Remote management of project teams is not only possible but it is fast becoming a norm for multi-national organizations in this digitalized world. For the past five to six years I have successfully managed technology projects with globally dispersed team for various clients with team members in many different time zones and with multiple cultures to accommodate. Mindset and effective use of technology is the key to successful management of these projects. With these types of projects the PM is the proverbial center piece who needs to make time to individually understand the needs, both on a cultural and technology basis, for each team member. While requirements and scope are key to any successful project these become critical with global teams especially when team members are not dedicated to a single project.
For remote project management to work the PM needs to draw out silent team members. How this is accomplished will vary depending on the team dynamics. As a US Midwesterner with a deep baritone voice I seem to have an accent that is not easily understood by all team members. Hence I will use both voice and text during meetings. Critical issues need to be in writing before discussions so all can have a chance to discuss locally and understand the facts before discussion with the entire team. In the sense of what a communications plan is for – that is determine communications methods/frequency for the project’s various stakeholders I would say no it is not. What are key are communications channels and methodology tailored to the various project teams member’s needs. This does not say the communication plan is not important but how communication is facilitated especially in live meetings is critical.
A few key points I always cover:
- Communication plan must lend itself to the needs of the remote team members. Especially in regards to time of day. Some regular meetings might be rotated depending on the team’s preference. Above all else holding regular calls is critical to keep all team members synced with project progress and issues.
- Communication medium / methods need to be reviewed and adjusted to accommodate all members. This will include but is not limited to voice, live document sharing, central document storage, and chat rooms, live video, formal and ad-hoc reports. The project base language must also be considered but from my experience when accommodating three plus languages, English will be the standard.
- Project schedule deliverables takes more thought if the team is working around the world and sub-teams are dependent on other sub-teams. For instance having a team in India idle on a Tuesday because they are waiting for a predecessor from a sub-team in San Francisco scheduled to deliver on a Monday is not good for project efficiency.
- Project calendar is critical when working with remote dispersed teams. Understanding the availability of all team members and utilizing member specific calendars is critical for task scheduling.