Software Project Management in Virtual Teams - Semantic Scholar

Science and Information Conference 2013 October 7-9, 2013 | London, UK

Software Project Management in Virtual Teams Bakhtawar Seerat

Marriam Samad

Muhammad Abbas

Department of Computer Engineering National University of Sciences and Technology, Islamabad, Pakistan



Absract—In this paper we discuss what are the problems facing by the virtual teams and how project tools and techniques help to solve management problems in virtual teams. The rise of the Internet and development of collaborative software enabled globalized organizations to have teams that are geographically distributed. So, there lies diversity of skills, knowledge and culture. This leads to new challenges for project management related to effective coordination, visibility, communication and cooperation. So, this needs to be managed differently from usual single place projects. In this paper we will focus on different methods and tools of project management that can facilitate to deal with challenges faced by project managers in managing virtual teams. We suggest some guidelines to furnish such challenges. Six specific project management areas would be taken under consideration to enable successful virtual team procedure. The areas are Organizational Virtual Team Strategy, Virtual Team Risk Management, Virtual Team Infrastructure, Implementation of a Virtual Team Process, Team Structure and Organization and Conflict Management. Keywords—Project Management;Virtual Teams

I. INTRODUCTION Nowadays in the global market, for the international presence of many companies, develops the need to create virtual teams. Today, the trend is to perform software development work by staying at distributed geographical areas in form of a team, individual or even as an organization. For this, one needs to put effort in combining the endowed and brilliant work of numerous professionals at single place. For this, the challenge comes on our way that is the ability to manage and pool recourse by working at distance. A. Factors that influence the project’s success There are five factors that influence the success of Software projects as shown in Fig. 1. B. Major Reason of why projects fail? Lack of Project management is the major cause for IT failures.Software success and failure can be measured in terms of metrics by focusing on the goals that gives objective views on objects and phenomena that are related to software. [2] C. Teams A team is a small group of people with balancing and complementary skills who are devoted to a common rationale and purpose, presentational goals, and approaches for which they clutch themselves jointly responsible.

Fig. 1. Factors affecting projects success [1]

D. Virtual Teams Virtual team is relatively a group of people that uses electronics mediums and can work across space, boundaries, organizational boundaries that strengthened them by webs or other communication technologies. Virtual teams have become very important these days in the global software development. A study shows that about two-third of Inter Corporation‟s employees collaborated with their team members virtually. [3] Many strategies exit for shortening the development life cycles to save the cost e.g. by the usage of COTS (Commercial off the shelf components), subcontracting, jointventures, off shoring and distributed ventures. To make all these things work in an effective manner we need to manage them by using our project management skills and different technology approaches. II. LITERATURE REVIEW Extensive research has been done in past to explore the factors affecting the implementation of virtual teams involved in global software development.

139 | P a g e www.conference.thesai.org


Casey and Richardson carried out research involving a company that had distributed their working in multiple locations (US and Ireland) and involved the virtual team development strategy from both locations. It mentions the main factors like communication tools usage, project management, process engineering, technical ability and knowledge transfer and motivational issues needs serious attention. [4] Ebrahim et al. provided literature review regarding project management issues regarding virtual teams. He stated that coordination and communication is a major issue for the success of a virtual team and information must be propagated to all team members in a correct way. Other issues are management challenges, organizational and multi-cultural challenges. Due attention must be given to manage and groom virtual team to make it competitive. [5] Several tools and techniques have evolved over the passage of time to manage all the knowledge areas of project management. These become more relevant when organizations involve geographically distributed virtual teams. Banica et al. introduced new software formulated by the TenStep methodology for project management. It helps in managing and controlling time, cost, quality, risk and change. It helps in coordination among people and activities of the project. [6] As it‟s always required to manage resources in an efficient manner saving both time and cost. So, Alba and Chicano suggested a tool that is based on GA (genetic algorithm) for project management to solve scheduling issue. [7] Xiaoqing et al.discussed an early warning software system based on fuzzy logic. [8] Nayak and Qiu used data mining techniques to deal with project management issues. The technique involves extracting data from previous projects and making more accurate estimates for your projects e.g. noticing cost patterns in previous projects and planning budget for current project accordingly. But no work has been work to make use of data mining in software domain and no such tool exists that support this. They demonstrated the use of this technique by using data collected from real software business environment. [9] Bowen and Maurer introduced a technique MILOS to support project management issues in geographically distributed team like project coordination, information flow, team communication and management. In addition it also supports pair programming mitigating the need of co-location for pair programming. [10] Beise discusses how much support is provided by project management tools and techniques to resolve issues related to diversified virtual team. This is explained by a database design project been worked upon by IT project teams where team associates use electronic tools for communication and coordination. The results show using tools makes project management much easier and minimizes possible loses [11]. Due to the emergence of several project management tools, the choice of appropriate tool for your project has become difficult and is prone to error. Ahmad and Laplante

