Kay

Link to the .pdf version of the article: http://www.usabilityresources.net/news/Aubrey_Virtual_Team_Success_VIEWS_Summer_2010.pdf

S U M M E R 2 0 1 0
V O L U M E 8 • N U M B E R 4
IDEAS & TOOLS
FOR QUALITATIVE RESEARCH
• BUSINESS MATTERS •
56 QRCA VIEWS SUMMER 2010 www.qrca.org
Grow Your VIRTUAL TEAMS
Business with
B Y K AY C O R R Y A U B R E Y
Usability Resources Inc. • Bedford, MA • kay@usabilityresources.net
has become so common that we scarcely notice anymore: computers,
inexpensive telephone service and the internet allow
many of us solo professionals to run complex full-service qualitative
research operations out of our home offices. We partner ad hoc
with others whose expertise complements our own, and we stay in
touch largely via electronic communications. This kind of “virtual”
work arrangement is, for many of us, just the way we do business.
And for good reason: this model offers small businesses unique opportunities
for growth with very low investment.
This article covers practical tips and best practices on how to create
thriving virtual teams. I am focusing on the type of ad hoc groups
most of us work within — small teams (no more than five people) of
equals who know one another and come to work together on a project
basis. I gathered the advice below from interviews with 14 people
from my LinkedIn network who have extensive experience in either
leading or taking part in virtual teams. Several are QRCA members;
others are consultants from other industries, high-level managers and
virtual company owners.
Working Virtually Offers
Compelling Advantages
Working virtually offers so many advantages — companionship (albeit
mostly by electronic means), low overhead and access to a large pool
of people with very specific skills that you can match to the needs of
a particular project. As Susan Saurage of Saurage Research remarks,
“You get a better mix of talent, and the client expects it. I dip into my
network of 18 people with specific talents on whom I can rely — qual,
quant, web evaluation, segmentation strategy — and people who have
these skills, plus who know my industries. I want to draw on the right
Virtual teams
are a good way
for you to take on
bigger projects,
reach out into new
markets and offer
outstanding value
to your clients.
It
people when I need them, but I do
not need them 40 hours a week.
QRCA has been wonderful in helping
me find the right people.”
If you are a solo practitioner, being
part of a network of people with
whom you have good working relationships
allows you to expand your
operation when a really big project
presents itself. Lisa Figlioli, a solo
public relations consultant in Cos
Cob, Conn., scales her business up
as needed by tapping into a network
of colleagues she has worked with
for over a dozen years. “It’s all very
loose,” she says. “We are all sole
proprietors, mirror images of each
other. When an opportunity comes
my way, I get a sense of what the
project might be, I choose my people,
and we pitch together as though
they work for my company.”
The Cornerstone of a Virtual
Team Is Picking People You
Like and Trust
It takes effort to set up a virtual team
that can present itself as a cohesive
unit. According to Dr. Aline Yurik,
who founded the master’s program
in virtual team management and
communications at Brandeis University,
trust is a key factor in determining
team success. “People on virtual
teams can work together for years
and never see each other, yet they
have forged deep and trusting relationships,”
she says. “In any work
situation, we develop trust when we
find similarities between ourselves
and others, by doing things together,
by being responsive, by completing
tasks on time.”
Many partnerships last for years,
like marriages. Liz Van Patten of Van
Patten Research notes that it took
time for her to find the people who
were right for her. “Choosing business
partners is a lot like picking
your friends,” she comments. “It’s
like gold when you find someone you
work well with; everything flows so
smoothly. I like to get to know the
person on a trial basis, shoulder to
shoulder, to gain some history and
see if we understand each other’s
personal style. I need to know if I
can work with them.”
Susan Abbott of Abbott Research
agrees that human relationships
trump everything else when it comes
to choosing virtual teammates. “I
have to like and trust the person,”
she states. “If I can’t find people I
like, I don’t bid. You need to find
partners who share your values, and
it is really important to talk about
these values upfront.”
Use Your Moderator Skills
to Find Good Partners and
Run Well-Oiled Teams
Finding the right business partner
is like a research project. Look for
highly experienced people with
distinct skills who can function
independently. Liz Van Patten
recommends that you “write down
the things you are concerned
about, what matters to you, and
use these questions to guide your
initial conversation.”
Once you have chosen your teammates,
spend time learning about one
another and building the relationship,
maybe by working together
on a smaller project. Susan Abbott’s
approach is also very much relationship-
driven. “I want to know the
type of work they enjoy and what
they are really good at,” she says.
“Sometimes we build goodwill by
mentoring: you back me up, and I
will share with you what I know
about online research.”
Small teams work best, and ideally
people should already know each
other before they start working as a
virtual team. To minimize coordination
headaches, each person on
your virtual team needs a unique
and clearly defined role, as well as
a set of deliverables for which to
