T-shaped Cross-functional Team

A high-performance agile team is characterized by its cross-functional nature, meaning it possesses all the necessary competencies to successfully accomplish the work.

Furthermore, while team members excel in specialized areas with deep skills, they are also encouraged to have a broader understanding, albeit not necessarily at the same depth, in other domains.

This depth of proficiency in specific skills represents the vertical aspect of the T, while the breadth of knowledge in other areas constitutes the horizontal aspect.

The concept behind this approach is that if you combine all the T-shaped skillsets within the team, you achieve comprehensive coverage of all essential competencies. This can be visualized and managed by creating a team skills fingerprint.

By forming a T-shaped cross-functional team, it becomes better equipped to embrace story flight crews and swarming behaviors.

The combination of specialized expertise and complementary breadth empowers the team to efficiently tackle various challenges and tasks.