Handle two teams duplicating work

A strong answer should show collaboration, ownership, and good judgment. ## Good structure for the answer ### 1. Verify the situation first I would first confirm whether the work is truly duplicated or whether the two teams are solving related but different parts of the problem. I would gather facts about: - goals and scope - timelines - stakeholders - dependencies - why each team started the work ### 2. Talk to the relevant people early I would speak with the leads or managers of both teams to understand the context, not to assign blame. My goal would be to surface overlap quickly and prevent wasted effort. ### 3. Align on the best path forward Once I understand the overlap, I would help drive a decision such as: - consolidate the work under one team - split responsibilities clearly if both teams should stay involved - merge the best parts of both approaches I would focus on what is best for the company: minimizing duplicated effort, reducing confusion, and keeping delivery on track. ### 4. Document ownership and next steps After alignment, I would make sure there is a clear written decision: - who owns what - what the timeline is - how handoff or collaboration will work - what stakeholders need to know This prevents the same confusion from happening again. ### 5. Escalate only if needed If the teams cannot align or there is significant organizational risk, I would escalate to the appropriate manager or leadership with a clear summary of options and trade-offs, rather than just reporting a problem. ### 6. Prevent recurrence I would also look for process improvements, such as: - better roadmap sharing - clearer ownership definitions - design reviews across teams - regular cross-team planning meetings ## Example concise answer "First, I would verify whether the two teams are actually duplicating work or just working on adjacent pieces. Then I would talk with both teams' leads to understand scope, timeline, and goals. If there is real overlap, I would help align everyone on a single plan—either consolidating the work, dividing ownership clearly, or merging the strongest parts of each approach. I would document the decision and communicate it to stakeholders so there is no ambiguity. If needed, I would escalate with recommended options, not just the problem. Finally, I would suggest a process change so the overlap does not happen again."