Managing Virtual Teams

Description

Virtual collaborative team environments face unique challenges because coworkers are not able to interact in person. Managing Virtual Teams: Getting the Most from Wikis, Blogs, and Other Collaborative Tools provides practical advice for managers of distributed teams who must design the internal systems and meet deadlines with a diverse team, and for team members who want to develop and maintain professional relationships. To address these needs, this book is divided into two parts. Part I discusses the basics of team and project management, including team dynamics, communication, and project evaluation, with particular emphasis on the unique challenges of virtual teams. Part II covers the types of tools currently available for collaboration, such as wikis, blogs, RSS feeds, and more, and describes the different feature sets of each, as well as their differences and similarities. As part of their collaborative effort, the authors used a wiki, which they have opened to give readers an opportunity to see an example of a reallife wiki at work and participate in a community with the authors and other readers. About the authors: M. Katherine (Kit) Brown (Comgenesis, LLC) is an awardwinning writer and consultant with 16 years of experience in the technical communication field as a consultant, writer, and manager. She provides consulting services and training to clients on documentation processes and strategies, internationalization, and other technical communication issues. Brenda Huettner (PN Designs, Inc.) has 20 years of experience working with management teams in technical communication. She has published six books for her own press and other commercial publishers, has written dozens of articles on various management topics, and has provided countless presentations at conferences worldwide. Char JamesTanny (JTF Associates, Inc.) has 25 years of experience as a technical writer and is well known for her knowledge of online Help tools and concepts. The author of two books, she speaks frequently at meetings and conferences around the world on Help topics, crossbrowser issues and web standards, and toolspecific functionality. ? Contents: Part I: Building and Managing a Virtual Team ??? Chapter 1: Understanding Team Dynamics in a Virtual Environment ???? Chapter 2: Setting Up a Virtual Team ??? Chapter 3: Evaluating Your Needs ??? Chapter 4: Communicating with the Team ???? Chapter 5: Project Planning and Tracking ??? Chapter 6: Collaborating and Troubleshooting ??? Chapter 7: Conducting Reviews ??? Chapter 8: Managing Risk and Change ??? Chapter 9: Evaluating Project Success ? Part II: Evaluating the Tools ??? Chapter 10: Comparing Features, Tools, and More … ??? Chapter 11: Installation, Customization, and Security ??? Chapter 12: Collaborative Software Suits ??? Chapter 13: Meeting and Communication Tools ??? Chapter 14: Information Broadcasting Tools ??? Chapter 15: Information Sharing Tools ??? Chapter 16: Information Gathering Tools ??? Chapter 17: Wikis ??? Chapter 18: RSS Feeds and Other “Push” Technologies ? Appendix A: It’s a Wiki Wacky World Appendix B: Glossary Index