I have known a number of project managers who made a successful career out of working remotely. But there are a number of pre-requisites that make working virtually work. Here are top three:
Trust – Trust that the project manager is truly working effectively. Many problems are not immediately evident, and often too late when they become evident
Discipline – Working virtually is not for everyone. That’s why most Starbucks and Panera Bread are full of people working. Why – because while flexibility is great, there are too many distractions. Thus, you need to ask yourself whether your working style is suitable for working remotely.Socialization – Let’s face it; it is more difficult for people working remotely to build social bonds. It’s not impossible, to be sure, but it requires more time. Thus, if an organization decides to go virtual, they should also create forums in which their professionals can interact.
BTW, I can thinking of one additional company benefit of allowing people to work remotely – more harmonious workplace. People who dislike each other do not have to see eye to eye, literally.
Te Wu’s comments on the below Bob Egeland article for CIO:
Bob Egeland for CIO writes: Remote project management and virtual teams can be a great project model if your organization allows it and your staff is focused on productivity. Here’s why.
Are you a project manager who needs to pitch the concept of remote project management to your PMO director? Or are you a PMO director or CIO or corporate exec building your project management model and you need to pitch the virtual project management team model to your CEO or the rest of your leadership team? I’m sure there are many resources out there that tell you why remote project management is a good idea or why virtual project teams work. Hint, if you read the phrase carbon footprint in the article anywhere run away, it’s likely outdated. I’m not saying you want save resources and a few trees and percentages of the ozone layer by going remote, but the term carbon footprint has almost a “disco” ring to it, so avoid that as part of the argument.
Here are a few arguments that can be made for remote project management from my perspective as I’ve been doing it successfully for most of the past 12 years or so. SNIP, the article continues @ CIO, click here to continue reading……