Years ago if you were not in the room, you were not part of the team. It was that simple. That concept of how a project team was formed and run has virtually gone out the window. Virtual project teams are a fact of life in business today based on a variety of reasons such as costs, organizational structure, skill sets, and time to market.
Virtual project teams are the quintessential example of a matrix and cross-functional team. As a result, risks around geography, culture, communication, and organizational structure present themselves in ways that haven’t done so in the past. In addition, there is a higher probability with virtual teams for misunderstanding and conflict that hinder their ability to produce and deliver a successful project.
It is bad enough that majority of project and initiatives fail to meet their original success criteria, but when you add the additional risks and burdens related to a virtual project it seems doomed to certain failure. Given the critical importance that virtual projects and initiatives have for an organization, how can you avoid failing?
The success of a virtual project team depends highly on five critical steps. These steps, if in place and executed successfully, will dramatically improve the productivity and overall success rate for any virtual project.
They are:
Structure
Communication
Leadership
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Trust
Motivation
