How to streamline collaboration and teamwork to boost project performance

“Unity is strength,” as the saying goes. While project portfolio management may not be the first area that comes to mind, efficient team collaboration is definitely a cornerstone of successful project delivery.

Employees working in a collaborative environment are 50% more effective at completing tasks. By the same token, 70% of employees find poor collaboration in the workplace limits their productivity.

Good teamwork also strengthens decision-making and innovation—communicative teams share relevant information and allow ideas to flow freely. By bringing together unique talents, knowledge, and perspectives, collaboration also enhances engagement and creates opportunities for upskilling.

However, with team members working across departments, locations, and time zones, achieving this can be challenging. 

So, what is the recipe for cross-functional collaboration? How can project leaders streamline communication across teams to improve project outcomes?

Embracing key strategies and collaboration-oriented tools can help executives and directors ensure that their cross-departmental teams work together efficiently, creatively, and effectively to achieve shared goals.

3 key strategies to streamline collaboration across teams

Ensuring transparent communication practices, fostering a collaborative culture, and leveraging the right tools are some of the steps organizations can take to increase workplace collaboration among teams and achieve better project outcomes.

1. Process: Clearly define roles, responsibilities, and communication protocols

Clarity on roles and responsibilities is essential in any collaborative effort, as it ensures a common understanding of where team members stand and what’s expected of them. Without clearly defined roles, teamwork and cross-team collaboration can become disorganized, leading to confusion and overlaps.

This clarity can be achieved through open communication and discussions, where each individual's role is clarified and mutually agreed upon. Regular check-ins and feedback sessions can also help ensure everyone stays aligned and understands their contributions to the team goals.

Clear communication protocols also help manage expectations for streamlined business collaboration. A few examples could include:

• defined email response times, for example within a 24-hour timeframe, to avoid unnecessary day-to-day delays in project workflows
• weekly project updates in designated channels, using formats such as ‘task, status, blockers, next steps’ so that everyone is on the same page
• core hours, possibly between 10AM and 3PM, where team members are expected to be available to answer real-time questions
• weekly team meetings at a scheduled time, providing a regular forum for raising blockers or questions
• cameras on for remote teams, to promote a more human connection, and muted microphones in larger meetings to reduce distractions
• direct mentions for urgent items only in team messaging channels to combat notification fatigue

Defining when and how team members will be available for meetings and what behaviour is expected ensures that everyone remains aligned.  This is all the more important when trying to encourage remote team collaboration, build accurate resource capacity plans, or manage change.

To improve information flows and sharing, many businesses have successfully embraced PPM platforms boasting strong communication capabilities.

2. Culture: Promote a collaborative mindset

Encouraging team members to actively listen to one another, respect diverse perspectives, and contribute ideas creates an environment where collaboration thrives. For example, creating opportunities for cross-functional collaboration (like brainstorming sessions) can help break down silos and encourage team members to work together in creative and supportive ways.

You may introduce a dedicated internal team achievements communication channel, where fellow team members are encouraged to celebrate each other’s success.

“Technical skills are important, but so is understanding interactions between people. At the end of the day, projects are done by humans. We need to appreciate that. We need to work on that.”

— Luis Revilla, Chief People Officer at Softtek

Leaders play a critical role in shaping a culture of collaboration. C-suite executives also need to lead by example and actively encourage business collaboration across teams. This could involve scheduling regular cross-departmental meetings or setting up informal sessions to address issues and brainstorm new ideas. 

Of course, excessive meetings can take a significant toll on productivity. Organizations can leverage technology to streamline communication and enhance collaboration. As we will see, tools like PPM software allow teams to stay connected, share real-time insights and feedback, and collaborate effectively without the need for constant meetings.

Some takeaways for promoting a cross-functional collaborative mindset and breaking down silos may include:

• a monthly “innovation hour” on a pre-shared theme (such as improving onboarding for new team members), bringing together leaders from several different departments
• C-suite “collaboration roundtables” where leaders discuss friction points between teams and shared opportunities
• inclusive communication protocols for meetings, where a designated facilitator ensures every participant is invited to contribute and dominance by one person is discouraged
• shadowing across departments, where team members are encouraged to see the pain points of other teams
• joint goal setting for overlapping initiatives (e.g. NPD and marketing may aim to generate 1,000 pre-launch signups for a new product)

3. Technology: Leverage robust team collaboration tools

Modern collaboration tools are essential to streamline communication across teams. These platforms have a range of features and capabilities—real-time messaging, file sharing, task management, and more—ensuring all team members are on the same page, regardless of their physical location.

In fact, using the right team collaboration software can reduce communication bottlenecks and increase performance by 20-30%.

The best PPM and project management solutions will integrate seamlessly with other systems across the organization, ensuring smooth workflows and alignment.

For example, integrating PPM and timesheet data with other technologies (and leveraging advanced AI-powered capabilities) can eliminate silos, reduce manual data entry, and ensure all teams are working from the same accurate, up-to-date information.

More examples of tool capabilities and features that reduce friction and promote seamless collaboration include:

• centralized knowledge bases with real-time, up-to-date project data—an authoritative “single source of truth” or “golden record” that eliminates data silos and improves data quality
• real-time document collaboration, making it possible to co-edit files simultaneously, leave comments, and track changes without version confusion
• project management dashboards, providing visibility into task ownership, deadlines, and dependencies
• integrated messaging platforms to centralize team communication, reduce email overload, and support topic-specific discussion
• automated notifications and reminders to surface due dates, changes, or mentions without the need for manual follow-up

Cross-team collaboration: Real-world examples and case studies

Schwarz Group is one of the largest retail groups in the world. Until 2021, the firm’s divisions were operating in silos, which made cross-functional collaboration nearly impossible. The company needed a single platform to standardize project management across divisions while allowing for flexibility within each unit. With Planisware, they managed to break down silos, setting themselves up for future success.

Global pharmaceutical leader Teva also successfully leveraged Planisware’s collaborative capabilities to streamline and improve its product lifecycle processes, drastically improving efficiency and business agility.

Of course, they aren’t the only ones. Head over to our customer stories for more examples of the benefits of strategic portfolio management tools for cross-functional collaboration.

Time to transform your team’s collaboration?

The benefits of team collaboration are undeniable for boosting project performance in any organization. However, collaborative strategies and tools may yield even further benefits in activities and industries where innovation is paramount, such as product delivery and pharma. 

Why not schedule a live demo to discover how Planisware can facilitate your journey to enhanced organizational collaboration?