be responsible.
Even on a team of equals, you
need a leader. This person is usually
the one who closed the project sale
and assembled the group. The team
leader is responsible for coordination
and serves as client interface
and traffic cop. The virtual team
leader must have the people skills to
ensure that high-quality work gets
done on time without coming across
as a micromanager. Tasks and deliverables
need to be broken into small
enough chunks, and the leader needs
to hold someone responsible for each
one. The leader also needs to keep in
continuous contact, perhaps by talking
with each person on the team
every day to ask how things are
going. The leader serves as the “glue”
Q U A L I T A T I V E R E S E A R C H C O N S U L T A N T S A S S O C I A T I O N 57
TOP 10 TRICKS FOR SUCCESSFUL VIRTUAL TEAMS
1. Pick teammates you know, trust and like and who are committed
to the success of your project.
2. Select highly seasoned people who can work independently and
deliver quality work without being prodded.
3. Do a test run with a new potential partner by working together on
a smaller project.
4. As you compose your virtual team, each person should have a
clearly defined role, to avoid coordination headaches. Some overlap
is good so that you can fill in as needed.
5. Break larger deliverables down into smaller chunks, and check in
with team members regularly to make sure they are on track.
6. Get everyone to sign off on “rules of the road” that define how
your team will communicate with each other.
7. Hold weekly check-in meetings with your team.
8. Detect conflict early and deal with it.
9. Try to meet in person with your client and team at least once during
a project.
10. Practice your presentation (including technology) before giving it
to your client.
Grow Your Business with Virtual Teams CONTINUED
58 QRCA VIEWS SUMMER 2010 www.qrca.org
for the team: keeping everyone on
track, establishing norms and guiding
interactions.
Deliverables should flow through
the team leader for review before
they are sent out to the client. Susan
Abbott remarks, “As the project
leader, I always tell people what I
need, when I need it and in what
format. I always build time into the
schedule to fix anything I do not like
before sending the deliverable to the
client; for instance, I’ll set a Tuesday
deadline for a Friday deliverable.”
The more-established virtual teams
follow style guides and templates.
At the outset of a project, the team
should also insist on getting clear
requirements from the client, as well
as a statement of work and a formal
change-control process. And as in
any project, you need to manage
client expectations aggressively.
Maintaining Open
Communication and Group
Cohesion Takes Time
Even small teams need infrastructure
to operate smoothly. Rituals help. For
example, you might have a weekly
phone huddle to touch base. It is
always a good practice for everyone
to contribute to a weekly status
report that is sent to the client. The
process of pulling together a status
report allows team members to regularly
evaluate their performance,
measure their progress against the
schedule and clear up conflict and
misunderstanding.
In the physical work environment,
we spend a lot of time understanding
and interpreting the social environment
and norms of the people
around us. In a virtual environment,
“you need to put all of this on
paper,” advises Kyra Cavanaugh,
owner of Life Meets Work, a company
that trains organizations in
how to transition workers to virtual
environments. Kyra recommends virtual
team members sign off on a set
of “rules of engagement” that formalize
how the team communicates.
For instance, everyone might agree
that after two emails on a particular
subject, the parties need to pick up
the phone. Another rule might be
that the subject lines of all team
emails have a set format: “Review:
proposal xyz.” These little things go
a long way toward saving everyone’s
time, minimizing conflict and facilitating
clear communication.
Detect Conflict Early, and
Deal with It Immediately
It is crucial for virtual teams to
have an early warning system to
detect and address conflict. Pay close
attention to changes in writing tone,
communication patterns and other
behavior to detect conflict and emotion.
Changes in behavior — a member
stops responding to IMs or
emails, shows up late for meetings
or starts sending in flat single-page
status reports instead of lively threepage
memos — may signal trouble.
Aline Yurik advises, “Notice any
changes in behavior or attitude. You
need to bring conflict to light, even
more so on a virtual team because
people don’t see each other.”
When you suspect problems, call
the person and hear him out. Identify
the people involved and engage in a
positive open-minded talk with each
party. Tell them you are sensing tension
and invite them talk about their
concerns. Once you understand these
and have discussed possible solutions,
arrange a meeting to resolve
the conflict.
Technology…
You Need More than Email
My interviewees describe a range of
inexpensive or free tools as “indispensable”
for virtual teams: WebEx,
Google Docs, Doodle, BaseCamp
and Tom’s Planner. Virtual teams
need internet-based project-tracking
technologies such as “to do” lists,
a team calendar, contacts, milestones
and customer notes. Teammates
should be able to log into this system
at any time to see what others are
working on, what progress they are
making, what they are talking about
and what help they need. Online
project-tracking systems also cut
down on email.
On the other hand, some teams
thrive with limited technology. Anne
