Communication and Organization

There is no more important factor for a virtual (or physical) team than communication. Being able to only talk by typing on a keyboard filters the bandwidth of normal human communication down to one dimension or less. It's impossible to read body language or sense innuendo by reading an email. The only clues about intention beyond the text are emoticons. Using proper netiquette is essential.

But you have to also consider that your own feelings and mood will affect the words of another person. So before you flame someone on the team for being insensitive or negative, consider that it might just be your own feelings altering your perception of what the author really meant. If you're having a bad day, you should acknowledge it and reply after time away from an upsetting email or chat.

There are a lot of tools available for communicating, among them: ICQ, mIRC, and standard email. At GrimmWare, company President, G.R., recieves over 200 emails per day. There won't be many teams that will generate that much, depending on team size, but it can be a daunting task if you do. Therefore, email should not be the sole means of communication as it is not very conducive to organized discussion.

Chat tools help in facilitating immediate communication, where an email might be too slow. ICQ is excellent for this, and the developers at Ward Six Entertainment use it daily while working. If something comes up, you just start talking about it. It allows a sense of "live" interaction that feels like you are working in the same physical space.

Groupware is growing more sophisticated, and there are some excellent tools available. A messageboard is almost essential, but a true holy grail for virtual teams is Innovie Software's TeamCenter. This product looks incredible, and even assists in implementation of project management, which is something that any serious team will employ. Version control is also a critical system that no team should work without. Granted, some of these tools require cash, but if you can afford it, it will reap many returns in productivity, organization, and sanity.

Another form of communication is some kind of weekly (or daily) progress reporting. In order for the project manager to stay on top of who's doing what, there have to be reports detailing the tasks accomplished or attempted. These do not have to be formal or long, but they should convey precisely and concisely what was achieved. Reports are to announce results. Results are what drives progress, and so reports should be welcome news. Some items on such a report could include (but are not limited to):

• Task accomplished or attempted
• Problems met with and/or overcome
• Predictions of problems that could arise

These reports serve two purposes: 1) in the short term, they allow the project manager to keep tabs on who's doing what and how much time they're spending on it; 2) in the long term, it builds a record of metrics that the team can look back on to find ways to improve the next project. This kind of process is invaluable for improving team performance.

Reports are good, but they should be complimented with weekly meetings. These meetings are chats, but should be treated as no-nonsense business conferences. The moderator or meeting chief should determine the topics to be discussed ahead of time and then a short period of questions and brainstorming can follow if it's appropriate.

It's recommended that an agenda be created for each meeting, including:

• List of topics
• Alloted time for discussing each topic
• Who will moderate each topic's discussion
• Expected results of each discussion

Meetings can be effective, or they can waste valuable time. Save socializing for after the meeting. Socializing among the team is important, but it should be allowed during its own time.

Chain of Command