The management of virtual collaborative design

Design is a complex process in which information on and knowledge of diverse sources are processed simultaneously by a team of designers. The advent of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) has upset this conventional design process; the project team has been dispersed all over the world. The old theories of management have been blown apart, the old practices, job definitions with the old sense, have been reoriented. Instead, technology is being woven into design projects' structures to fill the gaps. Each member of the project team contributes primarily what it regards as its core competencies. A new form of organisation and new project management styles are coming to life. The purpose of this paper is to examine these issues. It proposes a process that enables the establishment and management of virtual teams in design projects.