Define globalization, outsourcing, and virtual teams and describe how these trends are changing IT project management.
Globalization is a "flat" and "connected" world where everyone is connected and "playing the field" is level for many more participants.
Outsourcing is when an organization acquires goods and/or sources from an outside source. The term off-shoring is sometimes used to describe outsourcing from another country.
Virtual Teams is a group of individuals who work across time and space using communication technologies. team members might all work for the same company in the same country, or they might include employees as well as independent consultants, suppliers, or even volunteers providing their expertise from around the globe.
These trends are changing the IT project management world because now project managers can hire outside the company and sometimes that works out for the better in regards to talent, scheduling, and meeting deadlines.
I'll just add that technology has really made the world a smaller place. Geographical location is no longer an issue in some regards, and this is definitely true in the IT arena.
ReplyDeleteFrom a project manager perspective, I think this makes their job harder. Imagine trying to manage a project where some of your team works in an office with you, while other team members are located half-way around the world. In this case, the project manager needs to display a level of flexibility and employ multiple methods for dealing with their team. What motivates in-house team members might be completely different than the members working remotely.