22 A MANAGER'S GUIDE TO VIRTUAL TEAMS Perform Maintenance (Deliverables) The primary purpose of any team is to contribute to the process of getting deliverables out the door. For virtual environments to produce these deliverables within financial, quality, and time constraints, certain conditions must exist. Goals must be clearly stated and understood by all. Procedures and processes should be put in place that take into con- sideration multiple time zones, language barriers, cultural differences, and various skill sets and degrees of fluency with the primary language (a tall order indeed!). And virtual managers must infuse the team with the spirit to sustain the human connection, which leads to strong rela- tionships so critical to coordinated efforts. Regardless how competent the team is at project management (a key requirement in day-to-day work tasks), there is no better foundation for getting deliverables out the door than a well-thought-out operational structure to facilitate that human connection. Figure 1-2. Follow-Through.