What will the workplace become if there is no network of communication? The answer is obvious. There will be tons of misunderstanding amongst the team members, the project may get delayed, and the work outcomes might be haphazard. The essence of communication can't be neglected in any kind of work model. The distributed work model has become one of the flexible, dynamic, and trending work patterns accepted by many organizations. The intermingled work model of both on-site and off-site human resources flourished over different geographical locations is the distributed work model. Due to diverse geographic locations, the time zones also may vary which can invite certain challenges in communication styles.
Distributed project teams also belong to the category of distributed work model where different team members are allocated in different geographical locations. The multiple time zones and geographical diversities where team members reside, such reasons make the project managers grapple with various challenges and the concern of effective communication emerges as a significant factor for the project to be successful. One of the main determinants for project success is communication and there may exist many challenges to communication amongst distributed project team members such as:
i) Team members having difficulty in transitioning
ii) Absence of mirroring/synchronizing with connected people on an organic basis
iii) Requirement of time and resources for capitalizing on tech
iv) Complications on team functions due to overlapping workdays
v) Conflict in information due to asynchronous exchange of information
vi) Creation of frustration surrounding the non-collaborative hiccups
vii) Lower team morale affecting the business’s bottom line and aligned goals
viii) Lack of open communication of team members’ feelings and emotions
ix) Issues with internet provider, troubleshooting guidelines, and technical results
x) Information asymmetry with trust issues, poor documentation
Technology plays a crucial role in distributed project teams as operating in this fashion requires digital technology for the team members to cooperate and collaborate. Even though there is a cornucopia of tech around every corner of the world, there are certain challenges that C-suite executives, employers, and employees/project team members have to face as mentioned above.
From unclear expectations to dilemmas of choosing the right channel of communication, various challenges need to be overcome in the distributed project teams. Following are the robust communication strategies that project managers need to get cracking to overcome the challenges that occur in distributed project teams:
The communication plan should sketch the communication channels for the requirement/need of the projects such as email, instant messaging, video calls, or any other project management software. The communication strategy should be formal and comprehensive and intend to deliver consistent messages concatenated with the project’s goal and vision. This helps the project team members better extrapolate their roles and responsibilities better downscaling the misunderstandings and kinship gap between team members.
What can be done to establish a robust communication plan?
i) Determining the effective channels for the requirement of the project may be email, video conferencing, or others.
ii) Tracing the purpose and frequency of the communication channels for example: if the team members want quick responses, instant messaging should be used
iii) Ensuring the discussion on important topics occurs within the stipulated time
iv) Usage of visual communication ads like Gantt charts, and Kanban boards, and documentation of communication protocols such as response times, meeting agendas, etc
v) Encouraging Active listening and team members’ engagement through various inputs such as welcoming new ideas/perspectives, discussions with active participation of team members
vi) Continuous evaluation of the communication strategy if it has contributed to effective communication
vii) Adjustments in plan in case of need and taking solicit feedback from project team members
When project team members are in diverse geographies, the role of technology is prodigious as communication can only be exchanged with technological instruments. There should be applications of project management software that constitute features of real-time discussions, documentation, immediate tracking, video conferencing, and many more. Click here to read the blog about project management software. By leveraging the technological tools, project heads or project managers can eliminate the communication gap and accelerate team collaboration between the team members.
How can the tech tools be utilized by the distributed team members?
i) Extensive research, analysis, and selection of the appropriate tools considering their ease of use, amicableness with current processes, and more
ii) Investment in training the distributed team members about using tools such as video tutorials and, the availability of a support team for technical issues
iii) Creating a centralized repository of information encompassing task assignments, task updates, shared documents, etc that everyone has equal access to
iv) Encouraging real-time collaboration with deadline tracking so that team members get information about progress and logjams
v) Using cloud-based document-sharing platforms along with streamlining the repetitious tasks
vi) Regular evaluation of used technology and upgrading and switching of the tools if necessary
With the distributed project team members, it's open-and-shut the team members belong to different races, cultural backgrounds, and diverse languages and habits but there should be a development of a culture where team members feel free to share their ideas, perspectives, and feedback in an open manner. The diverse opinions should be respected and this is possible only when they feel they can share their concerns openly in a domicile environment. To strengthen the camaraderie between team members, virtual team-building activities should be encouraged.
How can a secure and open ambiance be created for the distributed team members?
i) Project managers showcasing open and transparent communication by inviting diverse perspectives
ii) Encouraging constructive discussions and feedback sessions with the practice of active listening
iii) Praising and providing suggestions in terms of achievements and improvements in case of requirement, celebrating team success and milestones, expressing gratitude for every individual beneficence
iv) Facilitating conflict resolution techniques and creating cross-functional collaboration rostrums for continuous improvements
v) Organizing virtual sessions for skill-building, growth, and productivity of team members
While working distributedly, the team members must have the capability of self-starting. They must be able to respect the tasks assigned to complete within fixed deadlines and enforce the deliverables in the designated time frame. For this, they should be able to understand the roles entrusted to them, project goals and deliverables, and project standards to avoid ambiguous surroundings at work.
How can project heads articulate the roles and responsibilities to the distributed team members?
i) Documenting roles and responsibilities and sharing with team members for mutual understanding
ii) Creating RACI Matrix (Responsibility Assignment Matrix: Reasonable, Accountable, Consulted and Informed) that sketches the roles of team members along with project deliverables
iii) Conducting one-on-one meetings to make them understand the individual goals, addressing their queries, and receiving feedback for clarification
iv) Regular reviewing and updating of roles to make sure the roles align with project deliverables and individual caliber
v) Cinching that team members contain appropriate tools and resources to fulfill the assigned roles, continuous support, and guidance to each team member
vi) Organizing regular performance reviews for evaluation of individual progress and areas needed for potential improvements
Regular communication is a must in a distributed project model. When there are on-site employees, it's easier to exchange information but due to multiple facets of the challenges, it can bear more issues of lack of clarity and misinterpretation in distributed project models. There should be sharing of regular project updates, deadlines, recognition, and task achievements with the entire team with the help of a central repository hub of information. Everyone must have access to the centralized information cynosure.
How can regular communication be ensured?
i) Frequent check-ins and team meetings for periodical information sharing and exchange
ii) Using multiple communication and asynchronous channels like email, video conferencing, project management software systems, instant messaging
iii) Encouraging in gear participation of team numbers such as queries, and curious questions along with fun activities sometimes
iv) Using visual communication like charts, and infographics to sort out complex skepticism
v) Documentation and sharing of meeting minutes serving as source of decisions taken and actionable details for later assignments
What Extra?
i) It's important for managers to lead the team by example by sharing some good practices about effective communication.
ii) Purchase easy-to-use collaboration tools that can be automated and integrated with existing systems.
iii) It’s important for the project head to incorporate cultural understandings in decision-making to foster inclusivity and mutual cooperation.
iv) Cross-cultural collaboration opportunities should be encouraged.
v) Employees need to have an assemblage of information on every project procedure, and OKRs before the execution of the project so that communication can be smoothened.
Distributed project team relies heavily on effective communication and it's more than just a need. These aforementioned strategies will definitely beef up project team unity resulting in project success amidst the growing challenges. In a nutshell, the communication strategies will aid in making the project family interconnected and succeed.