When work is undertaken in virtual teams, you often can’t see the other people that you’re working with (they are invisible to you) and your communication is mediated by technology (email, IM, the phone, a shared workspace, Twitter, etc.). If others choose not to respond to email or IM (for valid or invalid reasons), nor to answer their phone (ditto), they are also inaudible to you. You can’t see them, you can’t hear them … what binds you together?

The D … the desired outcome … and the A … the agreement on work practices. The D is the thing that you have jointly agreed to pursue; the A is the way that you have jointly agreed to work.

So the best way to be viewed in the minds of others (they hold a mental picture of you) as a contributing member of the team, is to execute on the expectations that others have about your work. Once you have all agreed that something will be done by a certain time, get your bits done. If you can’t, renegotiate ASAP. Keeping your commitments provides a firm foundation of trustful co-work, and smoothes over the times when you can’t interact in real-time, you can’t get to the bottom of your email, or you are so schedule-slammed that you just don’t have time for the conversations that others want to have with you.

And another thing. Most team members are involved in multiple projects, in multiple teams. They will have looked at what you agreed to do, and will have arranged certain things with respect to this project and others in the expectation that you will meet your deliverables in the expected time. If you do so, work is smooth for them. If you don’t, chaos ensues and the downstream effects are huge.

What Do I Need To Do?
If you say you will do something by a certain time, do it. Execute on the expectations that others have of you, based on your explicit agreement to perform.

If you realize that you can’t, let the others on the team know ASAP.

See A-Z of Virtual Teams: Summary for the complete list.