Tobin’s human resources company,
Tobin Connex, is totally virtual. She
stays in continuous contact with her
consultants and clients via the phone
and face-to-face communication.
“My business is all about relationships
and proving your value,” she
says. “I need to make sure I have upto-
date information on my clients so
I can do the HR work they require.
Managing a virtual team requires a
lot of follow-up on my part. I regularly
attend customer staff meetings.
I am able to keep a lot of balls in
the air.”
Your Rolodex Is Your Gold
It is difficult to have a virtual business
without many contacts, both
vendors and partners. You need to
be established in your field. Paige
Arnoff-Fenn’s virtual marketing
firm, Mavens & Moguls, has been
featured in two Harvard Business
Review case studies. Paige also feels
she is essentially in the “relationship
business.” She spends most
of her time traveling to meet with
customers, networking and generating
more leads and business.
“Once you have a seat at the table
and have their trust, you see all
your customer’s problems,” she
points out, “and this opens up even
more opportunities. In today’s
climate, your real asset is your
Rolodex, your relationships; this
is the gold.”
Changes in behavior — a member stops
responding to IMs or emails, shows up
late for meetings or starts sending in flat
single-page status reports instead of lively
three-page memos — may signal trouble.
Virtual Client Management
How do you make sure your virtual client
relationships work well? Some virtual
teams get into trouble because they fail
to make clear to the client the team’s chain
of command or to explain each member’s
role. Bonnie Cooper oversees complex
projects for the Massachusetts Medical
Society. Her first piece of advice to virtual
teams is to make sure your client understands
how your team is organized. Bonnie
recommends that you tell them, “‘Here’s
who we are, here’s how we operate, here
is our escalation path, and this individual
is responsible for your project.’ You need
to give them a context.” All communication
should flow through the designated
team leader, who should also have the
ability to triage client needs and get a
quick response to them.
A lack of business systems can be
another area of weakness for virtual teams.
“So often, I need to spend time learning a
vendor’s systems, which is time-consuming
and frustrating,” Bonnie says. The virtual
team should have business systems that
allow them to track their work, know
where things are and get a quick and
accurate status of where things stand
against the Statement of Work.
Presentations can be another area of
challenge for virtual teams, especially if
members are working independently and
do not check in with one another in their
analysis and reporting. Bonnie works with
vendors who have lots of virtual team members
(both employees and consultants),
and they don’t all take time to be sure
that everyone is on the same page. “You
can tell quickly when the team has not
Virtual teams
should meet before
a presentation —
to transfer knowledge,
get their messaging
aligned and practice.
Grow Your Business with Virtual Teams CONTINUED
60 QRCA VIEWS SUMMER 2010 www.qrca.org
prepared as a group,” she says.
“They stumble, they disagree, handoffs
are not smooth, and they do not
seem to be paying attention in a virtual
way. Teams need time to deliberate
so they have a unified voice.”
Virtual teams should meet before
a presentation — to transfer knowledge,
get their messaging aligned
and practice. Particularly in the
realm of presentations, “the virtual
element exacerbates any issues,”
Bonnie says. As they practice, the
team should also test the technologies
they plan to use. On the day of the
meeting, it is a good idea to convene
at least a half an hour before the
actual meeting to make sure everything
is set up and working; even a
bad phone connection will throw
everything off.
Another area of challenge is staying
in tune with the client’s mindset.
To Debbie Falck, a graphic and userinterface
designer, there is always a
risk that things will get lost in translation
when she works virtually with
people who do not understand her
expertise. To prevent this, when starting
up with a new client, she and her
team schedule a kickoff meeting
where they walk through a fullblown
design exercise. The meeting
gives everyone a chance to get to
know one another. This initial meeting
also provides an opportunity for
“group therapy,” where clients can
voice frustration with their product’s
appearance and usability.
There is such a thing as being too
virtual. When she can, Debbie likes
to be physically present at key points
in a project, such as initial design
reviews. “The worst thing is to be
talking about visual issues remotely,
and you have no idea what they see
on their end, for example with color
shifts,” she comments. Further, you
don’t have the chance to pick up on
the nonverbal communication going
on in the other end. You don’t see
people’s facial expressions (who
looks discouraged, who is making
eye contact). “Sometimes this is just
unavoidable,” she says. “I have
clients whom I have never met, and
it has been fine. But they have a
sophisticated sense of visual design
and the design process, and they
shield me from the internal politics
of the work we are doing.”
Using virtual teams to build your
business will not be without challenges.
But it represents a good way
for you to take on bigger projects,
reach out into new markets and give
outstanding value to your clients.
For summaries of all the interviews
I conducted on virtual teams,
please visit www.virtual-teamsuccess.
com.

