What are some tried and true strategies to drive alignment cross-functionally for a remote team?

Zapier has always been a remote workplace, so I appreciate how intentional teams are about building culture, relationships and trust. Some of the strategies I’ve found most successful in maintaining cross-functional alignment:

1. Call out misalignment promptly: it’s important to be vocal when you notice folks aren’t on the same page. In RevOps, we are sometimes the first to notice this because we have line of sight across multiple functions.

2. Open communication: We use shared channels like slack and google docs versus keeping correspondence private. This brings greater visibility and allows others to follow along.

3. Regular check-ins and cross-functional meetings to review priorities and goals. We have regular Sales, Marketing and RevOps syncs as well as check-ins for specific projects or initiatives.

4. Shared goals: Our RevOps team aligns to metrics that ladder up into the Demand Generation and Sales goals (e.g. increase qualified opportunities).  

5. Operating model: Our RevOps team has an intake process for new projects as well as project phases that include: Strategy phase, defining roles, scoping stage, feedback stage and execution. This has admittedly been tricky to get right – we’re often revising the best ways to stay aligned from strategic ideation to execution.

6. Share / publish your team’s top priorities: This has helped us make sure our cross-functional stakeholders are aware of what we’re working on and how they can support or collaborate with us.

7. Iterative processes: We try to keep our solutions flexible so we can iterate and improve based on feedback from Sales, Marketing, Customer Success and Customers.

• Agree on the in-scope and out-of-scope elements for the project with the key stakeholders.

• Set clear responsibilities and timelines for in-scope project outcomes.

• Identify dependencies so the team knows how adjustments to timeline impact the project as a whole.

• Set up a regular communication cadence related to the project (ie weekly updates) to ensure that deadlines are met and expectations are managed.

• Hold the team accountable for communicating and completing their areas of responsibility. Stuff happens; the only time it’s a problem is when the team doesn’t know about it to plan around it.

Remote and hybrid work environments have changed how we would typically engage with different teams. Driving alignment cross-functionally while remote requires intentional effort and strategies to make sure teams can work cohesively. Couple strategies include:

• Establish clear goals and expectations: Define shared goals, expectations for how cross functional partners can work together. Schedule check-ins to make sure teammates understand how their goals contribute to the overall success of the team

• Promote knowledge sharing & collaboration: Create opportunities for workshops, lunch & learns and cross functional brainstorming sessions. Remote work doesn't mean we have to minimize relationship building and "water cooler" moments. Establish platforms for team members to share best practices, and relevant insights on a regular basis.

• Establish communication channels: Utilize various communication tools to ensure timely communication among team members. Create transparent information sharing loops to keep everyone consistently aligned and informed.