suggested a model for selecting the tool using the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP). [12] So, many tools have been used over the passage of time indenting to solve certain issues and challenges of software management in virtual environment. But most of them were just communication tools. There was nothing like proper history and status maintenance of the project. After some passage of time, there was still confusion about the progress of the project to all managers and concerned persons as they were not provided with consistent information. III. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY The approach followed for this research project is based on qualitative research. According to Shank qualitative research is „a form of systematic empirical inquiry into Meaning‟. „Systematic‟ means strategic in an orderly manner, i.e. to follow the standards set and agreed upon by the quality research community participants. „Empirical‟ means that this inquiry is grounded on experience. „Inquiry into meaning‟ says researchers try to understand how others make sense of their experience. [13] Denzin and Lincoln‟s view of qualitative research involves an interpretive and naturalistic approach: „This means that qualitative researchers study things in their natural settings, attempting to make sense of, or to interpret, phenomena in terms of the meanings people bring to them‟.[14] The advantages of doing qualitative research on present approaches to manage virtual teams helps to improve the effectiveness of tools used to manage the teams. Electronic questionnaire comprising of multiple questions has been used for the research purpose. Electronic questionnaires are also called self-completion questionnaires, because respondents can complete them in their own feasible time. Moreover, questionnaires are useful, especially as a means of collecting information from a wider sample than can be reached by personal interview. [15] A. Targeted audience of questionnaire The questionnaire will be provided via email to all project managers who have experience with virtual project team. These individuals are aimed to be belonging to different small sized organizations that are distributed over Pakistan. B. Data Collection A response by each individual is recorded for every question and then all the responses to a question are grouped together and analyzed qualitatively. The questionnaire is planned to clearly understand the issues and challenges related to virtual project teams and to know how organizations are currently dealing with these problems. The questionnaire is shown in table below. The questionnaire was intended to acquire reasons for which organizations make use of virtual project teams. This helps to check whether organizations are using same approaches for virtual team management as for customary collocated teams or not. This also provides knowledge of the collaboration and communication technologies empowering virtual project teams and to gaze for confirmation of the



central issues of communication and collaboration. Furthermore the impact of virtual teams on individual team member‟s moral is judged by questionnaire. It was hoped that with the replies and feedback to the questions it was anticipated that a determination could be made as to whether there were some essential, vital ,fundamental or unexpected differences between the secondary research data composed and the answers. The questions are listed below. TABLE I.

2 3

4 5 6 7 8

Questions

Specify the causes why virtual project teams are used by organization? What are the different techniques your organization use for managing project teams? Are the techniques used by your organization for virtual project teams management different from the customary project teams? If so, what are the main variances? Does your organization use tools (technology, software)? What are they? Explain how you have individually used each tool to manage virtual teams. Rate them in terms of usefulness from 0 to 5 (5 means most useful). What effect virtual teams have on virtual team members' morale? On in-house team members' morale? Outline the 3 main regular communication issues you have come across with virtual project teams? What are the 3 main regular regulatory issues you have come across with virtual project teams?

These questions and responses to them potentially lead to some motivating and remarkable perceptions and visions into how virtual project teams would might manage these projects more effectively and efficiently. IV.

 Virtual teams help utilizing employees in best way.  Convenience

List of Questions 1

 Virtual teams provide innovative problem solving strategy.  Provide diversified organizational culture.

