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A common argument against virtual teams is their supposed lack of responsiveness. After all, which would you attend to first: a request from someone standing right next to your desk or one from a colleague overseas?

This bias against virtual teams is a pity as such teams offer significant advantages. A study by MIT Sloan concluded that far from being a disadvantage, ‘Virtual teams can outperform their co-located colleagues when they are set up and managed in the right way.’

Here are five quick tips for getting the best out of a virtual team.

(1) Work 24 hours a day

Having team members in different time zones speeds up progress and enables greater responsiveness.

For example, a common feature of APS implementations is the overnight optimization run for the next day’s schedule. This global planning run is business critical: A glitch that is only found and fixed the next morning takes valuable time out of the day’s production schedule.

A team with colleagues in different time zones can monitor these overnight runs and fix problems as they occur.

Another advantage: Bugs and issues can be resolved quickly.

Agile projects typically have daily releases. This cycle can be speeded up by coordinating the efforts of people in different time zones. For example, issues can be raised on Monday by a colleague in the US, fixed while he sleeps by a colleague in China, and returned to him by Tuesday morning.

(2) Communicate frequently

Frequent communication is key to successful virtual teams. Depending on the situation, the communication can be asynchronous (not conducted in real time) or synchronous (conducted in real time).

Asynchronous methods include systems such as Bugzilla for handling issues, and Sharepoint for documentation management and email. Synchronous methods such as Skype or Live Meetings are valuable for brainstorming or conducting project-related meetings.

All project members should have easy access to these tools.

(3) Build trust

Trust is especially important in virtual teams as it’s easy for team members to feel isolated. Once trust is broken it can be extremely difficult to regain so it’s important for managers to monitor progress and ensure that tasks and activities are aligned.

While building trust is generally a gradual process, there are opportunities for creating ‘instant’ trust – for example when the team acquires ‘top talent’. Make the most of such opportunities.

Trust occurs naturally when team members feel that their goals are achievable and that everyone has something to contribute.

(4) Encourage face-to-face meetings

Aim for at least one face-to-face meeting among all team members. If a face-to-face isn’t possible, your next best option is web-based video conferencing.

I once had groups of people working from four different sites. After just one (fun!) video-conferencing session where team members were introduced to each other, there was a noticeable difference in their willingness to contact one another. These opportunities for team members to interact with far-flung colleagues can make a world of difference.

(5) Just do it!

A virtual team should be no different from a co-located one. The same activities need to take place, and the same goals reached. It’s just a matter of good organization and clear communication channels. There are good and bad virtual teams, just as there are good and bad co-located ones.

A well-run virtual team benefits everyone. Customers enjoy 24/7 responsiveness and fast cycle times, while team members get to work with, and learn from, some of their most qualified colleagues from around the world.

Has this been your experience too?