Aside from not communicating people’s roles or their team’s chain of command, poorly designed  tracking systems can be another area of weakness for virtual teams. “So often I need to spend time learning a vendor’s system, or find out they don’t have one at all, which is time consuming and frustrating.”    The virtual team should have user friendly business systems that allow them to track their work, know where things are, and get a quick and accurate status of where things stand against the Statement of Work.

WEEKLY STATUS REPORTS ALSO FACILITATE COMMUNICATION WITHIN THE TEAM
Giving weekly status reports keeps everyone on track. The process of pulling together a status report not only enhances client communication, but it also allows team members to regularly evaluate their performance, measure their progress against the schedule, and clear up conflict and misunderstanding. In addition to a written status, Bonnie insists on weekly phone meetings to maintain a personal connection. Whether on-ground or virtual, successful teams manage client expectations aggressively. Effective teams also insist on clear requirements, a statement of work, and a formal change control process. Because people don’t see each other, this type of groundwork at the beginning of a project is especially critical.

VIRTUAL PRESENTATIONS REQUIRE SPECIAL ATTENTION
Presentations can be another area of challenge for virtual teams, especially if members are working independently and do not check in with each other in their analysis and reporting. “I work with vendors who have lots of virtual team members – both employees and consultants – and they often don’t put the effort in to  be on the same page with each other…You can tell quickly when the team has not prepared as a group… they stumble, they disagree, handoffs are not smooth, and they do not seem to be paying attention in a virtual way…teams need time to deliberate so they have a unified voice”

Virtual teams should meet before a presentation – to transfer knowledge, get their messaging aligned, and practice.  Particularly in the realm of presentations, “the virtual element exacerbates any issues”.  As they practice the team should also test the technologies they plan to use. On the day of the meeting it is a good idea to convene at least a half an hour before the actual meeting to make sure everything is set up and working – even a bad phone connection will throw everything off. Ideally, there should be someone from the team physically with the client, as extra assurance things will go smoothly.

Overall though, “you can’t really replace the power of social interaction – the effectiveness of a team is directly related to the amount of trust people have in each other.”

