asjad99 / project-management Goto Github PK

Project management Course Project

Topic: Virtual Teams - Role of ICT in managing globally distributed Projects

Globally distributed teams if managed properly can add a lot of value to organizations. The notion of Information and communication technologies is deeply interwoven with the functioning of virtual teams, so much so that without it the concept of virtual teams collapses. It is observed that there is a direct co-relation between how effectively teams use ICT and how well they perform in the long run. In this report we take a look at some of the challenges faced by remote teams and types of risk inherent in remote IT projects. In the process we will answer the question: how ICT can be used to effectively to conduct and manage remote IT projects and mitigate risks that are inherent in large-scale IT projects?

In this project we critically examined, literature on virtual teams and discussed various problems and challenges faced by such teams. We discussed the role that ICT can play in managing risk inherent in remote IT projects. We can conclude that sophisticated communication technologies can go in vain if there is lack of oneness and trust amongst the team members. Remote Projects can take a path of failure if the team members are not willing share important knowledge. Certain ICT tools can provide more information richness and can reduce the communication gaps better than others. Furthermore, internal social communication tools that allow informal commination can go a long way in establishing bonds or oneness amongst team members

It is also recommended that companies should establish a communication framework for teams which includes the protocol and guidelines for communication amongst team members. This can help in on time decision making, can enable quick knowledge transfer and can effectively mitigate risks associated with lack of communication in remote teams. It is worth mentioning that even though globally distributed teams face a lot of challenges, they have the capability to provide organizations with great opportunities and benefits in terms of adding business value (Akemi et. al,2013).

Lastly, It was observed that a lot of research has been done to study the problems faced by remote teams but few researchers have focused their attention on studying directly the co-relation between ICT usage and remote team performance. We believe effective ICT usage is an important aspect for project managers to consider while building remote teams. Further research in this area has the potential to bring valuable insights to organizations and can help project managers to become more effective.