Project team management
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Project team management applicable to health service project
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Project team management
- 1. Sirjana Tiwari MPH 3rd Semester Pokhara University1
- 2. Project Stakeholders • The project investor • The project manager • The project team • Current and proposed long-term care facility residents • Support staff • Project suppliers • healthcare providers • be regulators 2
- 3. The project sponsor The project sponsor might be the divisional director of operations. The Operations Division would be the organizational unit funding the renovation to the long-term care facility and could be on a very tight budget. The project sponsor would have to make important decisions to keep the costs of the project within the budget approved by the CEO and CFO. As a result, the sponsor would expect the contractor to provide accurate estimates of the costs involved in renovating the wing. The sponsor would also need a realistic idea of when the remodeled wing will be ready for occupancy so the organization could begin marketing its availability, hiring staff if required, and ordering, required furniture and equipment. Current residents of the wing would need to be either temporarily or permanently relocated. 3
- 4. Project Manager The project manager will lead , motivate and inspire the project team to achieve the objectives of the project. This is done by setting clear objectives for each team leader/ member and recognizing achievement when each objectives has been accomplished. Key competencies /Skills of project manager are: a. Project planning b. Resource management c. Financial management d. Quality management e. Change management 4
- 5. Health care Project Team Member Project Manager Designer Administra tor Quality officer HMIS officer Planner Physician, Nurse, Therapist, Technician and other medical and paramedical MR Accountant Legal counsellor Operating staff 5
- 7. •Creating the solution •Executing a plan •Building a team •Managing the crisis •mentoring How to Manage a Project Team Provide the basic Help them Succeed Make things Fun •Vision of the project and their role •Common tool set •Road map •Team roster Team building Activities Where we are going? How are we getting there? Who is going with us Better collaboration New ideas More engagement Feel valued Take more ownership Result = Better Team Better product Better project 7
- 8. 8 competencies for effective team management 1. Leadership 2. Achievement 3. Development 4. Transition 5. Resolution 6. Communication 7. Engagement 8. Delegation 8
- 9. Project Activity Group process Stage 1: Forming Orientation to project Testing and dependence Stage 2: Storming Emotional response to the demands of the project Intra group Conflict Stage 3: Norming Open exchange of relevant information Development of group cohesion Stage 4: Performing Emergence of a solution Functional roles emergence Stage 5: Adjourning Dissolution of the group Fig: 5 stages of Team Development 9
- 10. Building High performance Project Team Recruit Team Member •Conduct Project meeting .Establish team identity. •Create a shared vision build a reward system. Manage decision making. •Manage conflict •Rejuvenate the project team Superior Performance 10
- 11. Building a Team Clear objectives and agreed goals, Openness and confrontation Support and trust Cooperation and conflicts Sound procedure Appropriate leadership Regular review Individual development Sound inter group relations Woodcock building block of effective teams( 1986) 11
- 12. Approaches to Team Building • Goal setting approach • The inter-Personal approach • The managerial grid model • Role model 12
- 13. Team building include following factors clear Direction Project Culture Clear relationships Specific Targets Control Development Communication Leadership conflict management Team Stability ProjectTeamBuilding 13
- 14. Team meeting a) follow up b) Review of performance data c) Reinforcement d) Problem solving e) Planning action f) communication 14
- 15. Improving team efficiency a. Influence the evolution of effective norms b. Improve the efficiency of the team c. Ensure high skill levels d. Ensure that pay, promotions and recognition are related to team performance e. Provide intrinsic rewards 15
- 16. Barrier to project Team Development Divergent outlooks, priorities, interest Unclear project objectives Team leadership definition and structure Poor selection of team member lack of team member commitment communication problem lack of top management support 16
- 17. Virtual project Team A team made up of people who are not co- located and/or have different working hours and/or work across multiple teams simultaneously. (Kerzner and Kerzner, 2017) 17
- 18. Characteristics of virtual Team Characteristics Traditional Team Virtual Team Membership Team members are all from the same company Team members may be multinational and all from different companies and countries. Proximity Team members work in close proximity with each other Team member may never meet face to face Methodology usage one approach exists, perhaps an enterprise project management methodology Each unit can have their own methodology Methodology structure One approach, which is based upon either policies and procedure or forms guidelines, templates and checklists Each units methodology can have its own structure Trust Authority Very little trust may exist leadership may focus on authority Trust is essential. Leadership may focus on influence power. 18
- 19. Type of virtual teams Type Description Network Team membership is diffuse and fluid: members come and go as needed. Team lacks clear boundaries within the organization Parallel Team has clear boundaries and distinct membership. Team works in the short term to develop recommendation for an improvement in a process or system. Project or product development Team has fluid membership, clear boundaries and a defined customer base, technical requirement and output. Longer term team task is non routine, and the team has decision making authority. Work or productions Team as distinct membership and clear boundaries. Members perform regular and outgoing work, usually in one functional area Service management Team has distinct membership and supports ongoing customer network activity. Team has distinct membership and works on a regular basis to lead corporate activities. Action Team deals with immediate action, usually in an emergency situation. Membership may be fluid or distinct. 19