EARLEY & ASSOCIATES HAS GROWN FROM ONE PERSON TO 20
Seth Earley, CEO and President, started his business 15 years ago and has grown it from a single person operation to 20 consultants who live throughout the United States and Canada. Everyone, including Seth, works out of home offices.  His company became virtual in 2003 and this has had absolutely no effect on their growth.  

SETH USES A SYSTEMATIC APPROACH TO HIRING NEW STAFF
He is methodical about hiring new consultants, and prefers to hire seasoned people. “They need to be good. I need to trust that they are professional, and that they understand the industry.”  Seth checks credentials, references, and uses a skills assessment checklist during the interview.

 “There are people who have worked together for a year who have not yet met in person.”  Most team members however, meet face to face at client sites. When working on a project there is lots of communication, Web meetings, conference calls, and use of collaborative technology such as a VPN, Sharepoint, Lotus Notes and bulletin boards.

“I DON’T THINK OF MY COMPANY AS VIRTUAL”
“I don’t really look at our company as virtual, because this is our normal way of doing business.” New people shadow more experienced staff to become acclimated to the company’s procedures. Most of the orientation is done remotely. The virtual work arrangement has also had minimal effect on his group’s output. Consultants follow style guides and templates. There are set protocols for how to interact with clients and everyone’s work is reviewed. “There is no sloppy work” – even draft documents must look like finished documents and be free of spelling, punctuation, and grammatical errors.

AUTOMATED SYSTEMS FUEL COMPANY GROWTH
As his company has matured Seth focuses on putting in place systems and infrastructure to help the business run more efficiently. Over the past two years, Earley & Associates has invested significant time and money to integrate project management, time tracking, and accounting.  Consulting hours are automatically billed. In this way Seth sees the status of tasks, and he can quickly add new consultants to a project.

Everything tracks back to the Statement of Work, “so we never have to create a manual invoice.” His company can run an audit with the push of a button, whereas before it would take days.  Seth can now tell how profitable each project is and make very precise cash flow projections. He’s also integrated Salesforce.com with the website lead capture process and developed marketing management and business development processes.

These technology and process investments have helped improve operational efficiencies and enabled the company to expand and take on larger more complex projects.     This has not been a simple or straightforward process.  The company has changed quite dramatically from its beginning. “I have reinvented the business and changed our strategy and operations over the past 15 years.  It’s a process that never ends.”

FIRST DETERMINE WHAT YOU WANT IN A BUSINESS PARTNER
In some ways finding the right business partner is like a research project. “Moderators are in a good position to do this. Write down the things you are concerned about, what matters to you, and use these questions to guide your initial conversation.”

While she does most of the actual research work herself, she frequently relies on virtual partners for field coordination, analysis, and reporting. It took time to find the right people for these roles, and she found them through word of mouth. Liz also calls upon trusted colleagues from her network when she needs moderators to help her with an overflow of work or larger projects.

VIRTUAL MENTORING BUILDS STRONG RELATIONSHIPS
Van Patten Research’s work has shifted to mostly online. In many projects, Liz works virtually with large companies on longitudinal online qualitative projects. “It is important to form alliances with one or two client contacts who trust you and whom you can trust, and who are committed to making sure the project succeeds.”  Another way to build good will is to serve as a mentor to clients who are new to research: “You back me up and I will share with you what you need to know about research.”

When dealing with an ongoing project online researchers need to find ways of staying visible and connected with their client. Meeting regularly helps.  “During an active project we meet at least once a week to brainstorm, introduce new topics, and debrief on new insights from the online forum.” Video conferences work well because people are more engaged and present than they are on a conference call. “See what your team is open to.” She also gives people on the team assignments, such as summarizing one theme, as a way to keep them involved. All of these efforts have worked well for Liz – her business is flourishing.

FORMING WORK RELATIONS WHEN YOU CAN’T PHYSICALLY SEE YOUR TEAM MATES
In the physical work environment, we spend a lot of time understanding and interpreting the social environment and norms of the people around us. In a virtual environment “you need to put all of this on paper.”  Kyra recommends virtual team members sign off on “rules of engagement,” which are rules of the road formalizing how the team communicates. For example, the team might follow a rule where after 2 e-mails on a particular subject, the parties need to pick up the phone. Another rule might be that the e-mail subject line has a set format: “Review: proposal xyz.”  These little things go a long way towards facilitating clear communication.

