One of the most common challenges we see inside companies—no matter the size or industry—is simple: departments don’t talk to each other.

Everyone’s focused on their own sprint, their own priorities, their own metrics. That focus matters—but it often comes at the cost of cross-functional awareness.

As consultants, we’ve learned that trust outside your immediate team isn’t automatic—it’s earned. But even when that trust exists, messages still go unanswered until they become urgent. And when the fire finally reaches another track of work, the answer is often sitting in an old email or Slack thread.

This isn’t about blame. It’s about how we work.

Less siloed execution.

More curiosity about adjacent efforts.

A willingness to pause and ask, “Who else should know about this?”

Sometimes the solution isn’t more process—it’s more conversation.