Know your Roots – Team Building

Development teams rely on dynamic collaboration. Communication ability and work expertise vary across people, even teams that have been together for a long time. Winston W. Royce's 1970 paper "Managing the Development of Large Software Systems" examines agile concepts, product ownership, and the software development lifecycle. As a third part of exploring roots, we will explore team dynamics.

Design

One of Royce’s core principles is creating early design requirements. He noted:

“All the analysts and all the program designers contribute to a meaningful design process which culminates in the correct allocation of time and resources.”

Software development teams need requirements, and rather than having analysts define and pass them to developers, Royce argued project planning should involve design early for better project performance. Early collaboration ensures that:

•                              Technical feasibility is considered alongside business needs.

•                              Risks and constraints are identified before development begins.

•                              Solutions leverage the diverse expertise of the entire team.

By integrating design from the beginning, teams create a solid foundation for functional and sustainable software.

Cross-Functioning Teams

Teamwork is essential in modern software development, mirroring Royce’s vision of integrated teamwork. These teams consist of designers, analysts, developers, testers, and product owners working together toward a common goal. Ideally, they have all the necessary skills to do the work, but reality shows there are always opportunities to build and expand skillsets. No single team member will know how to do everything. However, the team's collective expertise results in:

•            Better problem-solving as different perspectives lead to creative solutions.

•            Faster iteration cycles as teams test and tweak code frequently.

•            Increased accountability because of shared responsibility and commitment to project success.

Rather than siloing responsibilities, cross-functional collaboration fosters ownership and innovation. The team shares experience, research, and recommendations to build solutions and deliverables. Without collaboration, they will create disjointed and less-than-satisfactory solutions. Creativity thrives when individuals collaborate and communicate. High-performing teams challenge assumptions, refine requirements, and develop more user-focused products throughout the project lifecycle.

Iterative Feedback

Recognizing design flaws early in development is a key takeaway from Royce’s work. “If the total resources to be applied are insufficient or … operational design is wrong, it will be recognized at this earlier stage, and the iteration with requirements and preliminary design can be redone before final design, coding, and test commence.”

Continuous feedback and incremental development allow teams to detect issues early, make necessary adjustments when they are needed, and ensure alignment with stakeholder expectations.

TLDR:

Successful enterprises rely on their teams to get things done. Yet, teams operate at different levels of maturity, and that maturity determines how effectively they can innovate, solve problems, and drive meaningful growth. The most successful organizations cultivate a culture of collaboration, trust, and accountability—where teamwork is encouraged and embedded in the foundation of how work gets done.

Building high-performing teams takes more than individual talent; it demands a shared commitment to excellence. Meaningful communication, problem-solving, and mutual respect create team cultures where challenges become opportunities and innovation thrives. Teams working together with integrity and purpose develop a culture of trust and empower individuals to take ownership, contribute boldly, and drive the organization forward.

Great teams don’t just execute strategies—they shape the future.

Hylaine’s Delivery Services Consultants are highly skilled and experienced in project management disciplines and can drive your project, program, portfolio, or change to fruition. They collaboratively approach team building and communication to foster environments where the team can find their voice and power and see initiatives through from start to finish. Hyaline consultants help organizations navigate complex projects, drive meaningful change, and build successful initiatives by focusing on teamwork and strong leadership.

By Ryan Fish, Principal Consultant- Delivery Services