Why cross-functional teams are used
A recurring defect may have causes in material (procurement), setup (production), equipment (maintenance) and inspection (quality). A team from one function fixes its part and the defect returns. A cross-functional team sees the whole process and can change it.
Typical uses in operations:
- Kaizen events and improvement projects.
- Root cause analysis of serious incidents and non-conformances.
- New product introduction and changeovers.
- Tier 2 daily meetings, which are cross-functional by design.
- Safety committees.
What makes them work
- One goal and one measure the team is judged on, not one per function.
- A sponsor with the authority to remove obstacles between functions.
- A leader chosen for the problem, not for seniority.
- A cadence: a short, regular meeting with actions and owners.
- Time: members released from their day jobs for the hours agreed.
Where they fail
- Members represent their departments instead of solving the problem.
- No sponsor, so decisions that cross budgets stall.
- The team is permanent but the problem was temporary, or the reverse.
- Actions go into a slide deck rather than onto a board anyone reviews.
Cross-functional teams and daily management
The Tier 2 meeting is the standing cross-functional team of a site: production, maintenance, quality, safety and planning review the escalations from Tier 1 every day. Problems that need more than daily actions are given to a temporary cross-functional team, which reports its progress back at Tier 2 and closes with a verified countermeasure and an updated standard.