Virtual Teams

Project leaders are using social media in significant ways, from improving collaboration on dispersed teams to connecting with a wider group of subject matter experts. One PM says it is like a “customizable mentor.” And a network of 3.9 million blogging moms would suggest it is here to stay, whether you’re managing a family or a different kind of project.

Distributed project teams are a reality of today’s business world, and the ability to enlist them while upholding Agile principles can bring great advantages as well as real challenges. Our 38-page report looks at those challenges but focuses on the benefits of working with distributed agile teams — and how to achieve them.

With the increase in distributed teams and the rise of online meetings among them, a Web conferencing tool like GoToMeeting Corporate can help project managers accelerate project cycles by enabling better communication, increasing engagement and sharing ownership of project results.

Globally dispersed teams and stakeholders present daunting challenges to project, program and portfolio leaders. It is imperative that organizations develop a formal communication strategy that addresses distance, language, culture and access to information. In this undertaking, “the cloud” is a friend.

If your meetings don’t contribute more value than they cost, they should be cancelled. So how do calculate how much your meetings cost, and what’s the key to making them more effective and efficient?

Global projects present significant obstacles to project leaders, but with the right tools, a little flexibility and the willingness to step out of your comfort zone, you can prevail. Here are six common challenges and suggestions for overcoming them.

Students in three countries test the value of an IBM all-in-one development tool as they learn about agile and Scrum.

The Richmond Olympic Oval, a multiuse sports facility showcased during the 2010 Winter Olympic Games, benefited from coordinated, cloud-based collaboration among engineers, architects and contractors dealing with a compressed schedule and little margin for error. The virtual environment also helped to minimize environmental impact.

Diverse, distributed teams add risk and complexity to projects. Here are five tips — culled from a new report by Forrester Research senior analyst Mary Gerush — to help project managers bridge cultural, geographic and organizational gaps among team members.