Collaborating Across Teams for Project Success

Bringing multiple teams together is where project management truly shines. Your role isn’t just about tracking tasks — it’s about how you connect people, clarify roles, and build trust across groups. Think of yourself as a bridge: your clear communication and steady presence help teams move forward together, or, if you’re unclear, leave them working at cross-purposes.

Here’s how to foster smooth collaboration:

• Encourage mutual understanding between teams by clarifying roles, reducing misunderstandings, and creating space for open dialogue.
• Build trust and alignment within your project team by ensuring objectives and tasks are clear, organized, and well-communicated.
• Act as a trusted liaison by accurately representing your team’s perspective in cross-functional discussions and constructively advocating for their needs.

By the end of this lesson, you’ll be able to bring teams together more effectively by clarifying roles, encouraging open dialogue, and building trust across groups.

Trust and alignment start with clear, organized communication. When responsibilities are fuzzy, it’s your job to clarify who owns what and make sure everyone is on the same page. Avoid assuming everyone knows the process; instead, spell it out and document it.

Let’s look at a scenario where clarifying roles makes all the difference:

Background:
Chris, a designer, is unsure about how feedback from the QA team should be handled during the dashboard project. He reaches out to Jessica, the project manager, for clarification.

• Chris: Hey Jessica, I noticed QA left some comments on the dashboard mockups. Am I supposed to address those directly, or should engineering handle them after implementation?
• Jessica: Good question, Chris. For design-related feedback, it’s best if you review and address those comments before we move to development. If any feedback is more technical, I’ll coordinate with engineering to make sure it’s covered.
• Chris: Got it. Should I mark the comments as resolved once I’ve made the changes?
• Jessica: Yes, please resolve the comments you address and leave a quick note in the project channel so everyone’s aware. I’ll update our documentation to reflect this process.

Notice how Jessica clarifies responsibilities, outlines the process, and ensures the decision is documented and shared. This keeps everyone aligned and reduces the risk of misunderstandings.

A quick rule of thumb:

• Make responsibilities explicit, not assumed.
• Document decisions and share them with all teams involved.

Sometimes, you’ll need to represent your team’s needs in cross-functional discussions. Advocacy isn’t about saying “no”; it’s about setting realistic expectations and finding solutions that work for everyone. The key is to communicate constructively and respect the priorities of other groups.

A helpful approach is the Advocacy-Alignment-Action Model:

• Advocacy: Clearly state your team’s needs or constraints.
• Alignment: Seek common ground and acknowledge the priorities of other teams.
• Action: Collaboratively agree on next steps or solutions.

Try saying:
"Our team is currently focused on the onboarding flow, and adding this feature now would risk our June 1 launch. Can we discuss adjusting the timeline or re-prioritizing features to ensure quality?"
This approach keeps the conversation collaborative and solution-focused by advocating for your team, aligning with others, and proposing actionable next steps.

By tuning into each team’s needs, clarifying roles, and communicating with care, you build trust and drive your projects to successful outcomes. Up next, you’ll get to practice these skills in a hands-on role-play, where you’ll clarify roles, uncover misunderstandings, and restore alignment across teams.