1. Using Virtual Teams for Project Management Success
Module 0
Dr. Ginger Levin
Project Management Consultant
Adjunct Professor and Project Management Program Specialist University of Wisconsin-Platteville
Lighthouse Point, Florida, USA
(fax)
® Rad and Levin, 2004
2/22/2019 1

2. Presentation Overview
Project Success
The Virtual Project
Factors for Success
Motivation
Collaborative Leadership
Communication
Foster Commitment
Conflict Resolution
Virtual Project Team Maturity
® Rad and Levin, 2004

3. Virtual Project #1 Characteristics: More than 6 years in duration
150+ participants
Core team
, web tools
Not complete
Extensive turmoil and turnover
® Rad and Levin, 2004

4. Virtual Project #2 Characteristics: 10+ years Government contract
Staff turnover – client and project team
Cost, schedule, quality objectives met
High team morale and commitment
® Rad and Levin, 2004

5. ® Rad and Levin, 2004

6. Success Key questions: Are we achieving the results we desire?
Are we meeting project objectives?
Are we meeting customer success criteria?
Are projects contributing to the success and business of the organization?
® Rad and Levin, 2004

7. Project Success Indicators Client View
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8. Project Success Factors Team View
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9. Project Success Attributes Overlap Between Client View and Team View
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10. Critical Capabilities for Project Professionals
Leadership skills/vision
Motivating others
People skills/getting along with others
Management skills/directing and managing others
Source: The PMI Project Management Fact Book
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11. A Distributed Project
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12. Four Teams

13. A Virtual Project
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14. One Team
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15. Challenges and Opportunities
Procedures and guidelines
Cultural diversity
Communication barriers
Integration
Resolving conflicts
ETC.
Opportunities
Efficiency
Larger pool of resources
Expertise
Alliances
Innovation and creativity
24-hour work
ETC.
® Rad and Levin, 2004

16. -Jack Welch, former CEO, General Electric, in Wisdom, Inc
1. Motivation
“We have to undo a one hundred-year-old concept and convince our managers that their role is not to control people and stay ‘on top’ of things, but rather to guide, energize and excite.”
-Jack Welch, former CEO, General Electric, in Wisdom, Inc
® Rad and Levin, 2004

17. Motivational Approaches
Need for Achievement
Need for Affiliation
Need for Power
® Rad and Levin, 2004

18. Achievement Motivation
Characteristics:
Driven by the challenge of success
Calculated risks
Attainable but challenging goals
Feedback desired
Working on a Virtual Team:
Autonomy and flexibility
Identity around content of work
Set personal goals
Adapt well to technology
® Rad and Levin, 2004

19. Affiliation Motivation
Characteristics:
Enjoy being part of a team
Conform to group norms
Work toward group success
Seek acceptance and friendship
Cooperative attitude
Working on a Virtual Team:
Relationship manager for the team
Communications expeditor
Facilitator
Mentor
® Rad and Levin, 2004

20. Power Motivation Working on a Virtual team: Characteristics:
Clarify goals and success factors
Lead team meetings
Work with stakeholders
Engage in problem-solving situations
Characteristics:
Influence and control
Make decisions
Direct the work of others
Take risks
Recognized for contributions
Participate in a variety of tasks
® Rad and Levin, 2004

21. 2. Collaborative Leadership
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22. Characteristics Approach: Use on a Virtual Team: Merge perspectives
Learning from others
High cooperativeness
High level of involvement
Integrated solutions
Use on a Virtual Team:
Independent and collaborative
Not as constrained by assigned roles
Less concerned about position
Incremental and attainable goals and milestones
® Rad and Levin, 2004

23. 3. Communication
Traditional Team
Virtual Team
® Rad and Levin, 2004

24. Communications Complexity
2 people, 1 channel
3 people, 3 channels
4 people, 6 channels
5 people, 10 channels
N=n(n-1) 2
20 PEOPLE, 190 CHANNELS!
Adapted from Frame, 1995
® Rad and Levin, 2004

25. Promote Open Communication
Purposeful and intentional
Free flow of information
Formal, informal, and impromptu communication
Non-attribution
Trusted use of data
Regular and in response to specific events
® Rad and Levin, 2004

26. Communication Enablers
Establish identity through technology
Simple and direct
Standardization and consistency
Mutual respect
Recognize cultural differences
Meeting guidelines
® Rad and Levin, 2004

27. 4. Foster Project Commitment
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28. Team Charter Project vision Roles and responsibilities
Operating practices and procedures
Shared ownership
Collective commitment
® Rad and Levin, 2004

29. 5. Conflict Resolution Project priorities Administrative procedures
Technical opinions and trade-offs
Staffing
Cost
Schedules
Personalities
Adapted from Thamhain and Wilemon, “Conflict Management in Project Life Cycles”
® Rad and Levin, 2004

30. Conflict – Both Positive and Negative
Challenging existing beliefs/paradigms
Reducing “groupthink”
Revitalize team energy
Negative:
Demotivating
Increase cynicism
Decrease interpersonal communications
Initiative and risk taking suffer
® Rad and Levin, 2004

31. Conflict Resolution Process
Plan for it while developing the Team Charter:
Escalation process
Decision-making process
Fairness and confidentiality
Responses
® Rad and Levin, 2004

32. How Is Your Team Doing? Leader Advanced Project Success Evolved
Maturity Level
Developed
Initial
® Rad and Levin, 2004

33. Maturity Level Descriptions
5. Leader – Continuous Improvement Focus
4. Advanced – Team Commits to PM Culture
3. Evolved – Team Implements Successful PM Practices
2. Developed – Isolated Implementation of Formalized Practices
1. Initial – Inconsistent Procedures and No Formal Guidelines
® Rad and Levin, 2004

34. Project Management Success Project Success Organizational Success
Virtual Team
Success
Conflict
Resolution
Process
Foster
Commitment
Motivation
Style
Collaborative
Leadership
Open
Communications
® Rad and Levin, 2004

35. References
Achieving Project Management Success Through Virtual Teams, by Parviz F. Rad & Ginger Levin, J. Ross Publishing, 2003
Advanced Project Management Office, by Parviz F. Rad & Ginger Levin, CRC Press, 2002
Assuring Project Success With Metrics-Based Management, by Parviz F. Rad & Ginger Levin, In Preparation
People Skills for Project Managers, by Steven W. Flannes & Ginger Levin, Management Concepts Press, 2001
Project Estimating and Cost Management, by Parviz F. Rad, Management Concepts Press, 2002
® Rad and Levin, 2004