Management of Virtual Project Teams: Guidelines for Team Leaders

This article offers a set of guidelines to assist project leaders when managing virtual project teams. The guidelines were developed as a result of a panel at the celebration of the 30 anniversary of the founding of the MIS department at the University of Arizona. These guidelines include recommendations for addressing challenges that occur over the virtual team project life cycle, including identifying appropriate team members, establishing conventions and norms, and creating shared awareness. We also give practical advice on how to highlight successes and learn from mistakes to ensure ongoing development of leadership and participation skills that will enable project leaders to manage virtual teams successfully.