As lead designer at the IT company ti&m AG, the author uses the present work to optimize the collaboration of interdisciplinary and geographically distributed teams in IT projects. By means of research, survey, comparative analysis and workshops, he first identifies two important dimensions of success for IT projects: the communication culture and the coordination culture. To test and optimize these dimensions in actual projects, he chooses tools such as the team alignment map, a checklist for emphatic communication, and an interview guide. The result: The application of these tools helps to reduce the complexity of projects, to establish a constructive communication culture and, as it were, to contribute to the transformation of the technology-oriented company into a customer-centric service provider.