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Any thoughts on how to write an effective, measurable annual goal to encourage cross-functional team collaboration? Specifically, I manage the software quality assurance function and hope to encourage collaboration with development, business analysts and product owners.
Work and reporting on work - Goal is "to report" ....
Contemplation,
On the Podcast about weekly meetings there is a suggestions that one of the things each team member should report on weekly is Collaborations.
This can also be done in O3's.
Perhaps you could write the goal thus :
Direct will verbally report cross-function team collaboration (briefly describing the nature of that collaboration) at 100% (or 90%) of weekly meetings within 6 months.
First you must explain the need and expectation of collaboration.
Then make the "reporting" the goal.
The weekly meeting report from the Direct would sound like this :
"Well, twice last week I spoke with John in the firmware testing department about our recent upgrades."
or
"Last week I had lunch with the folks in Research Division. It was mostly social."
Anything, that shows that the Direct is thinking about collaboration and building his network with the folks on the other team.
It doesn't have to be complicated or grand. Just Measurable and Time based.
The Direct can't report on it - unless he thinks about it, and does it.
* This has the added effect - that during a dept weekly meeting all of your directs will see how important collaboration is to you.
They will see that there is an expectation to report about it and keep it ever-present in their minds.
So, the assignment Goal in this case is to Report about it at Weekly meetings.
TJPuccio