- 20. The Challenges of Working in Virtual Teams • Language and cultural differences • Coordination • Culture and technology 20
- 21. Managing virtual team • Synchronous and asynchronous communications and meetings • Realistic disciplines and guidelines for electronic communication, including e-mails, Web meetings and document management • Codes of conduct: behavioral norms, like the turnaround for requests, schedule compliance, availability for synchronous ad-hoc communication, and so forth • Managing interpersonal issues in the virtual environment • Regular status reporting as a means for keeping the project visible • Virtual kickoff sessions • Tool requirements • Managing across time zones.(Kerzner and Kerzner, 2017) 21
- 22. Past question • Key issues related to Staff acquisition in health development project. • What do you mean by team in project? Describe the different type of team according to their objectives with suitable example. 22
- 23. Reference • KERZNER, H. & KERZNER, H. R. 2017. Project management: a systems approach to planning, scheduling, and controlling, John Wiley & Sons. • BURKE, R. 2013. Project management: planning and control techniques. New Jersey, USA. • LARSON, E. W. & GRAY, C. F. 2011. Project management: The managerial process. Maidenhead: McGraw-Hill. • SCHWALBE, K. & FURLONG, D. 2013. An introduction to healthcare project management. Available in: http://kathyschwalbe. files. wordpress. com/2013/01/healthcare-pm. • WESTLAND, J. 2007. The Project Management Life Cycle: A Complete Step-By-Step Methodology for Initiating, Planning, Executing & Closing a Project Successf, Kogan Page Publishers. • https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/managing-virtual-teams-high- performance-7310 23
Notas do Editor
- Stakeholders are the people involved in or affected by project activities and include the project sponsor, project team, support staff, customers, users, suppliers, and even opponents to the project. These stakeholders often have very different needs and expectations. For example, there are several stakeholders involved in the Expanding Wing Project to renovate the long-term care facility. The project sponsor might be the divisional director of operations. The Operations Division would be the organizational unit funding the renovation to the long-term care facility and could be on a very tight budget. The project sponsor would have to make important decisions to keep the costs of the project within the budget approved by the CEO and CFO. As a result, the sponsor would expect the contractor to provide accurate estimates of the costs involved in renovating the wing. The sponsor would also need a realistic idea of when the remodeled wing will be ready for occupancy so the organization could begin marketing its availability, hiring staff if required, and ordering, required furniture and equipment. Current residents of the wing would need to be either temporarily or permanently relocated. The project manager in this example might be the facilities manager, who is responsible for the maintenance and upgrade of the long-term care facility’s structure, furniture, and fixtures. He or she needs to work with all the project stakeholders to meet their needs and expectations. If necessary, an assistant may be required to take over some of the operational work normally done by the facilities manager. The project team for the Expanding Wing Project would include an ADA certified general contractor, construction workers, electricians, carpenters, and so on to perform the actual remodeling. The administrative side of the team would include, but may not be limited to, a marketing manager (to brand and market the new facilities), the medical director (to provide patient care guidelines and needs for the new facility), and the director of nursing (to coordinate patient transition and relocation from the current facility to temporary or permanent new locations). Both the administration and construction stakeholders would need to know exactly what work they must do and when they need to do it. Each project team member’s work would need to be coordinated with other team members’ activities because there are many interrelated factors involved in remodeling the wing. Current and proposed long-term care facility residents are very important stakeholders in this project. The renovation design and project decisions need to consider their needs, physical conditions, and financial capabilities. The project team should use timely and well-crafted communications to explain how the renovation project may temporarily (e.g. Relocation and noise) and permanently (e.g. Upgraded room) affect existing residents. In the spirit of patient-centered care, project team members may seek feedback from targeted residents of the new facility at various points during the progress of the project as a factor in various project decisions. Support staff might include the regular maintenance staff, the general contractor’s administrative assistant, and other people who support other stakeholders. The general contractor’s administrative assistant would support the project by coordinating meetings between the buyers, the contractor, suppliers, and other stakeholders. The facilities manager might expect maintenance staff to focus on their routine operations work but allow some flexibility so they can visit the new wing site and provide their thoughts on progress or future maintenance needs. Renovating a long-term care facility wing will likely require many suppliers. The Expanding Wing Project suppliers may provide the furniture for new social spaces, materials for the bathroom (floor and wall tiles, bathtub, toilet, sink, lighting, etc.), and electronic monitoring equipment and software. Suppliers would expect exact details on what items they need to provide, where and when to deliver those items, and similar information. Additional stakeholders might include the healthcare providers that serve residents, third-party payers (insurance companies, AARP, Medicaid, and Medicare), and medical device safety officials. The providers would use any proposed communication or monitoring equipment, and their skill level and past experiences in working with patients could provide valuable information. In addition, there may be regulations to ensure the safety of the items installed as part of the renovation project that could affect equipment choices. The local housing inspector would also be a stakeholder, concerned with ensuring that everything meets specific codes and regulations.
