updates and a watercooler channel for informal interactions.
• Set up working sessions — Allow each domain to present their aspects of the project and gather feedback.
• Remove silos — Ensure key players are included in all critical sessions, such as daily syncs and sprint reviews.

Leading a cross-functional development team requires a blend of strategic planning, technical awareness, and strong leadership. By considering every discipline and fostering an environment of collaboration and accountability, PMs can drive successful projects.

For further insights on project management best practices, explore our Project Manager’s Blueprint for Success series. https://oldane-graham.medium.com/