Virtual team management is unlike anything else. Virtual teams are difficult to manage. Only a few people have the ability to manage them and ensure quality work within deadlines. If you are a diligent Project Manager, you will need to focus on key areas to manage your virtual project team.
These are Communication, Productivity and Culture. You must streamline your communication as a project manager to increase productivity. All of these will create a culture within the team. These are some helpful project management tips that you can use to connect effectively with your virtual team members.
Communication
1) Avoid Using Emails
Yes, you read it correctly! Although email is preferred by most organizations as a secure method of communication, it can sometimes be less effective, especially if you’re managing a virtual team. Virtual teams allow team members to be distributed around the globe. This scenario means that not all members of your virtual team are logged in to their email accounts or reading their emails at the same time. It is a bad idea to send business messages via email. Imagine that you expect an immediate response from your recipients, and they might be far away from your emails. Emails can become ineffective and unprofessional communication in these situations, so they should be avoided.
2) Instead, use group chats
You can also use tools like Trello, Asana, and Basecamp to stay connected from any location, at any time. Group chats via Whatsapp or Skype allow you to communicate in real-time and keep things going. All you have to do is ping the group. Video chats allow for more interaction and interactivity. Video chats allow you to see each other, discuss your projects, and come up with the best solution for your work.
3) Use the ‘AoTime Zone Friendly’ Tools
It might be the middle of the night for others if you are involved in important work. This requires a plan of work that is strategic, especially for projects that involve the entire team. Project management software can help you address these concerns. It allows you to eliminate time differences and communicate effectively among the team.
Productivity
1) Establish Systematic Task Assignment
You must assign tasks to members of a virtual team. You can make this task easier by creating a system for assigning tasks to members. Google docs can be used to list the tasks and assign members to them. This will allow you to create a consolidated list that includes all ongoing work and who is responsible. Once you are done, share the link to the document or the file in group chat. This will allow you and your team members to stay in touch about the status of each task.
2) Give clear instructions
Keep instructions concise, clear, and to the point. Your staff won’t be able to reach you every second in the virtual environment to clarify their doubts. Make sure you are clear and transparent from the beginning. If necessary, highlight the most important parts of each instruction and point down all others. This will help your team members to understand the most important parts of each project or task. This will result in a more productive team that can complete work within the deadlines.
3) Keep Well-Labeled Documents and Spreadsheets
As a project manager, it is essential to maintain well-labelled spreadsheets and documents. Maintain this practice and keep track of all your projects’ documents. Your records and documents serve as a reference for future project-specific questions.