- Project planning A detailed understanding of project planning and control techniques The ability to produce a detailed project plan, including a work breakdown structure, dependencies , resources and cost. Resource management Knowledge of resource planning techniques. Sound people management skills, with an emphasis on performance management. Financial management A detailed understanding of the financial planning process The ability to produce accurate and up-to-date financial forecasts throughout the project. Quality management The ability to define appropriate quality targets and standards Knowledge of quality assurance and control techniques to ensure that targets and standards are met Change management an awareness of the importance of change management in projects Knowledge of effective change management processes and procedures Personality Friendly, open and consultative in nature, Structured, methodological and process driven Inspirational, motivational and lively Strong determination to succed
- A special group of project stakeholders are the team members that actually drive, plan, and execute the health care project. Instead of just one leader, different people, who play very important, yet very distinct roles, might lead projects: A designer/idea generator provides ideas to improve current processes, address a requirement, or seize and opportunity. These designers are often viewed as being very optimistic and freethinking, yet often unaffected directly by the results of projects that are implemented. Aside from idea generator this initial project leader may be instrumental in creating initial project momentum and interest. In some cases, the designer/ idea generator (particularly if in a management position) may evolve to become the project sponsor. A project manager works with all of the various stakeholders to develop a realistic scope, schedule, and budget for the project and facilitates its completion. In many healthcare environments, project managers must be especially sensitive to the needs of other team members and share the leadership role. The project manager should communicate with the sponsor throughout the project to make sure the project meets his or her expectations. A physician, nurse, therapist, technician, or other medical expert is required on many healthcare projects to make sure the project follows sound medical practices and will not cause harm to patients. Healthcare providers may feel overworked and overwhelmed by the many changes facing their field. If a project requires a physician leader (and those involving patient care often do), it is up to the project sponsor and project manager to make a clear connection and case for patient and/or physician benefit and the importance of physician involvement in the project process. Other team members who might be assigned to a project on an on-going or temporary basis might include: Administrators, such as a hospital director A head nurse and nursing staff A lab manager, staff managers, and marketing managers Information technology experts, such as systems analysts or programmers; Other physicians patient advocates and patient representatives community relations or benefits staff quality officer medical informatics officer legal counselors accounting, purchasing, or operations staff Equipment technologists, etc. healthcare projects, project managers must be especially sensitive to the perspectives and needs of various stakeholders to create an environment where people can work together to achieve common goals. Although most projects include stakeholders with diverse backgrounds and skills, healthcare is somewhat unique in that each stakeholder group typically has its own reporting hierarchy. Physicians may report to an executive medical director and yet not actually work for the hospital. In an academic medical center, the physicians may serve as faculty members, working for the university, even though they treat patients in the hospital. They most likely also belong to practice plans, which bill their professional services. Physicians alone may introduce three different chains of command! Nurses typically work for the hospital and report to a chief nursing officer (CNO) while at the same time reporting to service line administrators. Administration staff often report to the chief operating officer (COO), accounting and finance report to the chief financial officer (CFO), and technology staff may report to the chief information officer (CIO). Skilled project managers working in the healthcare domain know when to hand off control, enlist a champion that a particular group may favor, and negotiate differences among various factions to direct the project towards success.
