As a tech executive, leveraging the multi-geo location model is crucial for the success of any project. While managing a team in a single location presents its own challenges, working with teams spread across multiple locations offers the significant advantages of a global presence and access to diverse talent pools. However, effectively navigating and harnessing the power of distributed teams requires strategic planning and execution.
To address the challenges that arise from distributed teams, it is essential to establish clear roles and interactions within the project team, which includes vendors and the Business Unit. One of the common issues faced is the overlapping of tasks, leading to disruptions and timeline challenges. Miscommunications often result from unclear responsibilities, which can derail the progress of the project. Therefore, defining roles, responsibilities, and developing a robust communication model is crucial. While cultivating a collaborative team culture is essential, ensuring balanced leadership levels within the team is also advantageous. It is important to have one individual accountable for defining and ensuring that roles and responsibilities are well-understood by all team members.
To effectively manage distributed teams, prioritize the following activities:
- Foster an open communication environment where team members feel comfortable sharing ideas and concerns.
- Actively update and maintain a status dashboard, ensuring all relevant parties have input and access to current information.
- Set firm deadlines for decision-making and consistently adhere to them to prevent delays.
- Ensure subject matter experts are utilized to their fullest potential and are involved at the appropriate stages of the project.
- Hold knowledge transfer sessions when new team members are onboarded, and plan for these sessions as part of the project schedule.
Formalizing project commitment across the team is essential.
A well-executed project plan goes beyond just a schedule; it requires commitment across various disciplines. Without this commitment, team leads may prioritize their department’s tasks without considering interdependencies with other teams. To ensure clarity and alignment, all team leads should review and approve the plan, which includes the risk register, role assignments, and the work breakdown structure. The project plan should reflect a collective agreement of all those responsible for execution. Shared responsibility fosters a cohesive approach to achieving project goals.
Planning projects with multiple working units necessitates a team-wide understanding of key assumptions about the future.
Project teams often make assumptions without validating them with other stakeholders, which can lead to misaligned expectations. It is critical for project management and the team to actively raise and validate these assumptions together throughout the project lifecycle. Verified assumptions should be formally documented in project records to ensure transparency and accountability.
Remember the importance of regular communication.
Often, project teams aren’t naturally inclined to communicate with each other, which can create silos and hinder progress. During project planning, prioritize effective communication by involving all stakeholders early in the process. Develop a comprehensive written communication plan to facilitate successful information exchange and alignment of expectations with project goals.
In summary, the key to successfully managing distributed teams and achieving project success lies in strategic planning, clear communication, and collaborative execution. By addressing these areas, tech executives can effectively lead their teams to deliver successful outcomes in an increasingly global and interconnected world.