# Collaboration

> Cross-functional work.

Canonical: https://learn.significanthobbies.com/curriculum/concepts/teamwork-and-collaboration

Cross-functional work.

- Difficulty: intro
- Tracks: Behavioral & Communication, Behavioral & Communication

## Mental model

Collaboration means making the other person's job easier than they were expecting. Most cross-team friction is really unclear ownership and unspoken expectations — fix those before worrying about chemistry.



## Primary sources

- [Teamwork (Wikipedia)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teamwork) (doc)
- [STAR interview method (Wikipedia)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Situation,_task,_action,_result) (doc)

## Practice

### STAR: cross-team collab

Write a STAR about a project that needed another team’s buy-in. Show how you got it without escalation.

**Expected evidence:** starStory() returns { situation, task, action, result, metric: { name, unit, before, after }, alignmentSteps (array of 3+ distinct steps) }. The checker enforces structure only: four distinct sections of 20+ words, action the longest, 150+ words total, before ≠ after, and the result section must name the metric and state its after value. Aim for 250-350 words — that is the interview bar, not the checker’s.

## Review prompts

- Cross-team friction gets blamed on personalities. What is usually the real cause, and what is the concrete fix?


## Prerequisites

- None assigned.

## Related concepts

- None assigned.

## Learning paths

- [Behavioral Practice](https://learn.significanthobbies.com/curriculum/roadmaps/behavioral-practice)