INDISPENSIBLE TECHNOLOGIES FOR  VIRTUAL TEAMS
Virtual teams need Internet-based project tracking technologies such as “to do” lists, a team calendar, contacts, milestones, and customer notes.  You should be able to log into this system at any given time and see what others are working on, the progress they are making, what they are talking about, and how you can help.  Online project tracking systems also cut down on e-mail. Even though people seem to love or hate it, IM should be one of the team’s communication channels. With IM you can also tell whether a person is at their desk in case you need to call them.

THE RIGHT WAY TO MANAGE VIRTUAL TEAMS
Some managers have a difficult time transitioning to a virtual workplace. “Most of us grew up learning how to manage performance based on watching employees work,” Kyra said. “How do we coordinate getting work done when we are not there?”  When going to a virtual environment, managers need to figure out where they fall on the control vs. trust continuum. She advises types that need more control to implement processes and technologies that allow them to keep close tabs on employees.

How do you create a sense of cohesion with a virtual team? One way is to set clear expectations and metrics that determine success. “Everyone should feel like they are contributing to something bigger than themselves”.  Isolation can be a big problem, especially for people who live alone. It should be OK to ask for help, and people need to be publicly acknowledged for their contribution.  “It’s always a good thing  for people to meet each other. We still value getting out of our space… you will never replace physical interaction because virtual teams are not the be-all and end-all.”

VIRTUAL CONFLICT – DETECT EARLY AND RESOLVE
Pay close attention to changes in writing tone, communication patterns, and other non-verbal behavior to detect conflict and emotion. You know there is likely trouble when exclamation points disappear, they stop responding to IMs, they show up late for meetings, and their lively 3-page status update becomes a flat one-page report.

MARIA MANAGES ENGINEERING TEAMS BASED IN MASSACHUSETTS AND INDIA
Memento develops their products incrementally, using a quick iterative approach, which is why clear communication between the engineers in Massachusetts and India is crucial. The quality assurance engineers are easiest to manage because the work they do tends to be more prescribed, measurable, and repetitive. On the other hand, the software engineers must often interpret specifications and intuitively know the right thing to do.  Maria’s firm puts a great deal of time and effort bringing their offshore people up to speed so they have a deep understanding of the company, its technology, and customers. Newly hired offshore employees come to the Massachusetts office for a 3-4 month orientation to immerse themselves in the company and the details of the product’s architecture and user base.  In this way they are able to return to India having formed solid relationships with their American counterparts and with a full understanding of Memento and its products. 

OFFSHORE TEAM LEAD MUST BE A GREAT PROJECT MANAGER
“With offshore teams, there is no substitute for a high quality project leader”.  Maria has found the offshore manager’s technical knowledge, confidence, and ability to communicate weigh most heavy in the success of an offshore teaming effort. The offshore manager must be fully synchronized with their US counterparts yet function autonomously as a supervisor and in hiring.  In addition to technical skills, this person must have initiative and the right kind of personality to make things work.

Outside of weather issues and occasional power outages the working relationship is transparent. Subtle cultural differences such as Indian team’s tendency to be polite and reluctant to raise objections are dealt with by directly asking for feedback.

MEMENTO USES EXISTING TECHNOLOGY TO KEEP TEAMS IN SYNC
Memento has not had to build specialized systems to enable communication with the virtual team. Everyone uses the same technology to coordinate and communicate: e-mail, phone, IM, an Intranet, a source code repository and a bug tracking system are their major tools. The time difference can be a major inconvenience – the Massachusetts engineers schedule early morning meetings to catch the Indian engineers by the late evening.

Overall though, Maria’s firm has had very good luck with their virtual offshore team.

