Bridge The Distance

Janis is an award-winning journalist and editor who has covered many industries beyond project management, including health care, financial services, higher education and retail sales.

  ProjectsAtWork  

Structured communications can help you connect with virtual team members.

"Wish you were here" is a phrase you might write in a note to distant family and friends. Nowadays, you might also think that same thought about coworkers. But wishing won't make it so. More and more project managers are expected to complete complex projects, despite being separated from team members by time zones and even continents. Here are strategies to work effectively with people you may seldom, if ever, see.

Establish Expectations

Having a detailed, written communication plan is critical before starting a virtual project, says Pete Graziano, PMP, a 26-year veteran of Palo Alto, Calif.-based Hewlett-Packard, who works out of a home office in  Paramus, N.J. "Everyone needs to understand the way we are going to do things," he says.

The plan should set out a hierarchy of when to use phone calls versus e-mails, and which technology conveys more urgency. Establish team member availability standards and response times, Graziano adds. Everyone should know who's available when, how to reach them and what sort of reply to expect.

Contain Conference Calls

Virtual teams often come together via conference call, and preparation beforehand can improve results. Dr. Russell Barnes, …

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