The impact of virtual environment on project teams

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis is to develop a theoretical basis for understanding virtual project teams by determining what implications the virtual environment have on project team processes and performance. Particularly, it discusses similarities and dissimilarities between traditional and virtual project teams, while highlighting the unique features associated with spanning distance, organizational, and time boundaries coupled with communication through the ICTs (Information and Communication Technologies) of the latter. The introductory section, chapter 1, provides key definitions and background needed to understand project management discipline. It begins with definition of project and its unique characteristic, including the five phases of a project life cycle: conceptual, planning, definition and design, implementation, and conversion. Then, it is explained what is project management followed by brief descriptions of its basic functions such as planning, organizing, motivating, directing, and controlling. The chapter also includes typology of project management, which based on the number of projects and number of involved sites, distinguishes seven different types of projects. Finally, it is clarified how to assess project success and how to increase the probability of accomplishing the project successfully. The sequential part, chapter 2, is devoted to the topic of project teams. First, it discusses basic characteristic of teams and describes how project teams differ from other types. As well, different types of project teams, including functional, lightweight, heavyweight, and autonomous, are presented. Second, it provides the five stages development model of teams and analyzes how to facilitate the team transition through each of the stage so that the team could achieve its potential. Third, the chapter describes the leader, manager, facilitator, and mentor role of project manager and identifies what kind of competencies are necessary to fulfill these multiple roles. It is also proved that project execution requires application of different management styles. The chapter ends with explanation how to assess team effectiveness and what are the factors that contribute to team effectiveness. The last part of this thesis, chapter 3, has structure analogical to previous chapter, however, it is devoted to virtual project teams. It begins with the general characteristics of virtual teams, including different dimensions of virtuality and different types of virtual teams. Then, virtual project teams are distinguished from other types of virtual teams and unique characteristic of the latter are described. Moreover, the chapter depicts how virtual project teams mature and what kind of obstacles they have to confront on this way. Furthermore, it discusses how virtual environment influences leading and managing project teams. It also provides factors that enhance virtual teamwork. The chapter concludes with the comparison of traditional and virtual project teams and discussion of implications and challenges derived from project team virtuality.