Virtual Project Management: Is It Worth a Shot?

Your project’s goals are determined by the project manager, who also makes sure the team completes it on schedule and within budget. It plays a key role and serves as the tether that binds many teams together. But you are aware that finding, contacting, and screening candidates for virtual project management takes time. Once a candidate has been chosen, teams must additionally onboard and train them, which can further divert attention from mission-critical work.

Virtual project management: what is it?

Project management has not been an exception to how quickly job definitions have changed in recent years due to the expansion of remote work. We’ll examine all the things a remote PM can provide for your team in the following part and explain why they can be an even bigger benefit than a typical one.

How do the abilities required for virtual project management differ from those for a regular office job? Let’s investigate this by contrasting live and virtual PMs side by side.

Project management styles: traditional vs. Virtual

A conventional PM will direct progress and set the project’s pace. Administrator, cheerleader, and resource manager are all roles they play equally well.

Before any work even begins, the project manager on many teams will lower customer expectations. They create and amend a project plan, define the project’s scope, and might assign core team members to specific tasks. They keep track of tasks, remove obstacles, and schedule due dates as the project develops. In order to guide future work, good PMs will also document the process and conduct a post-project retrospective.

Traditional project managers oversee workflows with your team’s selected software suite, develop and update status reports, estimate and monitor progress using Gantt charts and other tools, and estimate and monitor schedules. They must be comfortable with project management applications like Jira, Asana, and Basecamp. Additionally, they must be effective communicators capable of setting priorities and assigning work to others.

Tasks Typical for Virtual Project Management

You shouldn’t distinguish between giving traditional and remote project managers different tasks. A virtual project manager can and should assist with project scope planning, team management, and resource allocation to ensure the project is completed on time and under budget.

The execution and monitoring phases of your project, as well as the closeout, should all be handled by a competent virtual project manager.

Having said that, there are a number of factors that will require your virtual PM to function in a unique way. When working with them, keep the following things in mind:

• Managing a staff that is spread out geographically .
• Organising deadlines across many time zones .
• Dependable connection
• Proper protocol for distant meetings
• Experience with tracking Tools

Online Team Management: Our Best Advice

There are several strategies for leading virtual teams, but they all revolve on a few key ideas. Here are 4 guidelines for leading a team online:

• Clear communication .
• Set objectives .
• Boost personnel engagement
• Address conflict resolution.

These are the same as successful management advice you would receive in person. These suggestions, however, are particularly crucial in a virtual setting. They provide the basis of a solid virtual commercial partnership.

So that you may better grasp how each of these influences your virtual team, let’s go down each one individually.

Create open lines of communication

Poor communication can cost small businesses, on average, $420,000 annually, according to one research. Consistent, transparent communication is crucial when managing virtual personnel just for that reason.

There should be no justifications for failing to check Slack during business hours or missing an email even though your team may be dispersed across the globe and working at various times of the day or on various days of the week.

In a dynamic virtual office setting, flexibility and availability are essential. You can reach Wing Assistants by phone, email, or text. You can obtain a chat app, a safe way to share passwords, and more by using Wing Assistant’s free communication programme.

Your virtual staff members should be flexible when it comes to communication. Add your Wing Assistant team member on these platforms for simple communication if your team is more used to using a messaging tool like Slack or MS Teams.

Your PM will respond during business hours within five minutes. Virtual PMs are accessible during 8-hour time blocks seven days a week. There will never be any ambiguity because you will choose the blocks that are most effective for your team during the on-boarding process.

Specify expectations and rules

Let’s talk about clarifying expectations while we’re on the subject of removing misunderstanding. The majority of hiring managers are aware of the significance of outlining expectations at the outset of a working relationship. The employee will succeed as a result of this. But do you know how to provide a virtual employee useful instruction?

Many Wing Assistant plans come with our in-house developed workflow software that can aid in this process. Tasks can be added to the queue and the status of each job can be seen by participating team members. With the knowledge that your virtual PM would handle them, you can add an endless number of tasks.

It is also possible for your virtual PM to fill other duties if your team is tiny, and you need them to. In order for your VPM to manage customer service, email inbox management, arranging meetings, and other administrative activities, Wing Assistant also staffs teams with virtual assistants.

