Run cross functional review

Run Cross-Functional Review

Purpose

Help teams design and run cross-functional reviews that produce genuine alignment, surface concerns early, and create shared accountability — rather than performative sign-off meetings.

Skill type

Conceptual skill

Use this skill when

• A product decision requires input from engineering, design, marketing, CS, sales, or legal
• Cross-functional reviews are producing misalignment despite formal sign-off
• A review process needs to be standardized for repeatable use
• A specific initiative needs a structured alignment checkpoint

Do not use this skill when

• The goal is executive communication (use build-executive-narrative)
• The goal is stakeholder management strategy (use map-stakeholder-influence)

Required inputs

• Initiative or decision being reviewed
• Functions that need to be involved

Optional inputs

• Current review process and pain points
• Decision timeline
• Prior cross-functional conflict points

Upstream context

Works best when:

• Decision or initiative is clearly defined
• Stakeholders are mapped

Downstream handoff

Output can feed:

• communicate-decisions-tradeoffs (review outputs → decision communication)
• plan-delivery-collaboration (cross-functional input feeds delivery plan)

Instructions

1. Define what is being reviewed and what decision needs to be made.
2. Identify who must participate (decision-makers), who should contribute (advisors), and who needs to be informed (observers).
3. Design the pre-read: what context must reviewers have before the session?
4. Structure the review session: context → discussion → decisions → action items.
5. Define how concerns or blockers are escalated if not resolved in the session.
6. Document outputs: decisions made, concerns noted, action items with owners.

Output

Provide:

• Review scope and decision to be made
• Participant list with roles (decide / advise / inform)
• Pre-read structure and content
• Session agenda and facilitation guide
• Decision documentation template
• Concern and blocker escalation path
• Action item format with owners

Risks / caveats

• Reviews without pre-reads produce uninformed input — pre-reads are mandatory
• "Everyone's aligned" after a review where no one raised concerns often means no one was engaged
• Action items without owners and dates are not action items