Tiger Team Explained: What It Is and How It Helps with Critical Issues
“Houston, we have a problem” – astronaut Jim Lovel, 1970.
That’s when the Tiger team approach gained popularity – with the Apollo 13 mission.
When the astronaut started running out of air during the Apollo 13 mission, he and his team needed to be brought back to Earth and fast.
There are plenty of documentaries detailing their retrieval to Earth, but this article will teach you about the powerhouse behind that: the Tiger team.
Do you know how long your team needs to solve critical issues?
What is a Tiger team?
A Tiger team is a group of subject matter experts with diverse backgrounds that form a cross-functional team. The team’s sole purpose is to solve a particular problem that is critical and has a high degree of urgency.
This cross-functional team’s objective is to put together multiple perspectives to solve your complex issues quickly, efficiently, and with low risks.
Though the Tiger Team concept is mostly known for the Apollo 13 mission, it originated in the 70s in the United States Navy. What was initially a select technical team tasked with identifying vulnerabilities in security systems grew in popularity and has been adopted in various fields and businesses.
To this day, many companies build tiger teams, which consist of mature experts with the necessary skills to identify problems and fix each critical issue with innovative solutions. If you have the ability to build tiger teams in your organization, you’re privileged, as these types of cross-functional teams solve problems with agility and relieve your pressing issues.
When to build Tiger teams?
The simplest answer is: When confronted with critical and high-impact challenges that affect your organization’s security, business development, or even existence, assembling a Tiger team is mandatory.
In an organization or project context, a Tiger team is tasked with addressing critical and pivotal issues that may arise during a project’s course. As a group of experts, the Tiger team meticulously investigates to uncover the root cause of the issue. They then provide the organization with strategic direction, outlining possible solutions to solve your problem.
Otherwise, for routine and straightforward problems that have readily available solutions, there’s no necessity to invest in such a focused group.
You have two options when it comes to implementing a Tiger team approach:
Option A: Create a Tiger team by selecting team members dedicated solely to solving a specific problem. During the problem-solving period, their sole focus is on eliminating the problem. Once resolved, they can return to their regular tasks.
Option B: Select team members who will continue their regular tasks and work on resolving the problem. In this scenario, it’s essential to employ a prioritization technique to manage their workload effectively.
Who makes up a Tiger team?
The composition of a Tiger team is determined by the specific needs and circumstances of your company, stakeholders, and project managers.
The assembly of a Tiger team is based on factors like the nature of the problem, the required skill sets, the project scope, and the urgency to resolve it.
Usually, a Tiger team consists of a group of experts with senior-level experience. Tiger team members are drawn from different departments within the organization, including finance, marketing, IT, and design, to ensure different perspectives.
The key is selecting team members with the right skills and expertise tailored to solve the critical issue at hand. To celebrate successes, it’s essential to choose the most qualified experts with diverse skills, ensuring that the team is well-equipped to tackle the problem effectively.
The goal is to create a well-rounded team capable of achieving a high success rate in problem resolution.
Why forming a Tiger team is beneficial?
Joining or forming a Tiger team can be a game-changer for your project or organization. These dynamic squads, comprised of experts from various backgrounds, bring a host of advantages to the table, especially when it comes to tackling challenges head-on.
Yet, it’s important to note that Tiger teams aren’t a one-size-fits-all solution. They require adaptation to the unique needs of your situation.
However, while established procedures have their merits, introducing a Tiger team can introduce a fresh perspective and a range of unforeseen benefits.
Here’s a look at the benefits of a tiger team approach:
Proactive attitude: Forming a tiger team will guarantee that your problems will be addressed creatively, nimbly, and solved in no time with effective solutions. Tiger teams are formed from uninhibited technical specialists who excel at proactivity.
Improved collaboration: These cross-functional teams bring inter-departmental communication and collaboration to the next level, which will facilitate the identification of the best solutions to complex challenges.
Empowered decision-making: Tiger teams bring multiple perspectives to the table, which force innovative, creative solutions into your organization and can only bring you an edge and advantage compared to your competitors in the future.
Multifaceted perspectives: Tiger teams work to investigate problems from various angles, helping you gain insights into your critical problems.
Innovation catalyst: This team of specialists will ignite new ideas in service or product development, existing processes that need to be enhanced, and many others.
