Project Management in the Virtual World

Managing projects for remote teams¹ presents unique challenges. Coordinating and organizing projects across various time zones and physical locations takes both technical and functional expertise, as well as superior listening and consultative skills; both latter skills allow the project manager to understand the scope, needs, and timelines of the business, all while doing so through virtual meeting programs, such as Zoom or Microsoft Teams. 

Simply put, the remote project manager has the job of monitoring projects, assigning work, and keeping projects on timelines virtually without in-person meetings. 

Remote project management - the reality

Entering a post-Covid world, or at least having learned how to operate within the constraints it has created, remote project management is more important now than ever.

Consider the following statistics²

• 69% of companies already allow remote work
• 16% of companies have gone fully remote
• Over 99% of employees want to work remotely at least once in their careers

These findings suggest that leaders and employees, alike, need to be agile, flexible, and creative in their approach to managing their work and time. The upside is that employees can work from anywhere, which can simultaneously boost well-being by allowing more time to attend to home and personal issues during the day, and performance by supporting an increased focus on tasks without distraction, has increased efficiency, and better attrition.

For some, there is a potential downside to working remotely. There are two main reasons employees decide against remote work, “First was the isolation that the work-at-homers felt. The second was their (accurate) perception that employees who worked from home were less likely to be promoted and receive bonuses.”³

Challenges that face a project manager in the virtual world

Trust

The number one issue facing a project manager is trust.⁴ Trust is foundational for the teams to collaborate, work well together, execute tasks, and work seamlessly. Often fear rolls in if the team is not co-located. There could be a concern that others are not working as effectively as they would if they were in the office setting. This is where trust within the team, engaging in a collaborative culture, providing metrics, and managing work come into play. “To monitor team trust, managers need to pay attention to how team members are connecting, responding to one another, and more importantly maintaining their shared tasks.”⁵

This can be accomplished with frequent check-ins, professionally or even on a more personal level. This can be setting up a coffee connect for 15 minutes a few mornings a week to chat about work or just life with individuals. 

Communication

One of the challenges facing project managers working in the remote world is communication.⁵ Communication can often be slower and with time being a major constraint in a project, this added barrier could lead to decreased project efficiency. 

For project efficiency, the project manager must focus on ensuring that there are no delays in the timeline or the assignment and completion of tasks. Working from home the same way as one would in an office setting is crucial. Teams are often inundated with emails, which may become a less efficient way to communicate; so, having that “face-to-face” interaction of video conferencing can help the team to feel more engaged and collaborative.¹

Ideally, a project team should institute some form of project management (PM) tools such as, Monday, Wrike, Microsoft Project, or any of the many other options out there. This can help streamline communication, enable tracking of tasks, allow for immediate updates, and help keep timelines on track.

Lee Ann’s key F.A.C.T to manage project teams virtually         

Foundation setting

Accountability

Communication

Trust

1. Foundation setting

For any project, it is impotent to have set objectives, goals, and the team/s to be involved. Once that is set, focus on the key timeline, roles, expectations, and vision for the project team. An example of setting a project up for success is by providing simple project visibility.

2. Accountability

Accountability is one of the biggest challenges for a project manager, next to foundation setting. Without having your foundation set, it can be difficult to set roles, responsibilities, and expectations. The project manager must clarify how each person's inputs will impact the project and team overall. Additionally, setting clear deadlines and communication check-ins can help hold everyone accountable of tasks.

3. Communication

There is a litany of ways to ensure open, honest, and constant communication within teams; using tools such as, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, texting, or a simple phone call to help keep everyone engaged and to touch base on a regular basis. Video conferencing can be one of the most useful tools next to in-person “office” engagement. Video calls with the team be more cohesive and collaborative together.

4. Trust

Hiring a strong and dedicated team is half of the battle to having motivated, proactive, and 

independent team members on projects. In addition to hiring preproperate talent, it is important to build trust within remote teams. This can be done in many ways such as, with simple day-to-day check-ins, sharing success stories via email, ensuring open honest communication, and seeking the input of others on the team. There are also numerous activities to help build trust, such as, but not limited to, company book clubs, happy hour at the end of a busy week, ice breakers, and much more.⁶

With the professional world going more digital, the success of virtual project management hinges on ensuring a foundation of trust, active engagement, communication, and the ability to stay in touch across geographical distances.

References

1. Watkins, S. 9 Challenges of virtual teams and how to solve them. 2018, June 19. Cirkus.com. https://cirkus.com/blog/9-challenges-of-virtual-teams/
2. Kissflow. Remote Project Management | Tips to Manage Remote Project Teams. 2022, February 18. https://kissflow.com/project/remote-project-management/
3. Murphy Jr, B. A Stanford Professor Says Working From Home Makes You Happier and More Efficient. There’s Just 1 Catch. 2017, December 14. https://www.inc.com/bill-murphy-jr/people-who-work-from-home-are-happier-more-efficient-according-to-this-fascinating-study-theres-only-1-catch.html
4. Cudmore, D. The Virtual Trust Fall: Team Building for Remote Teams. 2022, April 1. https://digital.com/how-to-manage-a-remote-team/team-building/
5. Feitosa, J., & Salas, E. (2020). Today’s virtual teams: Adapting lessons learned to the pandemic context. Organizational Dynamics, 100777. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orgdyn.2020.100777
6. Citrin, J. 6 Tips for Building Trust on Virtual Teams (Which are Here to Stay). 2021, March 23. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/6-tips-building-trust-virtual-teams-which-here-stay-jim-citrin/
7. Bell, A. 57 Virtual Team Building Activities For Your Remote Team In 2020. 2020, June 23. https://snacknation.com/blog/virtual-team-building/

 

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About the Author

Lee Ann Hagerty is Director of Customer Enrichment and Consumer Insights on the BSM Product Innovation team with 29+ years in the pet food industry, working for Iams/Eukanuba, Procter & Gamble, and Mars Pet Care. She brings a unique combination of project management skills with consumer insights, product design, animal nutrition, and sensory science which drives an in-depth understanding of the pet and consumer. Lee Ann has a passion for helping dogs. Over the last year and a half, she has fostered over 22 dogs. Many of them were senior dogs who had lived their entire lives outside as hunting dogs. She has been a foster pet parent for many years, and it brings her great joy to see these pets find fur-ever homes where they live with families indoors with love and care.