LIST OF RESEARCH Q UESTIONS IN Q UESTIONNAIRE

Question No

B. Findings Question#1 Specify the causes why virtual project teams are used by organization?  Main reason to use virtual teams is cost and resource optimization.

 Flexible Time table  Efficient Resource Engagement  Customer Satisfaction (with flexible time in Virtual teams clients can be supported round the clock) Question#2 What are the different techniques your organization use for managing project teams?  The techniques used for managing virtual are almost same as for traditional teams.  A little bit difference lie between two  Delegate roles and responsibilities.  Distributed team structure Question#3 Are the techniques used by your organization for virtual project teams management different from the customary project teams? If so, what are the main variances?  The main difference are in changed communication habits Everyone involved must know the meaning of key terms. o A common language/interpretation way must be agreed upon.  All team members must be informed about legal requirements by sending them the details. o

DATA AND ANALYSIS

A. Techniques for analysis There are several techniques used for qualitative analysis. Here „content analysis is used. Content analysis is the systematic description of behavior asking who, what, where, where and how questions within formulated systematic rules to limit the effects of analyst bias. It is the preferred technique for analyzing semi-structured interviews and cognitive testing interviews. Content analysis is comfortably self-taught and analyses progress quickly. [16] This study focuses on finding issues and challenges in managing projects when virtual teams are used and how tools and software help to cope with them. It has been carried out by getting opinions of the project managers and employees who are part of software virtual teams. It is applicable to all organizations where virtual teams are used for any kind of tasks. There are many such virtual software companies. All are facing nearly same problems related to communication.

 A sense of urgency exists in virtual scenario.  In virtual communication tools and project management tools are used to make sure that the project goes through all the phases successfully. Question#4 Does your organization use (technology, software)? What are they?  Management Tools used are little diversified.

tools

 Skype for Conference  Team viewer for instant guidance  Microsoft Team Foundation Server  Visio



 Visual Studio

 Access issues

 Custom Project Tracking tool and Ticketing System

 Updating of documents and al team members have same version updated documents

 Configuration Management tools  Source Control

 To provide all team members with required and correct information.

 Help Desks

 Inability to verify the status of work during execution

Question#5 Explain how you have individually used each tool to manage virtual teams. Rate them in terms of usefulness from 0 to 5 (5 means most useful).  Mostly less technical tools are preferred.  Moreover inexpensive and easily available tools are used.  Source Control  Visio Question#6 What effect virtual teams have on virtual team members' morale? On in-house team members' morale?  As people work in isolation and thus have „ours and your‟ mentality.  Those group members working closer to management get more attention  And thus influence most project decisions don‟t

have

personal

 As virtual team members are in there comfort zone at all time, the moral stays high through the end of the project Question#7 Outline the 3 main regular communication issues you have come across with virtual project teams?  Time differences o o  Language

Responses get delayed. Short windows of opportunity to discuss issues

o Accents o Difference in written communication skills o Diverse meanings of same words.  Team members give selective responses and ignore rest.  Inaccessibility  Server crashes Question#8 What are the 3 main regular regulatory issues you have come across with virtual project teams?  Clarity of communication  Lack of Responsibility

V.

SUMMARY OF RESULTS

The main findings of the research are  Organizations use virtual teams mainly for cost reason.

 Virtual project teams managers use leadership more than management.

 Visual Studio VSTS and Diagramming

usually

 Client Communication

 Techniques used for managing virtual project teams are almost same as used for traditional project teams.

 Custom Tracking Tool

 Team members connections.