- There are two approach to manage a team effectively. One is the traditional approach, based on an authoritarian style. The other is a democratic or participative approach. The authoritarian style of team management relies on the manager being in full command. Involvement of group members in decision making is discouraged. The democratic or participative style of team management encourages group members to talk, express their opinions and involves them in the decision making process and in problem solving. Through this process group results are optimized. Authoritarian style manager ensure obedience without motivation and involvement on task and achievement whereas participative style usually promote best performance for long time best result.
- Leadership: influence, motivate and contribute towards common goals Achievement: Team performance must be goal oriented Development: establish ongoing process Transition: flexibility to change Resolution: Conflict management Communication: Transmitting the right information Engagement: Building trust with stakeholders Delegation: Transmit responsibility
- Forming: During this initial stage the members get acquainted with each other and understand the scope of the project. They begin to establish ground rules by trying to find out what behaviors are acceptable with respect to both project ( what role they will play, what performanace expectations are) amd omter personal relation ( who really in charge). This stage is completed once members begin to tink of themselves as part of a group. Stroming: as the name suggests, this stage is marked by a high degree of internal conflict . Members accept that they are part of a project group but resist the constraints that the project and group put on their individuality. There is conflicts over who will control the group and how decisions will be made as these conflicts are resolved, the project managers leadership becomes accepted and the group moves to the next stage. Norming: The third stage is one in which close relationships develop and the group demonstrates cohesiveness. Feeling of camaraderie and shared responsibility for the project are heightened. The norming phase is complete when the group structure solidifies and the group estabishes a common set of expectations about how members should work together. Performing: The team operating structure at this point is fully functional and accepted. Group energy ha moved from getting to know each other and how the group will work together to accomplishing the project goals. Adjourning: for conventional work group, performing is the last stage of their development . However , the project teams, there is a completion phase, During this stage, the team prepares for its own disbandment . High performance is no longer a top priority. Instead attention is devoted to wrapping up the project. Responses of members vary in this stage. Some members are upbeat, basking in the project team accomplishement. Others may be depressed over loss of camaraderie and friendships gained during the projects life.
- Project involves more than one person. Team work is crucial to achieve project success. Team building is an ongoing process in projects. It is never-ending. A team is people performing task together. It consists of two or more people who: Perceive themselves as a group Interact and are interdependent on each other to achieve a common objectives Teamwork is ability and willingness of team to work together for common goals A project team is a formal team created deliberately to achieve specific objectives. It is generally a cross-functional team. It consists of a group of people from different backgrounds, experience, discipline, skills and personal needs. The project manager is the leader of the project team. It is his responsibility to build project people into a cohesive team by harnessing their abilities, creativity and efforts to achieve project objective. Successful team don’t just happen they need to be build.
- The goal setting approach is based on the assumption that a goal influences not only individual and group behaviour but also direction, coordination and extent of group effort. If problem of the group are indentified through interviews with group members, they can be handled by group solution. Based on these solutions, The group could set goals. Goal setting creates commitment and a feeling of involvement. Inter-Personal approach: Based on assumption that an inter-personally congenial team functions more effectively, the interpersonal approach encourage sharing of feelings, psychological support for one another, and non- evaluative communication among team members. Cooperation and better understanding is obtained by developing mutual trust and confidence among group member, it helps in creating a environment where conflict are effectively settled , problems solved efficiently and decision making is based on group concordance . This increase the effectiveness and productivity of the team. The managerial grid approach : aim at productive and cohesive team-work. It involves four steps. The first step is evaluation. Every team member evaluates their personal contribution and performance as well as that of others in the group. In second step, the understanding of group members concerning the teams functioning is deliberated and examined so as to identify the problems faced by the team. The third step is to eliminate unacceptable individual and team practices and to replace them with new behavior and performance goals. The fourth step involves trying out new styles of team work and individual behavior to overcome problems being faced at that time. Role model:
- Clear sense of direction: Every member of the team should know why he is in the team. The project objective and outcomes should be made clear. There should be no confusion about any aspect of the project. There should be congruence in the objectives and priorities of the project and the team members Project Culture: Culture refers to shared norms and values that guide behavior. The project manager should set team norms and behavior to build project team. He should create conducive condition in the project for effective teamwork. There should be no room for suspicion. Relationships: The authority – responsibility relationships of team members should be clearly stated. The reporting relationships should also be clarified. Targets: individual and group targets should be controlled. Actual performance should be compared with the targets to find out deviations. Corrective actions should be taken for deviations. Good performance should be rewarded. Feedback should be provided about performance. Result orientation: The project team is focused on achieving project results as the key priority. Enthusiasm: The project team has high energy levels and enthusiasm. The level of morale is high. There is interest in team membership. Change orientation: The project team is concerned with creating and managing change.
