Archive for Business

3 Steps to Support Virtual Teams

October 15, 2012 at 9:30 am · Filed under Business, Virtual Assistant Tips

Earlier this year Trainingmag.com posted an article on these 3 simple steps to support a Virtual Team.  If estimates from the Telework Research Network are correct, there’s a good chance that as you read this article, you are sitting in your home office, catching up on some reading on your designated telework day. According to the Network, telecommuting grew by 61 percent between 2005 and 2009, and, based on current trends, the organization estimates the number of telecommuting workers will grow to nearly five million by 2016—a 69 percent increase! (Lister, K. & Harnish, T. (June 2011), The State of Telework in the U.S. Telework Research Network, Carlsbad, CA.)

With the growth of telework comes the inevitable growth of virtual teams, groups of people who are geographically dispersed but who work together via new technology such as teleconferencing and videoconferencing, and old technology such as e-mail and phone. Today, you would be hard pressed to find an organization that doesn’t have one or more virtual workers.

The Rise and Staying Power of Virtual Teams

A variety of factors led to the rise of virtual teams. Increasingly sophisticated technology made it possible, and globalization made it necessary. Once virtual teams began, organizations noticed an unanticipated bonus: increased productivity. According to Chad Thompson, senior consultant with Aon Hewitt, the productivity of effective virtual teams can increase from 10 to 43 percent, depending on the industry and the organization, and in several cases, the increase in productivity was equal to (or more than) the organizations’ savings on real estate costs.

In addition, studies confirm that virtual teams offer employers and employees flexibility, reduce time to market, often result in better work outcomes than conventional work teams, attract better talent, and increase knowledge sharing. Global virtual teams allow organizations to garner talent from all parts of the world, save money on travel, and allow access to lower-wage resources. (Lockwood, N. (2010). Successfully Transitioning to a Virtual Organization: Challenges, Impact, and Technology, SHRM Research Quarterly. Alexandria, VA.)

Virtual Team Challenges

However, there are challenges inherent in the virtual team concept. It is difficult to build trust and to manage conflict when team members lack the ability to interact face to face. Communication often is more challenging, particularly among global virtual teams, which also can make cultural barriers more difficult to overcome. (Ebrahim, A., Shamsuddin, A. & Taha, Z. (2009), Virtual Teams: A Literature Review, Australian Journal of Basic and Applied Science,3(3), 2653-2669.)  read more…..

Editor’s Note:  While working virtually can be challenging at times, it is a lot less of a challenge than you might think.  With the latest technology, video meeting systems, project management software and automation systems, working with virtual teams is getting easier and easier. – Dawn Chuma

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A Quick Description Of A Virtual Team

May 9, 2012 at 9:45 am · Filed under Business, Virtual Assistant Tips ·Tagged , , , , , , ,

Virtual Assistants are typically independent contractors or Small Business Owners themselves. They do not go through the same procedures as a full-time employee; rather they are just paid on an as-needed or per project basis for results.

Virtual Assistants get their income by being very productive and delivering high quality and high value to their clients. If you are not successful, they are not successful.

Furthermore, the structure of a Virtual Assistance Team consists of meeting various deadlines for many clients over a period of time therefore, they will have knowledge on how to deal with issues concerning time management, infrastructure, and automation as well as streamlining for your business.

 

Dawn Chuma – Owner/Lead Project Manager
Small Business Solutions in a BIG way!
http://www.dawnchuma.com

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The Best Way To Achieve Business Goals

May 8, 2012 at 9:30 am · Filed under Business, Goals, Project Management, Virtual Assistant Tips ·Tagged , , , , , , , , , , ,

The best way to achieve set goals is to review the detailed steps of each goal and understand what can be done better with Virtual Assistance. It will allow for movement and freedom taking some of the stress off of the employees in the business and sharing their responsibility by delegating tasks.

In most cases businesses manage more than one client and have a large number of deadlines to meet.  Simply handing some of these tasks to a Virtual Team will allow  the business to better manage the expected outcome just at a low cost and with less stress.

Goals are very important for any business. They are the only way you will know what it will take to reach the next level. If business goals are not set, it will stifle the growth of the business. The ability to manage these goals is a skill developed over time.  Creating a strategy to manage the workload is critical because in the end we want to satisfy the customers.

