6 Ways to Work More Effectively on a Virtual Team
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      6 Ways to Work More Effectively on a Virtual Team
      Published: January 28, 2005

      Who hasn't awakened a colleague from a deep sleep with a mistimed 
      telephone query, wished for a quick in-person chat to resolve a sticky 
      problem with a co-worker who's forever on the move, or didn't know where 
      to find a critical file owned by someone half a world away?
      These and other problems are commonplace for those who work on teams in 
      other parts of the city, country, or the world. Frequent travelexhausting 
      and expensivecan't be the day-to-day solution.
      So, while you've probably solved the time zone problem by checking the Web 
      for local time before you make a call, the following suggestions might 
      help solve some of the other problems of working with others a world away.
      On This Page
            1. Use Instant Messaging for Quick Impromptu Meetings
            2. Use a Virtual Conference Room for More Formal Meetings
            3. Keep Your Meetings Organized
            4. Set Up a Virtual Water Cooler
            5. Review Edits of Co-Workers, No Matter Where They Are
            6. Stay in Touch: Use a PDA to Keep Your Important Data With You

      1. Use Instant Messaging for Quick Impromptu Meetings
      One tool that's often overlooked when working with virtual teams and 
      remote co-workers is instant messaging (IM). It's a great tool for a quick 
      answer or opinion. Once you add your teammates to your contact list, the 
      IM program, such as Windows Messenger or MSN Messenger, will let you know 
      when they're online. You can also message a team member's cell phone, such 
      as the Microsoft Windows Mobile-based Smartphone.
      Most programs also allow a multi-person chat, making instant messages a 
      great way to conduct a spontaneous meeting. Unlike e-mail, everyone sees 
      the messages and can respond simultaneouslyeven "talking" all at 
      onceadding a touch of closeness for far-flung team members. Some of these 
      programs also enable you and your team to exchange files, use a 
      whiteboardeven see each other if you each have a Webcam.
      What you need to get going:  Everyone can download either Windows 
      Messenger or MSN Messenger, both Microsoft products. The one downside of 
      instant messaging is that it often only works if everyone is using the 
      same program and system. 
      Top of page
      2. Use a Virtual Conference Room for More Formal Meetings
      Web-based conferencing makes it possible to brainstorm, make a slide 
      presentation, have a staff meeting, or conduct training sessions with a 
      group of people who are thousands of miles apart. Everyone attending sees 
      the same information at the same time, as if they were gathered around one 
      table. These programs, such as Microsoft Office Live Meeting, also enable 
      you to share files (not just prepared slides), use digital 
      whiteboardseven save the presentation so people who couldn't attend the 
      meeting can watch it later. Most services charge on a monthly or per 
      user/per minute basis.


      1. Green boxes indicate who is attending the meeting.
      2. You can make notes using a digital whiteboard.
      3. Your agenda goes here.

      What you need to get going:  With Live Meeting you just need a telephone 
      and a PC with a Web connection. Get more information about Microsoft 
      Office Live Meeting.
      Top of page
      3. Keep Your Meetings Organized
      What's the agenda for today's meeting, and where are the documents you 
      need to review? What did you decide at last week's meeting? There's an 
      alternative to scrambling through e-mail messages, attachments, and your 
      file system to find the answersa Meeting Workspace provides a central 
      place on the Web for all this information. It's easy to set up: you create 
      the site within an Outlook meeting request. 
      Then, before a meeting, use it to send a meeting invitation to those 
      attending and include a link to the workspace where those invited can see 
      the agenda and find the documents you plan to discuss. Conduct the meeting 
      as you would ordinarily whether in person, over the phone, or using a 
      conferencing program, such as Live Meeting. Then use a Meeting Workspace 
      to publish the meeting results and track tasks. 
      What you need to get going:   Everyone on the team needs Microsoft Office 
      Outlook 2003, a Microsoft Exchange Server e-mail account, and access to a 
      SharePoint Services site. Talk to your IT administrator to find out what 
      your company has set up. Get the details on how to use and set up a 
      Meeting Workspace.
      Top of page
      4. Set Up a Virtual Water Cooler
      Set up a Web site for everyone on your team to share information such as 
      calendars, to-do lists, and reports, as well as poll team members on an 
      upcoming decision or hold newsgroup-style discussions. With a Windows 
      SharePoint Services site, you can control access to team documents, 
      keeping track of versions and updates. As teammates add or delete 
      documents, links are automatically updated so the content is always 
      current. You can also personalize the display of information to a certain 
      extentfor example, hide information that doesn't interest you or change 
      the order in which the information is listed.
      What you need to get going: Everyone on the team needs to have access to a 
      SharePoint Services site. Get more detail on the benefits of using a 
      SharePoint site or take advantage of the free trial version.
      Note  You can also set up a SharePoint site (and the Meeting Workspace 
      mentioned above) using Microsoft Office SharePoint Portal Server.
      Top of page
      5. Review Edits of Co-Workers, No Matter Where They Are
      When you can't pore over a document together, the ability to track the 
      changes you and your teammates make is a boon to collaboration. Microsoft 
      Office Word, Microsoft Office Excel, and Microsoft Office PowerPoint all 
      enable you to track the changes you make, although the capabilities in 
      Word are the most powerful.
      You can also accept or reject proposed changes, and when it's time to 
      distribute the document, you can set Word to hide all revisions. For a 
      more final version, you can accept all the changes to make sure that no 
      stray revision marks or comments remain in the document you plan to 
      distribute. 


      1. Word automatically color-codes the edits and comments of each person. 
      (You can display the comments of any one reviewer or all reviewers.)
      2. Word tags edits with the reviewer's initials as well as the date and 
      time of each change.

      What you need to get going:  Learn how to track changes in Word with three 
      self-paced lessons and two hands-on practice sessions. When you're done, 
      take away a Quick Reference Card to help you work on your own. You can 
      also find out how to track changes in Excel and track changes in 
      PowerPoint.
      Top of page
      6. Stay in Touch: Use a PDA to Keep Your Important Data With You
      One challenge to long-distance collaboration is making sure you have on 
      hand all the documents you need to contribute to a conference call or 
      online meeting. This is even more difficult when you're away from your 
      desk. Consider solving part of the problem with a mobile device such as a 
      Smartphone or a Pocket PC. You can easily keep information on your mobile 
      device synchronized with your desktop or notebook computer so you always 
      have the latest information with you. Read more about Windows mobile 
      devices.
      What you need to get going:  Browse the devices available on Windows 
      Mobile and talk with your IT department about their recommendations. If 
      you use a Windows Mobile-based device, you'll have all you need to keep 
      your computer and mobile device in sync. However, you may want to take 
      advantage of the latest version of ActiveSync, the software that makes 
      synchronization possible.



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