CHEETAH TEAMS

What is a Cheetah Team?

A cheetah team is
a small, elite unit,
separate from the product development team,
can be mobilized quickly to solve an expected problem

Features of the team

Research shows:
Always ad-hoc
Initiated to solve a specific mission
Resources are borrowed from current team
Dissolved as soon as mission is completed

Example
You have a product team comprising the best of

engineers and marketers launching a new product

They have all the resources and authority
Yet there arises a complicated technical problem!!
The distraction and complexity sets in
The project is in jeopardy!!
You may not only end up compromising the timeline but
also may lose the customer-base as well as market share!
What do you do?
Its time to form a Cheetah Team!!

Swedish Telecom continued

The project team had almost completed a project involving

development of hardware equipment with final product testing

underway
Manufacturing had already been lined up to start right after
testing
First Delivery to be shipped in 3 months
ONE TEST FAILED!
Senior Management formed a Cheetah team with the
assigned task of identifying the source of problem and solving
it ASAP!
Meanwhile the project team continued to run parallel test
activities, completing product documentation and preparing
for manufacturing

Swedish Telecom continued

While forming the Cheetah Team preference was given to

the people who were willing to put in utmost effort!

Initially team comprised of 15 people led by a manger
who was known for technical competence, objectivity and
coordination abilities
The team identified the problem and proposed a solution.
At that point the team was reduced to 5 people to
implement the solution
In 8 weeks the problem was resolved, the team dismissed
and customer delivery commitments were met!

What Makes Cheetah Team

Successful?
It is always ad hoc with focused goals
It is initiated to solve a specific mission
It is dissolved as soon as that mission is completed
Its members are committed full-time
It is sponsored by top management

Key Challenges with Cheetah

Teams
They often sidestep organizational procedures
Can create problems if used indiscriminately
Critical Resources become unavailable
Possible delay in Parallel Projects

Key Benefits of Cheetah Teams

Fast and effective problem solving
Avoid costly delays
Customer Satisfaction
Keep Employee Morale High
Rest of the project team can continue with scheduled

project work