Dawn Chuma – Owner/Lead Project Manager
Small Business Solutions in a BIG way!
http://www.dawnchuma.com

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Reaching Your Business Goals Thru Virtual Assistance

May 7, 2012 at 9:30 am · Filed under Business, Virtual Assistant Tips ·Tagged , , , , , ,

It is important for businesses to meet their overall goals and objectives while maintaining customer satisfaction. In some cases, it can be difficult for businesses to manage their goals, meet the objectives and deliver a high standard of service.  In order to accomplish more, some businesses decide to use virtual assistance in helping meet their overall objectives.

 

In order to accomplish more, the use of Virtual Assistance acts as a reliable source in supporting the backbone of the company. Virtual Assistance allows the common goal of the business to be looked at from different angles using ideas from previous experience.

 

A Virtual Assistant can help in brainstorming goal ideas, help you set them, and then help you to achieve them. In some cases, individuals who are faced with a task to achieve over a short period of time without the complete profile of the company, tend to think outside the box.  This can have a positive impact finding creative ways to reach company goals.

Dawn Chuma – Owner/Lead Project Manager
Small Business Solutions in a BIG way!
http://www.dawnchuma.com

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Create A Strong Virtual Team – Part 4

May 4, 2012 at 11:55 am · Filed under Business, Project Management, Virtual Assistant Tips ·Tagged , , , , , , , , , ,

Maintaining a steady performance is important. A decline in the performance graph is normally seen around a year of work. Stagnancy in performance or decreased enthusiasm is a warning signal.

This can be managed by assigning roles, holding members responsible for their actions, providing proper and timely guidance to the members and easing the frustrations that members may be experiencing by getting results for their efforts.

Highly successful teams meet in person at least once a year because human interaction cannot be replaced with technology and virtual teaming.

Progressive and sensitive team leaders are the most important requirement of a virtual team. Good leadership definitely leads to higher levels of performance. It’s the team leader who builds bridges between team members and promotes interpersonal skills, interpersonal communication and creates an effective work culture.

Dawn Chuma – Owner/Lead Project Manager
Small Business Solutions in a BIG way!
http://www.dawnchuma.com

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Create a Strong Virtual Team – Step 1

May 1, 2012 at 11:51 am · Filed under Business, Project Management, Virtual Assistant Tips ·Tagged , , , , , , ,

Virtual teams have become a prominent feature in business. Being at work now means logging on to your company’s site and working online and even from home. Teams are created for different jobs related to the project and each team worker functions at their designated remote location. Team members collaborate with each other and with other teams online.

While it’s true that virtual teams have become a necessity for most small businesses, it is also true that not all virtual teams are successful. To ensure constructive results from your virtual team, there are some key aspects that the team leader or manager should keep in mind.

Stress on characteristics such as trust, team spirit and results. Virtual team members work remotely and there’s no physical interaction.   It’s important for teams and team members to have a feeling of oneness as they are all working on the same project; it’s only the location that is different.  Communication is important for successful teamwork. When team members build relationships with each other, differences that arise because of feelings such as “our team…” versus “their team…” can be prevented.

Dawn Chuma – Owner/Lead Project Manager
Small Business Solutions in a BIG way!
http://www.dawnchuma.com
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4 of my Favorite Project Management Tools

April 20, 2012 at 7:33 am · Filed under Business, Project Management ·Tagged , , , , , , , , ,

Here are some of my favorite tools to use for effective Project Management.

 

1. Skydrive (Online File Storage) – Many people swear by Googledocs and I have used Googledocs for some clients, but Skydrive is super efficient because it’s incredibly organized.  It organizes files the exact same way your computer organizes files and it’s completely compatible with Microsoft Office.  This is my #1 recommendation for file sharing, storing and organizing.

2. Zendesk (Email Ticket Tracking) – If you are swamped with emails this is a great way to track emails and assign any tasks to another member of your team.  With Zendesk, you are able to keep track of conversations and response time.

3. Freeconference Pro (Meeting Bridge Line) – There a 2 features that are very appealing with conference line.  First it’s FREE and who doesn’t love FREE!  Second, you are able to record calls.  If you are having a meeting with several people and discussing several deliverables, you can easily record the call and send it to all meeting participants.

4. Teamwork PM (Project Management Tool) – What I really like about Teamwork PM over all the other PM tools is the fact that it is incredibly user friendly.  It’s super simple to navigate, easy to track project progress, milestones, add new projects.  It is also very affordable.  Much more affordable than some other PM tools out there.  It even comes with the ability to track time and generate invoices through the system.  It’s really an all in one tool and very low cost.

