Subtitles of the Movie

In this movie, we'll address the special communication needs that sometimes exist within projects. This may be a result of virtual teams and offshore teams. When we spoke of acquiring project team members I had addressed virtual, or remote teams and how virtual teams allow you to tap into resource pools otherwise not available. While this is a wonderful thing, it opens up some communication needs that must be addressed. Communicating with virtual teams is different than communicating with co-located teams. Maintaining offshore teams also has different communication needs that must be considered. If approached correctly, virtual teams and offshore teams can have just as good, if not better, communication than teams within the same physical office. First, we'll need to recognize that in these cases special needs do exist and then when they do we'll need to address them. In these cases here are a few things to consider. Things like time zones, communication preferences, the organizational structure that the teams work in, language barriers, cultural differences and technology barriers. Let's talk more about these items. There are several scenarios where varying time zones may impact your project, especially considering a team located on the other side of the globe who have sometimes a difference of 12 or more hours from your own time zone. This can make scheduling team meetings difficult and tricky. It doesn't make sense to require team members to work an 18-hour day when they need to participate in a meeting. There are always ways around this, so don't exclude certain teams from important meetings where their input, their feedback and their general participation is necessary for the success of the project. Due dates may also require adjustments as a result of time zone differences. Be conscious of the time zones and make a regular effort to communicate time zones for events and due dates. Communication preferences of stakeholders should be addressed within the Communications Management Plan but some stakeholders may have more unique preferences than others. For instance, some stakeholders may constantly be traveling and, therefore, in person meetings is not an acceptable method, especially when you have something like virtual teams. In other cases, a stakeholder may have a disability that doesn't allow them to participate in ways that others can. You should be aware of any limitations so that you can address them. The organizational structure that the teams work in is a clear influencing factor. Now that you have an understanding of the structure that does exist, or the different structures, you'll be conscious of them. If you're working in a functional organization it's like that communication takes place through a hierarchical approach. That means that you'll need to go through the functional manager to acquire resources, to get authorization for changes and to address other project needs. You'll also understand where the loyalties lie. For projectized organizations, you know that the team's loyalties lies with the project. All of this affects communications. Language and cultural barriers should be addressed carefully. When language barriers exist, be sure that you carefully put the basic model of communication into place. Document when possible. I worked on several projects that involved teams located in other countries and where the language and culture was different from my own. Documenting conversations for later reference was essential for the team members. And with cultural differences, it's one that's often ignored and it can really impact the project. Research the different cultures that you're dealing with and ask questions. Most people respect the fact that you're interested in understanding their culture and how they approach the work. You can educate each other on your respective cultures and open the dialog to avoid miscommunication later down the line. I learned from a previous project where one team had to be given permission to ask questions, so don't assume that absolutely receiving no questions means that everything is understood. That can be a costly mistake. And lastly, we have technology barriers. This can be interpreted in many ways. For instance, where the team is located can create barriers such as unstable connections, lack of accessibility to technical support. If you're working with complex technology or a newer version of a tool, your team members may require training. As you're identifying stakeholders at the beginning of the project and then building your Communications Management Plan, make sure that you address all of these special considerations where necessary. You'll always be glad that you did. And that concludes this movie on managing the special communication needs of the project.