 Training

VI. CONCLUSION Many organizations use Virtual teams for achieving their cost effective goals and to cope with different resource limitation. The expenses increase quickly when the number of hiring increases within an organization that is not based on virtual concepts. Employees also shows some level of discomfort and un satisfaction when they work away from home so the human cost also gets involved so the morale of employees decreases which effects the outcomes of the project unenthusiastically and unconstructively and at last the cost outweighs the benefits of such policies and projects. For successful management of virtual project teams it is vital to produce an organized and comprehensive virtual environment. Only powerful Communication and collaboration are the ways through which this can be achieved. All concerned team members should be taken into confident before the .implementation of different process and procedures related to the projects they are working for. Delegate roles and responsibilities should be assigned to the team members with proper mile stones and deadlines defined for the assigned task. Deliverables need to be defined along with key terms. If there are updates in the schedule then they should be properly communicated to all team members in a timely fashion. No assumption should be made for this environment. Traditional teams may use conventional waterfall model. For virtual teams Agile and Extreme Programming model are more suited. Either sprint is defined for teams to accomplish. Or change requests do come in directly either from client or from the person in charge of the project. For managing virtual teams project managers should follow standards defined by the organization created throughout the projects.  Bi weekly and weekly reports on the project are submitted by the team members.  Bi weekly conference members.

meetings

between

team



The moral of employees could b increased by creating leisure outdoor activities to keep everyone happy. More over by cheering employees from distributed sites to interrelate, cooperate and work with each other builds personal relationships and the culture of the team would change from “us versus them” and from “me verses ours” mentality. To decrease the communication gap between the client and virtual team one of the best practice that can be suggested by the project management could be the effective use of Custom Project Tracking tool and Ticketing Systems. In this the client can communicate easily through the client portal to the management where he/she could easily allocate the department the issue is directed and the issue they are facing during and even after delivering the project to the client. The project team would reply to the queries and would change the status from waiting to respond or resolved depending upon the current situation.

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]

[7]

[8]

No doubts that it‟s complex and hard to manage virtual teams because they span time, remoteness, and organizational boundaries. The environment adapted by the employees is significantly different so it‟s important for virtual teams to work together and share their experiences and ideas to overcome different problems. In fact the project manager should kept on shifting his role from a task manager to a team leader and then from a team leader to a project manager.

[9]

Thus a properly managed virtual team by following the above mentioned suggestions could accomplish higher degree of successes as a good project management plays a vital role behind the success of any project in any organization working in rational or virtual environment.

[14]

[10] [11] [12] [13]

[15]

[16]

REFERENCES Joseph Gulla, Seven Reasons Why Information Technology Projects Fail. IBM Corporation August 11, 2011Session 9341, 2011. Ante Martinić, Virtual Teams, 2009. Jay,Nunamaker, Reinig& Briggs, Principles for effective virtual teamwork.ACM Volume: 52, Issue: 4, 2009. Valentine Casey and Ita Richardson, Uncovering the Reality within Virtual Software Teams, 2006. N. Ale Ebrahim ,Shamsuddin Ahmed, and Zahari Taha, Virtual Teams and Management.Academic Leadership Journal 9: 3. 1-7, 2009. Logica Banica, Doina Rosca and Cristian Stefan, A Software for Project Management Process. Proceedings of the Romanian Academy, Vol. 10, no.2, pp. 179-187, 2009. Enrique Alba and J. Francisco Chicano, Software project management with Gas, Information Sciences, 177 (11):2380-2401, (ISSN: 00200255), 2007. Xiaoqing Liu Xiaoqing Liu,G.Kane and M. Bambroo, An Intelligent Early Warning System for Software Quality Improvement and Project Management, 2003. Richi Nayak and Tian Qiu, Data Mining Application in a Software Project Management Process, 2004. S Bowen and F Maurer, Process support and knowledge management for virtual teams doing agile software development, 2002 Catherine M. Beise, ITS Project Management and Virtual Teams, 2004. Norita Ahmad and Phillip A. Laplante, Software Project Management Tools: Making a Practical Decision Using AHP, 2006. Shank, G, Qualitative Research. A Personal Skills Aproach. New Jersey: Merril Prentice, 2002. Denzin N. and Lincoln Y. (Eds.) (2000). Handbook of Qualitative Research. London: Sage Publication Inc., 2000. Munn, Pamela & Drever, Eric, Using Questionnaires in Small-Scale Research: A Teachers‟ Guide Scottish Council for Research in Education, Edinburgh, 1999. Max M. and Lynn J, Symptom Research, Methods and Opportunities, 2003.
