On the Challenges of Engaging Virtual Teams and the Features of Project Software Project Management A Master’s Thesis

The current increase of virtual projects and their economic importance has led to a new set of challenges that project managers need to overcome. The lack of face-to-face interaction has distorted the traditional ways in which motivation was fostered within project teams. Projects that used to heavily depend on the synergies of team dynamics, can no longer rely on the social aspects of work life. With that in mind, a new approach needs to be applied to effectively motive teams that work in virtual environments. The current theories of motivation lead the way to a new paradigm where progress and inner work life are the major drivers of motivation. Project managers must rely on a new set of tools and technologies to reach their teams. The software industry has evolved to provide solutions to remotely manage and coordinate teams and projects, but it is still far from being a solution to the challenge of motivating a virtual project team. This study aims to explore the characteristics of motivation in the virtual environments, its contribution to enhance virtual project outcomes, and the role that virtual project management software plays in fostering motivation in dispersed teams. This thesis follows a three-pronged approach with the aim of answering its research questions. First, a in-depth literature review that lays out the major characteristics of virtual project management and of motivation. Second, a qualitative study of the ways motivation is handled in real life virtual projects, done through semi-structured interviews to a group of eight experienced project managers. Third, a quantitative study of the features of current software aimed to manage virtual projects, by benchmarking their features and analyzing the motivational aspects in them. This study shows the importance of motivation in project settings as well as the special challenges that it poses when translated to virtual environments. It shows that project managers can no longer rely on the traditional motivational strategies, due to the lack of physical interaction. It also shows that the idea of progress and self accomplishment is probably the strongest motivator for dispersed teams, and that project managers should try to foster a positive inner work life to keep the members engaged. The benchmarking shows the lack of motivational features in the current software for manage virtual projects. Finally, the study explores the possibilities of gamification as an approach to bridge the gap of motivation within project software (or projectware). Abstract …