Future-ready insights: They provide valuable insights for future growth, strategically positioning the organization to address potential problems effectively.
Cost efficiency: Tiger teams streamline processes, optimize resource allocation, and creatively address the root cause of your problems, contributing to cost reduction.
Sales performance boost: This task force can indirectly lead to significant sales performance improvements driven by their innovative ideas.
How to create an effective Tiger team
Building an effective Tiger team may seem straightforward, but it involves specific guidelines essential for building a highly functional and efficient team.
Although the process can be challenging, the benefits, as highlighted earlier, make it well worth the effort. Here are the three key steps you need to follow:
Identify the problem
A Tiger team is designed to address a specific and critical issue within your project. The first step, and the most important thing, is to define clearly the exact problem you aim to resolve. It’s essential to establish the team’s scope and context.
The ideal approach involves creating a comprehensive briefing that outlines all the essential details to communicate to your Tiger team.
List skills and requirements
Once you’ve pinpointed the critical problem that requires attention, it’s time to take action. Having a clear understanding of the issue allows you to compile a precise list of the skills and expertise needed to solve it and avoid scope creep.
Ensuring you gather all the necessary elements with precision minimizes the margin for error when selecting the Tiger team members.
Select the right team
There is a short answer to the question of who should get into the special group: The best cross-functional experts in the company.
Building a Tiger team is akin to assembling a high-performing ensemble. You need the very best individuals for the job. After detailing the required skills and requirements, you can now focus on identifying the colleagues who best match these criteria.
Take the time to analyze each team member, conduct interviews if necessary, and handpick those who are indispensable for your Tiger team. This selective approach ensures that the team is optimized for the task at hand and maximizes the chance of success.
Read our post and get the best tips to improve your team communication
What to avoid while managing Tiger team members
Tiger teams are renowned for their unique benefits, offering the potential to ensure optimal project outcomes. However, despite their strengths, there remains a significant possibility of encountering challenges, whether originating from internal or external factors.
Fortunately, by being proactive and anticipating potential issues, you can mitigate these hurdles. Here, we present a selection of common mistakes to steer clear of when working with Tiger teams:
Lack of strategic planning
Without any planning, your Tiger team won’t be able to resolve the problem you’re having with your project.
Make sure there’s a clear step-by-step strategy to guide this team through the problem and the skill it needs to eliminate.
Incomplete problem briefing
Without a well-defined strategy, your Tiger team may struggle to address the project’s challenges effectively. Ensure there’s a clear, step-by-step plan in place, guiding the team’s actions and providing the necessary skills for problem resolution.
Distracted focus
After addressing the initial issue, it’s possible to veer off into unrelated discussions. To maintain effectiveness, it’s crucial to keep the team focused and committed to the ultimate goal.
Neglecting documentation
For every procedure a Tiger team gets involved in, it’s easy to forget the need to document everything. Throughout the journey to resolving the problem, they must leave documents and guides that could help other teams in the future. It could be a major help in handling different problems along the way.
Conclusion
In summary, Tiger teams are dynamic cross-functional groups of experts who excel at tackling critical issues within projects and organizations. They bring a proactive attitude, enhanced collaboration, and multifaceted perspectives, driving innovation and cost efficiency.
Building an effective team involves precise problem identification, skillset requirements, and the selection of top talent while avoiding pitfalls like a lack of strategic planning and neglect of documentation.
Incorporating this approach into your project toolkit is about more than just problem-solving. It’s a strategic move towards achieving success in the face of complex challenges and fostering a culture of innovation and growth.
FAQs
What’s the size of a Tiger team?
There’s no specific number to define a Tiger team. To be a great one, it needs to concentrate on the best selection of senior-level members with a high set of skills so that every area is covered.
Why is it called a Tiger team?
The term “tiger team” is derived from its origin in the military and gained prominence through NASA’s deployment of a tiger team during the Apollo 13 mission in 1970 to solve complex problems with exceptional speed and expertise. The cross-functional team of specialists won, in the end, a presidential medal for their success.
What is a Tiger team in Agile?
In Agile methodologies, a tiger team refers to a group of experts from different departments assembled to resolve critical issues or challenges fast and without delivering the most likely solution you might have already considered.