- As per the invention , it was seen that developing a team meeting structure consist of six sequential steps: Follow up: is necessary to implement the decision made, and reviwing the previous planning Review of performance data: is done to ensure the team is moving in the right direction Reinforcement: positive reinforcement are given to those who have contributed to progress and performed well. And negative reinforcement is for those who fell short in their performance. In group positive reinforcement is effective in encouraging good performer and motivating slow performer. Problem solving: appropriate reinforcement, positive interaction between team members is helpful inproblem solving and in increasing team productivity. Planning action: is formulate an action plan and assign specific responsibilities to individual members of the group Communicating: is a brief discussion about the group current and future concerns and progress. It strengten team sprit and ressure team member that they are working jointly to achieve common goal.
- Influence the evolution of effective norms: A manager can achieve effective norms by defining standards, focusing on setting goals with the groups , reinforcing goals when they are met and recognizing good performance. some important consideration in setting norms are The atmosphere in the group should be informal and relaxed. There should be provision for ample discussion regarding task, with each member participating in the discussion and expressing their views Objectives should be clearly formulated and understood and accepted by group members Members should listen to each other. They should be able to freely express their ideas and opinions, including those relating to group performance Disagreements should be acknowledge and settled rather than subducet Criticism should be frequent but seldom personal Improve the efficiency of the team, and a manager can do this by efficiently organizing the work and securing the means necessary, including appropriate technology, resource and supporting gacilities Ensure high skill levels Ensure that pay, promotions and recognition are related to team performance. Team manager thus demonstrates to subordinates the value of value of team work and the value attached the contribution of individual in team work. Provide intrinsic rewards: such as challenging work, clear responsibilities and autonom in influencing work methods . The manager should find the job easier in a team setting for effective intrinsic group rewared, manager shoul identified task completely, purposively and explicitly. The team should have freedom in deciding on working methods, planning and allocation of responsibilities to individual members.
- Barrier to project Team Development Project team building is crucial to project success. Effective teams don’t just happen. They need to be built. However, the process of project team building is a difficult one. Following are the barrier to project team development. Divergent outlooks, Priorities and Interests: The professional outlooks and priorities of team member may differ from project objectives and priorities. The interests of support organizations may differ from the interest of project team Unclear Project Objectives: lack of clarity about project objectives and outcomes produce. Power struggles and conflicts between team members. Role ambiguities and role conflicts about who does what within the team. Team leadership Definition and Structure: Project leadership may suffer from poor credibility. There may be competition for leadership between formal and informal leaders. This hampers commitment of team members. The team structure may lack an effective reporting system task responsibilities may not be clearly defined. The project manager may be changed frequently. Poor Selection of Team members The project manager may have little say in the selection of team member. This may result in assignment of available persons to the project by functional managers. Poor selection of team members results in low motivation, discontent, conflict and lack of commitment. Lack of team member commitment: the source of poor commitment can be: Feelings of job insecurity in the project Interpersonal conflicts within the team. Lack of clarity about the nature of rewards. Professional interest of team members may be elsewhere. Undue attention to certain individuals by the project manager. These Stars kill the motivation of others. Communication Problems: Poor communication is the enemy of team development. Communication breakdown can happen at the following levels. Among team members Between the project team and top management Poor communication can result from low motivation, poor team morale and lack of attention to detail. The result is poor project control, coordination and work flow. Lack of Top management support: Top management support may was or wane over the project life cycle. Timely feedback may be missing about project performance. Insufficient attention may be given to create the right project environment. Lack of top management support results in team member apathy, low level of enthusiasm and poor commitment to project. The project manager should be sensitive to the above barriers and take preventive and curative actions. A conducive environment for effective team work should foster.
- Common understanding, given language and cultural differences, without the availability of body language and tone-of-voice cues Coordination so that everyone is where they need to be, when they need to be there, with the right information, materials, and skills Cultural differences There are national cultures, organizational cultures, functional cultures, and team cultures. They can be sources of competitive advantages for virtual teams that know how to use cultural differences to create synergy. Team leaders and members who understand and are sensitive to cultural differences can create more robust outcomes than can members of homogeneous teams with members who think and act alike. Cultural differences can create distinctive advantages for teams if they are understood and used in positive ways. The most important aspect of understanding and working with cultural differences is to create a team culture in which problems can be surfaced and differences can he discussed in a productive, respectful manner. It is essential to distinguish between problems that result from cultural differences and problems that are performance based. Business practices and business ethics vary in different parts of the world. Virtual teams need to clearly articulate approaches to these that every member understands.
