March 2, 2011

cross-functional enough? (from old article by @henrikkniberg)

"Cross-functional team doesn’t mean everybody has to know everything - this seems to be a common misinterpretation though. Cross-functional just means that the team as a whole has all skills needed to build the product, and that each team member is willing to do more than just their own thing."

(my emphasis)

interesting tool from Henrik Kniberg: Is your team cross-functional enough...

do this excercise against your top backlog items.

Cross functional team

....

I like this exercise because:

  • It’s quick & easy.
  • It triggers valuable discussions.
  • It helps visualize the team's strengths and weaknesses.
  • It encourages teamwork (“how can we help each other succeed”)
  • It counteracts pidgeon-holing (attitudes such as “I’m the Java guy and you’re the DB guy, so the DB stuff is your job!”).
  • It helps people get to know each other better.
  • It takes into account the fact that people can (and often like to) broaden their skills.