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Today, the virtual project environment is a reality and most project personnel will work on virtual teams for at least some part of their jobs. In this approach, a lead organization creates alliances, both internal and external, with other groups that possess the best in class competencies to build specific products or to deliver services in the shortest period of time possible. It represents a dramatic change in how we work on projects and presents new challenges for all project professionals. It is essential for professionals working on virtual projects to lead change, rather than just react to it, and to foster a collaborative environment. This presentation discusses how best to work in such an environment - from both the client's as well as the team's perspective. It presents the key factors for success in terms of motivation, communication, collaborative leadership, fostering commitment, and conflict resolution. It also describes an approach to determine where your virtual team stands in terms of its maturity level. Case studies of two virtual projects will be discussed.

Dr. Ginger Levin is a senior consultant in project and information management with more than 25 years experience. Dr. Levin is the co-author of The Advanced Project Management Office: A Comprehensive Look at Function and Implementation, People Skills for Project Managers, PMP Challenge!, Achieving Project Management Success Using Virtual Teams, and The Business Development Capability Maturity Model.

Her specialty areas include maturity assessments, development of training programs in project management, program evaluation and auditing, and organization development. She received her doctorate in public administration and information systems technology from The George Washington University, where she received the outstanding dissertation award for her research on large organizations; a M.S.A., with a concentration in information systems technology, also from GWU; and a B.B.A from Wake Forest University.