- Synchronous and Asynchronous Meetings Effective communications is a critical factor in any team. Scheduling meetings among people who work in different parts of the same building is difficult; scheduling meetings among people on different continents is exponentially more difficult. When members of a team are in Europe, Asia, and the Western Hemisphere, someone must be up in the middle of the night for synchronous meetings, held with some of the attendees physically present and some participating by telephone, the Web, or videoconference. Asynchronous meetings are virtual meetings in which the attendees are not present at the same time. Traditionally, these have not been considered to be meetings at all. But when we analyze them we can see that they should be facilitated, have an agenda, explore the agenda items, make decisions, and plan actions. Disciplines and Guidelines for Electronic Communication Whether asynchronous communications are through e-mail or a topical forum, there is a need for some discipline. Left write e-mails with subject and subjects that do relate to content. Don’t go on and on for pages, write too many and copy everyone Establish guidelines that address subject naming, limited distribution, response, length, use of attachments, document naming and document management. E-mail chains, Web logs, and discussion boards need to be facilitated. Codes of Conduct—Culture, Work Values and Practices Project teams and organizations are “intercultural encounters.” Diversity is a fact of life. People from every continent are working together on projects. virtual team must address diversity through a code of conduct that articulates the team's culture and values Managing Interpersonal Issues in the Virtual Environment Personality is built up from the combination of “human nature” and culture. Nature. Personality drives behavior. Interpersonal issues are conflicts arising out of emotional reactions ranging from angry aggression to withdrawal. They exist in every environment to some degree. Handling interpersonal issues is more so in the virtual environment, with its different values around accountability, confrontation, psychology and emotional expression, communicating in writing, lack of face-to-face contact, lack of time to get to know one another, faux pas caused by lack of intercultural or interpersonal sensitivity, and so forth. Many of the interpersonal issues that arise have their roots in a lack of diversity awareness and unmet, often unstated, expectations. Adding to these may be issues of uncertainty avoidance, fear of loss of authority or security, emotional reactions to the behavior of others, among other causes. Project managers are not psychologists, but they and everyone on the team profit from an understanding of the nature of personality and the concept of emotional intelligence. Interpersonal issues are natural. As with any risk, open discussion of interpersonal issues and how to handle them before they arise – a method for managing them – can be established to address them when and if they arise. Recognition that everyone has feelings and their own conditioning translates into objectivity, which makes reactive behavior less likely. High performance teams root out reactive behavior. Communication – Keeping the Project Visible Regular status and progress reporting is a principle means for keeping the project visible. In the virtual team, as in any environment, there is need to have a clear plan for: What information is to be reported to whom for what purpose At what level of detail How frequently By whom How it will be derived How it will be delivered, in terms of media and format. videoconference, Web meeting, teleconference or live, physical collocation. Budgets, technology limitations, and personal schedules of team members are the deciding factors for choosing the right venue, be it virtual or physical. Process and Tool Requirements Minimally, everyone should have access to e-mail and telephone, with the ability to easily call and conference across regions, countries, and continents, given the team's geographical distribution. A common document management procedure and a central repository are needed. A shared electronic team space (e-project room) for posting and retrieving status information, maintaining a common calendar, issues, changes, risk register, and documents further supports high performance. In a large complex environment or where there are multiple small projects, access to templates, policies, procedures, and best practice guidelines adds value. A server or Web-based project management tool with integrated data capture and reporting is needed to make a comprehensive master project plan available, and to enable streamlined reporting at multiple levels of detail. Managing Across Time Zones Common calendar management, paying attention to time zone differences when scheduling and respecting the personal needs of team members are critical success factors to help avoid interpersonal problems, schedule slippage, low productivity, and turnover. Maximizing Virtual Team Performance The challenge of working in virtual teams can be addressed by taking a flexible yet disciplined approach that is tailored to the needs of each situation. i.e. Respect for cultural and personal diversity Creation of a consciously engineered team culture that meets the needs of the team as a whole and of its individual members Scheduling that addresses time zone issues through the right balance between synchronous and asynchronous meetings Practical processes and tools that address communication, collaboration and control needs, and that are available and appropriate to the level of complexity and criticality of the work, and to the capacity of the team members to effectively use them.