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Activities for Leading Successful Cross-Functional Teams continued... page 4
One system for assembling the minutes is to use the topic section from the agenda and expand it to include information presented at the meeting. Using the example above here is one possible format.
Example:
| Item |
Responsible |
Due |
| Topic 1 |
Task Leader 1 |
2/11/00 |
| Indent and use a different font style to set-off the information discussed at the meeting. |
| Topic 2 |
Task Leader 2 |
2/22/00 |
| Topic 3 |
Task Leader 3 |
2/24/00 |
Information gathered during the group discussion can be inserted as separate line items. The questions themselves can be listed to help identify the issues being discussed.
The forward action items should be captured in a table showing the specific objective, the person responsible and the due date. This table will eventually be used three times, as a forward action item list, as a topic list for the next agenda and as an information and results list for the next set of minutes. Normally the final 25% of the meeting should be reserved for creating an agreement on this list. Without this list the meeting is not finished!
The purpose of the minutes is to record the activities of the meeting. They are specifically meant for the team members. In some cases the minutes are used to update additional personnel. This is fine as long as the minutes are not modified or scaled down to reduce the level of detail. In most instances separate status reports are more effective to update non-team members.
Project Termination
As the project manager you have a constant responsibility to evaluate whether the current project is the best use of the company's assets. In many companies there are significantly more projects than resources to accomplish them. If you determine that the project you are leading will not achieve its objectives, principally profitability, you have to consider recommending to the sponsors that the project be halted and the resources re-assigned to other programs
The Return on Cross-Functional Project Management
In many organizations the term "cross-functional" often refers to communication and coordination activities across the functions, with little or no impact on working level tasks. In effective cross-function operation, achieving a top performing team requires more than naming members to a core team and designating a project head. Years of experience and exposure to functional silo based systems can create both physical and organizational obstacles for those involved in development of cross-functional teams. The fact that the dominant structure in most organizations is functional, that peoples' experiences and careers are rooted in these functions, and that the vast majority of tasks needed in a development effort are defined and conducted within these functions adds to the challenge of attaining true cross-functional integration.
The likelihood of achieving outstanding new products and processes is greatly enhanced when cross-functional teams are used to make fundamental alterations in the ways in which detailed work is done during the project. Effective development requires integration across multiple corporate functions. If new products and processes are to be developed rapidly and efficiently, companies need to achieve integration across functions in timely and effective ways.
Barry holds Masters and Bachelors Degrees in Chemical/ Biochemical Engineering from Rutgers University and four US patents in consumer product processing. He earned the Campbell Institute for Research and Technology Annual Award for Outstanding Achievement in 1991 and 1995. Barry M. Weinstein & Associates is a member of The Food Consultants Group .For further inquiries visit www.foodconsultants.com or email bmweinstein@earthlink.net.
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