Speaking the Same Language: How Cities Build Cross-Department Collaboration

One of the biggest hurdles in managing multi-departmental city projects is that different departments often speak different "languages." Public works might refer to timelines in terms of construction phases, while finance talks in fiscal quarters, and IT thinks in terms of sprints or rollouts. To keep everyone aligned, leadership should invest time early in the project to establish a shared vocabulary. This doesn't mean standardizing every term but rather agreeing on what key terms mean for the purpose of the project. A shared glossary or a simple onboarding guide specific to the project can go a long way in clearing up confusion before it starts.

For example, the City of Portland, Oregon, created a cross-departmental project glossary during their Smart City PDX initiative, which helped various teams align on data governance, privacy, and technology goals. This simple tool helped reduce redundant meetings and ensured that documents and updates were easier for all departments to digest and act upon¹. Creating a shared language also encourages trust between departments, which is often more important than just technical alignment.

Embedding Communication Routines into Project Management

Consistency in communication is just as important as clarity. One effective strategy is to embed communication routines into the project schedule itself. This could include weekly cross-departmental stand-up meetings, monthly milestone reviews, or bi-monthly steering committee check-ins. The City of Boston’s Public Works Department, during their Complete Streets initiative, used structured weekly updates shared via a central dashboard, which significantly improved coordination among transportation, utilities, and community engagement teams².

Establishing these routines helps ensure that updates are not dependent on one department reaching out to another reactively. Instead, it creates a rhythm where all departments expect to touch base and share progress or concerns. To make these meetings productive, keep them short, use a consistent agenda, and rotate facilitation responsibilities so everyone remains involved. This also helps reinforce that the project is a collective responsibility, not the domain of a single lead department.

Using Tools that Encourage Cross-Team Visibility

Technology can be your ally, but only if it's used in a way that promotes visibility without overwhelming staff. Project management platforms like Asana, Trello, or Microsoft Planner are useful, but even shared Google Sheets or simple dashboards can be effective if they're well-structured. The key is to ensure that all departments have access to the same information and that updates are made in real time or on a predictable schedule.

For example, in San Diego's stormwater infrastructure improvements, departments used a shared tracking sheet with color-coded status updates and clear ownership fields. This allowed environmental services, engineering, and planning teams to stay on the same page without needing constant email updates³. By encouraging asynchronous updates through shared tools, project leads can reduce unnecessary meetings while still maintaining transparency.

Bringing Latecomer Departments into Alignment

Occasionally, a department is brought into a project after it has already begun. This can create friction, especially if that department feels out of the loop or resistant to changes already underway. When this happens, the best approach is to hold a dedicated onboarding session with that department's leadership and key staff. Walk them through the project’s goals, decision history, key timelines, and how their role fits into the larger picture. Allow space for them to ask questions and voice concerns.

In one example from the City of Minneapolis, the IT department was brought into a citywide zoning reform project several months after the planning and legal teams had started. Through a facilitated “catch-up workshop,” IT was able to understand the technical needs and timelines, while offering solutions the other teams hadn’t considered. The key was providing a forum for mutual understanding rather than simply handing over a list of tasks⁴. Taking the time to properly integrate a new department may delay things slightly in the short term, but it prevents larger disruptions down the line.

Fostering a Culture of Shared Accountability

Leadership perspective plays a critical role in setting the tone for collaboration. One effective mindset is to treat each participating department not as a silo with a separate mandate, but as part of a unified team with shared accountability. Leaders can model this by recognizing cross-department contributions in public updates or team meetings, and by rotating leadership roles for certain project components so that no single department feels sidelined.

Shared accountability also means shared credit. During a citywide broadband expansion project in Chattanooga, Tennessee, leaders made a point of highlighting the contributions of every department involved in public-facing communications, from permitting and engineering to communications and finance. This not only boosted morale but deepened the sense of collective ownership⁵. When staff see that their work is part of a bigger, celebrated effort, they are more likely to stay engaged and collaborative.

Actionable Tips for Better Cross-Department Communication

To wrap up, here are some practical steps you can apply right away to improve communication and collaboration across city departments:

• Start each major project with a shared language workshop to define key terms.

• Build communication routines into the project timeline - don’t leave it to chance.

• Use shared tools that promote visibility and reduce redundant updates.

• Onboard late-joining departments with a structured, respectful catch-up process.

• Celebrate contributions from all departments to build shared accountability.

By focusing on these core strategies, city leaders can break down silos, streamline communication, and deliver results that reflect the collaborative strength of their teams.

Bibliography

1. City of Portland. “Smart City PDX: Privacy and Information Protection Principles.” Office of Management and Finance, 2019. https://www.portland.gov/smart-city-pdx.

2. City of Boston. “Complete Streets: Design Guidelines.” Boston Transportation Department, 2018. https://www.boston.gov/departments/transportation/complete-streets.

3. City of San Diego. “Stormwater Infrastructure Project Reports.” Department of Stormwater, 2020. https://www.sandiego.gov/stormwater.

4. City of Minneapolis. “Zoning Reform Technical Integration Summary.” Department of Community Planning and Economic Development, 2021. https://www2.minneapolismn.gov/government/departments/cped/.

5. EPB Fiber Optics. “Chattanooga Gig: The First Citywide Gigabit Network.” 2020. https://epb.com/about-epb/epb-fiber-optics/.