Virtual project teams 1

[roe]

I am focused on virtual project teams.
I would like to set the discussion about them.

What is the most troublesome about virtual project team regarding to their efficiency and effectively? What are their characteristics? What are the most important things for their implementing and functioning in a company

 

[Ashereng]

Can you define "virtual project teams" more fully?

 

[dbuzz]

A 'virtual' team is one that is spread across two or more locations, often in different time zones. For example:
- Project management and engineering based in east coast United States
- Some specialist engineering services based in west coast United States
- Drafting based in a low-cost centre like Malaysia or Philippines

In my opinion the greatest challenge for these teams is communication (basic communications, sharing and exchange of information, control of change, etc.) To be successful these teams will usually require:
- High level of front-end loading in the preceeding project phase
- Project manager with excellent communication skills
- Strong team leaders in each location
- Robust project procedures
- Disciplined team members (adherence to procedures)
- Excellent IT systems and support (i.e. videoconferencing, project web page, virtual meeting spaces, etc)
- Regular face-to-face meetings between key personnel

 

[PSE]

The project manager will not be the only one in need of excellent communication skills, all team members will. Communication time delay will need to be considered as part of the project schedule. It won't be too bad between east and west coast but beyond that, the teams may need to be prepared to work "odd" hours so that they can have direct communication overlap periods. Otherwise, ask a question to the Phillipines and it will be a couple of days before you may get an answer back.

The unexpected (which will happen) can be bad enough on a localized project. It can be disastrous on a globalized one. Anything from a "simple" mismatch in software revisions to an outbreak of bird flu or SARS causing quarantines.

Regards,

 

[Ashereng]

Thank you for the clarification.

A virtual team will have the same issues as a "normal" team. The problems just get magnified.

Instead of cultural differences between Tennessee and Alabama, you now have cultural differences between US and Malaysia, as an example.

One thing you did not mention, and I think is very important, is a very clear definition of what the project deliverables are. How will the project deliverables be measured, and how it will be demonstrated/proven as completed.



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[ProEDesigner00]

Roe

Very interesting question! As pointed out to this point, time can be a problem but it is managable. In dealing with people from India they didnt mind working the off shifts to accomadate us. The communication issues were huge, understanding dialect, assumption of cliche's we have in discribing details was a huge problem even though they were doing our detailing work. India's ability to provide skilled software users that could revise the drawings and models to what was expected in the company standards was a huge problem. Our people in the end redid 25-40% of the detailing work due to nonconformance. In the end we did not save any money on that aspect. In summary the ability to understand basic english, and having the experience in the system of "the companies way of doing things" was the problem.

Working over a distance with groups located on both coasts and in England was not bad. Again time frame was an issue, but we took turns in who was coming in to the off shifts to accomadate the others. Schedualing and prioritising the tasks at hand drove this issue as well.

The ability to have information systems in place (Hardware) that is efficient to use and run. Having the IT people in place that can service problems on the spot and to be sure things were in working order before a schedualed conference was to take place.

I would like an email sent out with a summary of your findings that this thread produces.

Norb
Norb_G@hotmail.com

 

[ProEDesigner00]

Also giving adequat permissions in your data mangement system is crucial as well. Thats an IT aspect

 

[dbuzz]

Ashereng, there are culturation differenace between Tennessee and Alabama?

 

[Ashereng]

Absolutely. Who is the better football coach? Majors or Bryant. Orange or Crimson? That can start a civil arguement that'll last an afternoon. ;-)



"Do not worry about your problems with mathematics, I assure you mine are far greater." Albert Einstein


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[AGTB]

Well, speaking from experience, I am managing an Energy Compensation Project in Mexico City with colleagues in Germany (for Control and Protection, as well as PM and Procurement) and in Colombia (exclusively for Civil Engineering).

What I found to be the biggest problem so far is that my German colleagues are not used to the level of bureaucracy needed in a Project for the Mexican Federal Government, which has led to a number of misunderstandings and even some tension between the German PM and I when it comes to delivering documentation according to the client's very specific needs (Our client is the Federal Comission of Electricity). Also, receiving the Engineering documentation from Colombia has been a real hassle; even though the colombian contractor charged less than half of what any mexican contractor would have charged (and less than a tenth compared to the germans), the quality standards turned out to be quite low, and the long delivery times have caused us a lot of trouble with the client.

My opinion is that in order to have a "virtual team" working on a project, the entire team needs to standarize the processes of engineering, procurement and construction (especially if both teams work for the same company), as well as the quality procedures in order to avoid misunderstandings like the ones I've had. Also, and this is what I consider the most important thing given a situation like mine, all the parties involved need to be aware of the condition of the client, its needs and its own fashion of getting things done regardless of the cultural differences and time zone. After all, the client pays our bills, right?

An advantage thanks to the difference in time zones in this case could be that if the entire team gets organized, the people from Europe can get the day started and have all the information needed for the day at say 4:00 pm, when the american team starts its day and takes over. This way the entire team extends its work day to 16 hours as opposed to 8. On the other hand, if the team is not well organized, the american team will have to re-do the work delivered by their european counterparts (or vice-versa) and end up paying more than double for the same amount of work done.

Well, I hope this helps. I have so many extra issues I'd like to post about virtual teams but I consider these the most critical to start with.

Cheers!