Anonymous
I need to discuss a time when conflicts arose with the cross-functional security team due to a mistake on my part. The security process usually takes two to three months, depending on the project size. When starting a new project, we initiate a conversation with the security team. We present our high-level design, get approval, and then proceed with the low-level implementation. Once our APIs are implemented in pre-production, we work with the team to get them tested, which is the final step for security approval.
During the security review, we made an important decision that the security team had concerns about. Although I was able to convince them of the benefits of our decision, when we were later doing testing, they raised the same concern about duplicating data without a paper trail to support our prior agreement.
Realizing my mistake, I immediately scheduled a meeting, discussed the past trade-off points, and got the approval. To prevent similar issues in the future, I created a framework for working with cross-functional teams. This framework ensures that all agreements and sign-offs have a paper trail and email confirmation from the relevant stakeholders. I also began recording meetings and ensuring all important details are documented for clarity.
When working with the same cross-functional security team on my next project, I followed this framework. As a result, everything went smoothly, and the security manager appreciated the improved communication. Due to these improvements, we completed the entire project a day ahead of schedule. Thank you.
