WSJ Article: How Teams Can Work Well Together From Far Apart
September 17th, 2007 by binnur
Today’s WSJ published an article on IBM and virtual teams: How Teams Can Work Well Together From Far Apart (you might need a subscription). By using their global team, IBM has been able to cut down the development time of WebSphere from 18-24 months to 4 months. Based on the article, here is what makes the team productive:
- Have a common understanding of the task
- Clarify roles and responsibilities
- Set firm ground rules
- Get to know other team members
- Communicate often
Aside from wikis and instant-messaging software, the team breaks down the deliverables into small, well-defined chunks (these tasks are shared with everyone, globally and around the clock.) This, combined with the discipline to continuously update the wikis, helps to keep the miscommunication down. They also highlight the importance of communicating (even if it means interrupting someone) and being open with ideas and information.
It is nice to see a truly virtual development team environment that is also successful. If you know of any others, please share.
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