 

Dawn Chuma

 

 

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Establishing a Communication Plan

April 19, 2012 at 8:56 am · Filed under Business, Goals, Project Management ·Tagged , , , , , , , ,

Communication may be the single most important aspect of a successful project.  If you don’t have a communication plan in place I highly suggest you get one.

Excellent communication ensures that everyone on the project team is on the same page.  Roles are clear, expectations are clear and deliverables are on schedule.

I prefer having a weekly meeting  to discuss successes and obstacles as well as challenges and expectations for the current week.  Talk about solutions to any possible issues so that any potential problems can be fixed before they happen.

A Monthly or weekly report is a common tool for communication. It helps to identify the performance of the project, milestones or targets achieved and tasks planned for the next period.

Start today by identifying ways to have more communication with your team.  I guarantee not only will your projects run smoother but you will build a better overall team atmosphere.

Dawn Chuma

 

 

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Top 5 Tips For Organizing Your Workload

April 18, 2012 at 8:13 am · Filed under Business, Project Management, Virtual Assistant Tips ·Tagged , , , , , , , ,

1. Keep a time diary of all activities – Prepare your work to-do list as per priority and execute accordingly.  If you have a big report due this week, allot 1 hour per day to set aside specifically for that task.  If you try to continually do 5 things at once, you will never really get anywhere.

2. Effectively manage communication – Keep a tidy inbox with separate folders for different mail.  Color code things.  Red can mean important, Blue can mean action item, Orange can mean time sensitive.

3. Prepare in advance for meetings – Ensure a productive output.  There is nothing worse than attending a meeting you either didn’t need to be at or you got absolutely nothing out of.  I’m a big fan of agenda’s because it keeps you on track.  Prepare an agenda, make copies for everyone and allow a certain amount of time on each point before moving on.

4. Prioritize – For multiple projects on hand and numerous tasks to achieve – prioritize and decide on a time line to keep you on top of the things.  This goes hand in hand with a color system.  Start working on the time sensitive first, then move on to the important items, then start on the items that require action.

5. Delegate tasks to capable people – Saves you time, energy and a whole lot of headache and sleepless nights.  Believe me, before incorporating a couple of Virtual Assistants to help me in the areas I was weak, I was running myself ragged.  We all only have 24 hours in a day.  It is not possible to try and fit any more into a day than we can already handle.  Let go of the “I can do it all myself” mindset and delegate the work to someone else.

Managing workloads effectively will keep you free from anxieties and will help you to perform better at the office and will ultimately help you achieve your desired professional and personal goals.

Organization is the key to managing workloads and will most certainly improve business performance if carried out effectively.

Dawn Chuma

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Managing Multiple Projects – Communication

April 17, 2012 at 7:09 am · Filed under Business, Project Management, Virtual Assistant Tips ·Tagged , , , , , , , , , ,

Clients and stakeholders who are concerned with the success of project are often in different locations.  Especially when you are a Virtual Company (like mine). Communication is a critical factor to a projects success.

Communicating with clients on the progress of each project will keep them updated.  Communication with the team is everything. Monitoring progress, early warning signs of danger, cooperation, motivation and involvement of the team rely upon communication.  If everyone on the project is not on the same page – how will you ensure the entire team is working towards the same goal?

Even if you only have one client – you might be juggling multiple projects for that one client.  When I worked for the Construction Industry, my team was building the Seidman Cancer Center in Cleveland, Ohio.  1 project, 8 floors and 25 Subcontractors and over 300 trades people on the job, there were dozens of projects happening at once.

With that much happening at once, communication had to be top notch.  Walkie-talkies were in use all day, there were Superintendents in charge of each floor, it was organized chaos.  Construction isn’t the only industry that could benefit from a Project Manager.  Any business has projects, right now I’m a Project Manager for a very prestigious Lawyer/Coach/Author, also for a Financial Consultant, a Non-Profit Organization, a Spa Development Company.  With each of these Industry’s one thing remains true – Communication is Key.

So here are some quick tips for Communication –

1. Do not micromanage! Delegate work and do not forget to coordinate their actions and review the progress.

2. Do not allow project plans to go unattended. Keep all project data at one place with schedules.

3. Do not keep multiple project data in different places. Create a master plan to have bird’s eye view.

4. Make use of technology and the right tools to keep information updated on projects without wasting time.

5. Do not neglect communicating with your team and client. Communication is a moral booster.

6. Keep task switching to minimum among team members to increase productivity.

 

Dawn Chuma

Small Business Solutions

http://www.dawnchuma.com

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