Transforming the way people learn

10 Tips for Managing your Virtual Team

Virtual teams give access to global talent and bring time and cost savings but how do you
manage them?
1. Plan and standardise
Adopt a disciplined approach using a well-tried project management methodology such as PRINCE2.
2. Technology
Telephone, fax, email, video conferencing, forum, chat rooms, blog, remote access, networked database - all are
amongst the plethora of physical and virtual project management tools at your disposal.
3. People management
Adopt creative staff selection methods, such as video interviews, to cross geographical boundaries. Transcend
time and distance and instil team spirit using softskills and team building with a virtual kick-off meeting, team
biographies and similar techniques.
4. Goals, reporting, roles and responsibilities
Include in this category the establishment of a chain of command, expectations and the scheduling of things such
as hand-off times.
5. Visibility
Embed and make visible project elements such as goals, tasks and individual - as well as project - progress on your
chosen virtual project management system, to boost mutual trust and understanding and to call on the problem
solving abilities of the whole team if necessary.
6. Individual and team development
Facilitate staff coaching on soft-skills such as leadership, as featured in APMP training and on software
application skills. Ongoing feedback should include reward, recognition (through name checks for instance) and
constructive criticism.
7. Cultural differences
When working with - or for - people from other countries, recognise that culture differences go beyond clothing or
language and that attitudes and behaviour in one culture might perplex another.
8. Communication style
Accommodate the different ways people communicate: written, oral, formal, informal and the like, but remember
that communication is as much non-verbal as verbal, so also encourage collaboration through virtual face-to-face
meetings.
9. Planning for virtual communication:
Devise security procedures and guidelines for communication and share with members and interested
parties, such as stakeholders
Build virtual in- and out-trays for questions, shared resources, and so forth
Before a virtual meeting, allocate adequate time and then post a deadline for responses on subjects
under consideration

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Fix frequent meeting times say, for brainstorming or problem solving for an optimum number of
people to communicate simultaneously and arrange for others views to be logged on the system
Agree and offer a range of communication tools that include everything from phones to vlogs, to use in
different situations
Allow time for humans to think and interact
Arrange meetings that accommodate peoples communication method of choice (visual, verbal, written
and so on); where several occur simultaneously, perhaps choose one person to lead and one person to
manage the content of each meeting
Recognise the advantages and disadvantages of synchronous and asynchronous communication in terms
of technology and the attending humans.

10. Desired deliverables of communication software

These include the ability to manage the project, facilitate vlogs, forums blogs, and techniques that allow private
communication.
NB: For an uplifting example of virtual team management click on this link to read about Eric Whiteacres project.
PRINCE2 is a registered trademark of the Cabinet Office.

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