Project Management and Remote Teams

Being a project manager on a remote team can present difficult challenges.  The reality, remote work is here to stay, so I wanted to look at some of the key concerns I believe are still valid today and will require review and plans to solve these concerns within your teams. 

1.     Maintaining effective communication: Remote teams often have difficulty communicating effectively, due to the lack of face-to-face interaction, and the use of different tools and technologies. This can lead to delays, misunderstandings, and make it difficult to achieve project goals.

2.     Remote teams can have difficulty building trust and cohesion, which can lead to communication breakdowns and misunderstandings.

3.     Monitoring progress: Remote teams can make it more difficult for project managers to monitor progress and ensure that team members are staying on task

4.     Accountability: Remote work can make it more difficult for project managers to hold team members accountable for their deliverables, as it can be harder to monitor progress and ensure that work is being done to a high standard.

5.     Managing remote members: Managing remote team members may require different techniques and strategies than managing in-person teams, including setting clear expectations and boundaries, providing feedback and support, and handling conflicts.

6.     Multiple Time zones: Coordinating schedules and ensuring that team members are available for meetings and other important activities can be challenging when team members are in different time zones or working different schedules.

7.     Resolving conflicts: Teams may have difficulty resolving conflicts, as it can be harder to build trust and rapport among team members.

8.     Motivating remote team members can be harder to build team cohesion and camaraderie, which can make it difficult to achieve project goals

9.     Ensuring security: Remote teams often must contend with different security risks, such as data breaches, hacking, and phishing attacks. Ensuring the security and confidentiality of these teams become increasingly challenging as devices are susceptible to theft and access by unapproved users.

These are new challenges that many leaders did not have to address 20 years ago. Remote teams were not as common as they are today, and the technology and tools available for remote work were not as available. This means that there were fewer opportunities for remote teams to form and fewer resources available to support remote work.

20 years ago, the internet and internet-based communication tools were not as widely available or as fast as they are today, which made it more difficult to stay connected with remote team members and share information. The culture of working remotely was not as prevalent, and the concept of remote teams was not as well-understood or accepted as it is today. Many companies and managers were not familiar with the benefits and challenges of remote teams and were reluctant to adopt remote work practices. 

If you’re serious about becoming an IT project manager or advancing your project management skillset, Puro Consulting is an excellent first step to learning about options to make this transition.  I will soon be offering online content training and a free 30-minute consultation to discuss what options are available to you and to see how I can help you transition or grown in this exciting and rewarding career. 

Please visit for more information or to sign up for our mailing list at: https://www.puroconsultants.com