Projects Without Boundaries: Successfully Leading Teams and Managing Projects in a Virtual World

Practical Solutions to Reaching Project Goals with a Virtual Team

Projects Without Boundaries goes beyond leadership theory to provide a powerful suite of best practices for building high–performance teams and consistently delivering successful project results in a virtual, distributed, and multicultural environment. It gives virtual project managers the tangible framework they need to effectively balance their time between managing the project and leading the team, which requires a strikingly different approach in the virtual workspace as compared to traditional projects with co–located teams. The book′s coherent, holistic content prepares you to confidently assume the virtual project manager′s role by addressing every aspect of the role. Singular guidance shows you how to:

Confidently step into managing a virtual project with a dependable approach aligned with the PMBOK® Guide lifecycle Get up to speed quickly with in–depth case studies illustrating critical concepts along with key tools and takeaways Enhance your performance with a variety of ready–to–use tools, including a readiness assessment to evaluate your team and organization

Build the team and lead them to achievement wherever they are with Projects Without Boundaries.

Part I Introduction

Chapter 1 Working in a Virtual World

Forces Driving Virtual Transformation

The Rise of Virtual Organizations and Projects

Virtual Projects are Different

Virtual Project Manager Assessment

Virtual Project Manager Assessment

References

Part II Planning the Virtual Project, Building the Virtual Team

Chapter 2 Planning the Virtual Project

Planning a Virtual Project

Establishing Project Alignment

Architecting the Virtual Project

Understanding the Complexity of Virtual Projects

With Complexity Comes Risk

Planning Virtual Communication

Virtual Project Planning Assessment

Virtual Project Planning Assessment

References

Chapter 3 Building a High Performance Virtual Team

Virtual Project Team Types

The High Performance Project Team

Building a High Performance Virtual Project Team

Virtual Team Member Assessment

Virtual Project Manager Assessment

References

Part III Managing Project Execution, Leading the Virtual Team

Chapter 4 Executing the Virtual Project

Managing Assumptions

Hyper–Governance

Managing Outsourced Project Work

Managing Change

Integrating Distributed Work

The People Side of Project Execution

Influencing Virtual Stakeholders

Virtual Project Execution Assessment

Virtual Project Planning Assessment

References

Chapter 5 Leading the Virtual Project Team

Be the Project Compass

Be the Team Conductor

Be the Champion

Team Recognitions

Leverage Your Leadership Style

Adding E to Leadership

Becoming an Effective Virtual Team Leader

Virtual Team Performance Assessment

Virtual Project Team Performance Assessment

References

Chapter 6 Empowering the Project Network

Centralize First

Sharing Power by Decentralizing

Virtual Team Collaboration Assessment

Virtual Team Collaboration Assessment

References

Part IV Organizational Considerations

Chapter 7 Leading a Multi–Cultural Virtual Team

Putting Culture in Context

Cultural Intelligence

Challenges of Multi–Cultural Virtual Project Teams

Cultural Factors

Creating a Cultural Strategy

Converging Company and Country Culture

Cross–Cultural Assessment

Cross–Cultural Assessment

References

Chapter 8 Using Technology to Communicate and Collaborate

The Role of Technology

Using Technology to Communicate

Using Technology to Collaborate

Technology Options for the Virtual Project

No Shortage of Options

Technology Selection

Increasing Technology Usage

References

Chapter 9 Sustaining Virtual Project Success

Changing Organizational and Team Structures

Modifying the Project Execution Model

Changing Behavior by Changing Rewards

Promoting Cultural Awareness

Developing the Virtual Project Manager

The Virtual Project Management Journey

Virtual Organization Maturity Assessment

Virtual Projects Organizational Maturity and Readiness Assessment

References

Appendix Virtual Project Readiness Assessment

RUSS J. MARTINELLI has managed virtual projects at Intel, Loral, and Lockheed Martin. He is the author of multiple books on program and project management, and provides training and consulting for both profit and non–profit companies.

JAMES M. WADDELL is an independent consultant who has held a variety of management positions in the high–tech and energy industries. He is also a co–founder of the Program Management Academy and the author of multiple program and project management books.

TIM J. RAHSCHULTE, PHD, is the chief learning officer at Evanta and professor of business at George Fox University. His experience has been in management consulting and venture funded new product development with the focus on leading organizational change and workforce development.