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