Remote Team Management – Notes from PMI Presentations

“The future will be filled with virtual offices, as work becomes a thing you do, not a
place you go to. People will become untethered from both the traditional corporate
office and the requirement of a set daily schedule.”
Yeah, you’ve heard the predictions before, but what you are starting to realize is that
Project Management as a discipline is already undergoing drastic changes as parts of
this prediction becomes real.
Several scenarios are becoming all too commonplace in today’s IT industry – all of
which challenge you to manage projects with teams that are geographically
dispersed, sometimes even across numerous time zones. Many times, basic
profitability goals and the requirement to quickly form, norm and deliver are
promoting the emergence of projects with dispersed teams. Today’s typical project
scenarios often involve interactions with:

• Offshore or offsite development teams
• Satellite business offices
• Independent developers working from home
• Development partners at other companies
• Remote clients
• Road warriors
• Teams working from virtual offices

The current IT market’s focus on profitability and agility are promoting the use of
remote teams. Our country’s current safety concerns are also making several
companies rethink their use of corporate air travel budgets.
As a Project Manager, you are tasked to deliver quality results on time and within
budget. Delivery entails bringing the best of out each team member. But, as any
Project Manager knows, it is difficult enough to keep your teams motivated, engaged
and challenged when they work outside your office, let alone when they are working
in different buildings, different cities or even different time zones.
So how does a Project Manager cope with this new environment filled with
geographically dispersed teams?
Despite communications in English, there all different shades and accents not to mention the basic measurement systems from each respective area that bring a whole level of complexity that must be clarified for truly effective engagement from the teams and leaders.