RELIES ON HUMAN COMMUNICATION VS. TECHNOLOGY TO KEEP HER TEAM IN STEP
Her company is totally virtual, but unlike everyone else I’ve spoken with for this article, Anne uses very little technology to manage her business.  Though customers situations are dynamic, her business has  no information-sharing vehicle, nor does she tie into her customer’s intranets because that would be a very big time & resource challenge.  Her firm does not even have a Web site, though creating one is in her 2010 plan.  “My business is all about relationships and proving your value.  I need to make sure I have up to date information on my clients so I can do the HR work they require. Managing a virtual team requires a lot of follow up on my part… I regularly attend customer staff meetings … I am able to keep a lot of balls in the air.” 

“My team is autonomous – we do not need to share information throughout the day, though we talk often, and when we do we focus on how to get things done. “ Every Friday she and her staff hold a huddle meeting.

The model works – since the days she opened her doors and even in the current economic downturn, Anne’s business continues to thrive.

WHEN HIRING, SHE SEEKS CERTAIN PERSONALITY TRAITS
When hiring new consultants Anne seeks seasoned people who communicate clearly and are “politely assertive”, else they will get lost in the dust of fast-moving startups. They must be able to quickly morph into a customer’s culture, while standing firm with CEOS who want to bend rules that conflict with ethics and law. “You have to be strong enough to win them over and push back – to tell them “You can’t do that!!”  Anne has been interviewing people for  many years and relies upon straight forward skills assessment and   “gut instinct” to effectively determine whether a person will work out. Employees and customers all come to her through referrals, so she never has to dip into the unknown.

Everyone must do excellent work and continually prove their value.  If she feels a new hire has good potential she gives them time to absorb her firm’s cultural values. “Some get it quicker – you have to be nimble and get the job done while not being overly methodical”. Trying to be perfect is impractical & time consuming, which is not a good thing when you bill clients by the hour.

DESIGN WORKSHOPS HELP CLIENTS UNDERSTAND  PROCESS AND DELIVERABLES
When appropriate; she and her team may schedule a kickoff meeting where they walk through a design exercise with the clients. The meeting gives everyone a chance to get to know each other, as well as “group therapy” where clients can share their frustrations and vision for their product’s functionality, appearance and usability.

This initial session can take up to a day. Her team walks the client through some the steps they will be following throughout the project: developing personas and scenarios, generating user interface ideas and discussing branding requirements and  look and feel. People break into smaller groups to address specific tasks, then reconvene and debrief. This process educates the client on the design process and gives them time to “put on the table things they’ve been thinking, but never expressed.”  She and her team walk away from the workshop with stronger relationships and a deeper understanding of the client’s product and needs. The client has an understanding of what to expect, how the design process works, and where they need to collaborate.

MEET IN PERSON AT KEY POINTS IN A PROJECT
When it is possible, Debbie likes to be physically present at key points in the project, such as major design reviews. “The worst thing is to be talking about visual issues remotely and have no idea what they are viewing on their end, for example color shifts or distortions caused by browser issues.”  Furthermore, you don’t have the chance to pick up on non-verbal communication on the other end; their facial expressions, who looks discouraged, who is making eye contact. “Sometimes it’s unavoidable. I have clients whom I’ve never met and it’s been fine. But they often have a sophisticated sense of visual design and the entire design process. They also shield me from the internal politics of the project.”

CHOOSE TEAM MATES CAREFULLY
She is careful in choosing team mates and relies on recommendations from people she knows who have worked with them. Debbie meets with the prospective teammate in person where they discuss their individual approaches to their work and the things they value. When dealing with someone new, it is a good idea to work together on a smaller project.  Investing time and effort into building solid relationships with virtual team mates pays off.  “You have to go in with people who can present themselves as a cohesive unit to the client. Trust is a major component  of what makes the relationship succeed or fail.“

BEING VIRTUAL IS NEVER AN ISSUE WITH CLIENTS
Saurage Research has been virtual for seven of its 22 year history. She’s lost only one opportunity because the customer – a chain of 54 Mexican restaurants – was uncomfortable hiring a firm with no physical office. Clients almost never ask whether the people she brings in are permanent employees. She builds credibility for her virtual team by highlighting their relevant expertise, how long they have known each other, and the projects on which they’ve worked together. However, in most cases, clients never ask.

