Guide to Building Cross-Functional Collaboration In Software Engineering

Interview with Ritendra Datta, Director of Engineering at Meta. He gives valuable advice on improving cross-functional collaboration by holding empathy sessions and scaling cross-functional teams mindfully. Sign up to the Level-up Engineering newsletter!In this interview we're covering:Different cross-functional rolesCross-functional collaboration in practiceTips to improve cross-functional collaborationEncouraging respect among cross-functional partners Cross-functional empathy sessionsCommon mistakes during cross-functional collaborationScaling cross-functional teamsInvolving management in growing cross-functional teamsHiring leaders for scalingExcerpt from the interview:"We have cross-functional empathy sessions, where people get together for 4 hours and represent all cross functions. The key tech lead, an IC, a manager, a product manager, a data scientist and a UX researcher will meet somewhere outside of the office, and spend the day talking to each other.They could discuss what they do on a daily basis, and what’s frustrating about it. The representatives of each function gain a better understanding of the different positions, and why the work of each function is valuable and challenging in its own way. Every time we have these cross-functional empathy sessions, everyone goes home humbled by what others are doing and the struggles they’re facing. They realize that everyone is working hard. They often describe it as “an eye-opening experience.” "Click here to read the full interview!