Projects Without Boundaries

Book description

Clear, proven solutions for virtual project management challenges

Projects Without Boundaries offers project managers a clear framework for bringing both project management practices and project team leadership principles to the virtual space. Written by a team of authors with years of experience managing nationally and internationally distributed teams, this book provides a suite of best practices, checklists, and actionable strategies for managing a project and building a high-performing team in a virtual and multicultural environment. Real-world examples illustrate the application of the concepts discussed, and the Virtual Project Readiness Assessment facilitates both team evaluation and transformation planning for virtual project management improvement. Each chapter focuses on the critical challenges encountered while managing virtual projects and details proven solutions that improve a virtual organization, boost project performance, and facilitate positive outcomes.

Globalization and technological advances have merged to create dynamic, productive teams that work together from around the globe; this opportunity can bring great difficulty for project managers, who must negotiate hurdles that no not exist on traditional projects. This book provides ready-made solutions specific to distributed and multicultural teams, to help you achieve the full potential of the global talent pool.

  • Overcome common challenges of virtual projects with distributed teams
  • Navigate complex team dynamics to ensure effective collaboration
  • Work seamlessly across borders, time zones, and cultures
  • Determine optimal virtual communication and collaboration tools
  • Apply traditional project management practices in a virtual setting

A team fails or thrives on the strength of its management. Fitting the group's needs, expectations, personalities, and skills into a cohesive whole is seldom simple — and distance adds an additional layer of complexity. Projects Without Boundaries provides expert guidance on keeping it together, with proven practices, tools, and virtual team leadership strategies.

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright
  4. Preface
  5. Acknowledgments
  6. Part I: Introduction
    1. Chapter 1: Working in a Virtual World
      1. Forces Driving Virtual Transformation
      2. Rise of Virtual Organizations and Projects
      3. Virtual Projects Are Different
      4. Transitioning to the Virtual World
      5. Assessing the Virtual Project Manager
      6. Notes
  7. Part II: Planning the Virtual Project, Building the Virtual Team
    1. Chapter 2: Planning the Virtual Project
      1. Planning a Virtual Project
      2. Establishing Project Alignment
      3. Architecting the Virtual Project
      4. Understanding the Complexity of Virtual Projects
      5. With Complexity Comes Risk
      6. Planning Virtual Communication
      7. Assessing Virtual Project Planning
      8. Notes
    2. Chapter 3: Building a High-Performance Virtual Team
      1. Virtual Project Team Types
      2. Differentiating High-Performance
      3. Building a High-Performance Virtual Project Team
      4. Assessing Virtual Project Team Members
      5. Notes
  8. Part III: Managing Project Execution, Leading the Virtual Team
    1. Chapter 4: Executing the Virtual Project
      1. Managing Assumptions
      2. Hyper-vigilant Governance
      3. Managing Outsourced Project Work
      4. Managing Change
      5. Integrating Distributed Work
      6. People Side of Project Execution
      7. Influencing Virtual Stakeholders
      8. Assessing Virtual Project Execution
      9. Notes
    2. Chapter 5: Leading the Virtual Project Team
      1. Be the Project Compass
      2. Be the Team Conductor
      3. Be the Champion
      4. Recognizing the Virtual Team
      5. Leverage Your Leadership Style
      6. Adding “E” to Leadership
      7. Becoming an Effective Virtual Team Leader
      8. Assessing Virtual Team Performance
      9. Notes
    3. Chapter 6: Empowering the Project Network
      1. Centralize First
      2. Empowering by Decentralizing
      3. Centralized/Decentralized Project Construct
      4. Assessing Virtual Team Collaboration
      5. Notes
  9. Part IV: Organizational Considerations
    1. Chapter 7: Leading a Multicultural Virtual Team
      1. Putting Culture in Context
      2. Cultural Intelligence
      3. Challenges of Multicultural Virtual Project Teams
      4. Cultural Factors
      5. Creating a Cultural Strategy
      6. Converging Company and Country Culture
      7. Assessing Cross-Cultural Awareness
      8. Notes
    2. Chapter 8: Using Technology to Communicate and Collaborate
      1. Role of Technology
      2. Using Technology to Communicate
      3. Using Technology to Collaborate
      4. Technology Options for the Virtual Project
      5. No Shortage of Options
      6. Technology Selection
      7. Increasing Technology Usage
      8. Notes
    3. Chapter 9: Sustaining Virtual Project Success
      1. Changing Organizational and Team Structures
      2. Modifying the Project Execution Model
      3. Changing Behavior by Changing Rewards
      4. Promoting Cultural Awareness
      5. Developing Virtual Project Managers
      6. Virtual Project Management Journey
      7. Notes
  10. Appendix: Virtual Project Readiness Assessment
  11. Index
  12. End User License Agreement

Product information

  • Title: Projects Without Boundaries
  • Author(s): Russ J. Martinelli, James M. Waddell, Tim J. Rahschulte
  • Release date: April 2017
  • Publisher(s): Wiley
  • ISBN: 9781119142546