By now, you’ll probably know that a great multidisciplinary team is the key to deliver better stuff in a shorter amount of time. There are lots of resources stating that you should create multidisciplinary teams, but how to go from there? A couple of thoughts:

• Make sure the team is autonomous. This principle can only work if the team is self-sufficient. The easiest way to get faster is by eliminating waiting. If everyone you need is around, there will be less waiting. As soon as you spot these external dependencies, try to eliminate or get those dependencies on board as well. Over time, new dependencies may appear.
• Mix levels of knowledge. Fairly new and junior team members will bring completely new insights to the table, where senior guys will roll in the stability and knowledge.
• Work on trust. Create a culture of talking and understanding. In a great team, everyone is open to dismiss their own ideas to try the idea of someone else.
• Don’t single out someone. If the team succeeds, it is because of the team. If the team fails, it is because of the team.

IBM recently published their Design Thinking project, it inspired me to write this post.