Many projects involve her firm, the client, and an ad agency.  Susan puts as much energy into developing a good working relationship with the ad agency as she does with the client.  At the beginning of a project she will call the agency to discuss their expectations and needs. “I extend communication with them above the norm…. the agency will be there every day for the client. We are needed sporadically. We do not want to change their loving relationship with the client.”  This pays off, as many agencies she works with later become clients or key referral sources.

SIMPLE AND FREE TECHNOLOGY HELPS HER TEAMS STAY ORGANIZED
Susan makes sure to include both parties on status updates. She relies on e-mail, the phone, and WebEx to keep things coordinated. “Simple is better.” Susan uses “Tom’s Planner” (http://tomsplanner.com/), a free scheduling tool, to synchronize her firm’s work with client and agency projects. Over time, her clients’ expectations have moved toward virtual collaboration, so most interaction occurs remotely. “When we present results, I fly in and out so I can present them in person. Otherwise, there is little need to meet in person…. I have held WebEx meetings with clients who are five miles away from my office and they are fine with it.”

THE CAMARADERIE IS WONDERFUL
Another wonderful benefit of being part of a virtual network is the security of having great backup people in an emergency or when you are on vacation. She also cherishes the camaraderie: “It’s wonderful to have human beings to talk with and share ideas… I do a lot of online work and it gets lonely! QRCA has been wonderful in helping me collaborate with great people.”

Students in her program come from all over the world spanning industries and professions. “People come from IT, education, finance, accounting – they want to know how to use the virtual workplace to augment skills and make their projects successful.”

TRUST IS PARAMOUNT IN ALL TEAM CULTURES
“Trust is one of the key factors. People on virtual teams can work together for years and never see each other, yet they have forged deep and trusting relationships.”  In any work situation we develop trust when we find similarities between ourselves and others, by doing things together, being responsive, by completing tasks on time. “It starts with the team lead reaching out, checking with others, setting the expectation of constant, open, and prompt communication, allowing people to make their own decisions, maintaining confidentiality, and by publically acknowledging member’s good work.”  

It is particularly crucial for managers of virtual teams to detect and address conflict. “Notice any changes in behavior or attitude. You need to bring conflict to light even more so on a virtual team because people don’t see each other”. Aline advises having a positive open-minded talk with each party, where you tell them you are sensing tension and invite them talk about their concerns. Once you understand these and have discussed possible solutions, arrange a meeting among people involved to deal with the conflict and to work out a resolution.

MANAGERS SHOULD TRUST PEOPLE WHILE MAKING SURE WORK GETS DONE
People need to be their own leaders so they can do great work without prodding. Virtual managers should walk a fine line between trusting people’s capabilities and ensuring tasks are being done, without coming across as a micromanager. “Never throw someone on a virtual team a big chunk of work with a 2-3 week deadline. Tasks should be broken into smaller chunks where you hold the person responsible and then keep in continuous contact.”  The manager should talk with each person on the team every day to ask how things are going.

Sometimes virtual teams benefit from setting up a social networking site for themselves where they can share a little personal information on themselves such as a hobby, post pictures of themselves and their families. “Virtual teams need to be very open minded that not everyone has the same viewpoint or lifestyle, they need to be open to learning and sharing.” Folks should be encouraged to share stories that give others a window into their culture and world such as being hit with a big snow storm or what they did with their families for Christmas.

PROGRAM REQUIRES STUDENTS  TO WORK IN VIRTUAL TEAMS
Aline’s program is completely virtual. Students work in virtual teams for every homework, so they get the flavor of what it is like to lead a team whose members may be in China and Europe.  As in the real virtual teams they must negotiate schedules around huge time zone differences and develop project management and processes to “stay on the same page while not being in the same context”. The student teams use synchronous and asynchronous technology to communicate, track progress, and share information: a web meeting and collaboration tool Elluminate, discussion forums, wiki, individual and team chats, electronic calendars, e-Mail, phone and Web conferencing. Chat is particularly useful because people can multi-task while chatting and it overcomes issues with accents and phone quality.