Encourage and involve members of the virtual team

Motivation and engagement are essential for a virtual team to succeed. Regardless of where they are in the world, team members should come to work with a purpose and goals in mind.

Wing Assistant offers committed assistance. The same team member will consistently show up. By doing this, you and your virtual PM develop a strong working relationship. They will have a deeper understanding of the industry, and you will know what to anticipate from them in return.

Address issues and conflicts

When you want to save money, a virtual employee might be helpful, but many hiring managers are hesitant to recruit remote PMs since managing disagreement appears difficult. Teams that work well have mechanisms in place for managing conflict and performance evaluations. However, dealing with subpar performance while your employee is on another continent might seem nearly impossible.

Our operations staff is responsible for overseeing all wing assistants. To make sure they are on target, they are given feedback and frequent check-ins. If you have any questions or issues, your Customer Success Manager, who is responsible for your account, is available to help.

Typical Obstacles to Virtual Project Management

Technology is not a panacea, even while it makes doing business faster and more convenient. The difficulties that come with working with virtual employees are well known to those who have done so in the past.

We’ll break down the most typical difficulties you can have while working with a virtual project manager in this part, and we’ll show you how Wing Assistant might assist your team in overcoming those difficulties.

Absence of Face-to-Face Communication

Lack of face time is the biggest issue hiring managers have with virtual PMs. Whatever you may think of office life, face-to-face contact is really beneficial to employees. The presence of familiar faces promotes a sense of unity within the ranks.

To make sure your staff is linked, you must be a proactive manager. Fortunately, your virtual PM is always accessible for a video conversation throughout business hours using Wing Assistant. Your Wing Assistant Customer Success Manager is available to ensure that communication is easy if you have any questions.

Time Zone Variations

Dealing with two distinct time zones is a common challenge when managing a remote employee. Because of this basic reality, many recruiting managers are reluctant to employ electronically. But for certain teams that want to keep projects going even while key members are at home with their families, employing a virtual employee who is halfway around the world works well.

There are Wing workers all around the world. To ensure there is never any confusion, hiring managers choose a window of time for their virtual PM to work depending on the company’s local time. If it’s something that matters a lot to you, you may also ask for a PM in your time zone.

Cultural Distinctions

Some recruiting managers worry about how to deal with cultural differences with their new remote worker. One of the major cultural disparities results from a communication gap or language barrier. Of course, “culture” might signify many different things. Others might worry that their new recruit lacks relevant industry experience.

The English of every Wing Assistant is excellent. If hiring US-based personnel is crucial to your company, you can often choose to do so. For additional information, speak with your Wing Customer Success Manager.

Lack of faith

Project management is such an essential function in every firm, as we’ve already stated. A PM is in charge of making sure a team produces outcomes. It seems sense that businesses would be hesitant to delegate these tasks to remote workers.

Working with skilled specialists is assured when you select a managed solution like Wing Assistant. Among the clients of Wing Assistant are startups, talent agencies, medical services, e-commerce merchants, investment businesses, and more. You’ll get the assistance you require regardless of the size of your business.

Remember that you are not working with your PM alone. You can trust that assignments will be finished on schedule since each Wing Assistant virtual PM is supervised by an accomplished operations manager.

Utilise the Right Virtual Project Manager to Overcome Obstacles

The ideal virtual PM will be equipped to handle each of these difficulties. You should search for a remote PM throughout the screening process who has the soft skills to deal with these challenges in addition to the executional experience.

A good VPM will possess the following soft talents, among others:

• Superior communication abilities .
• Excellent organisational skills .
• leadership capacity .
• Strong interpersonal abilities.

If you’re looking to hire a remote PM, it could take weeks or even months to wade through resumes and discover someone who possesses the ideal combination of skills. Fortunately, there is a simpler method. You may drastically reduce the amount of time you spend searching if you use a managed service like Wing Assistant.

Wing Assistant makes virtual project management simple

Finding the ideal VPM is simple using Wing Assistant. We’ll put you in touch with a Customer Success Manager after a 15-minute introduction conversation to discuss the objectives of your team. Your CSM can assist you with creating your Wing Assistant account and starting to delegate chores to it.

To communicate with your assistant, securely share passwords, manage processes, and more, use our unique software solutions. Give your devoted virtual project manager access to infinite work so you can return to concentrating on the crucial task of growing your business. Make a call today to start the process.