Mastering Virtual Teams/Project Management

Consider the following scenario:

An international company wants to upgrade its Web site to make use of a recent advancement in technology. The chief executive officer wants the new Web site to be operational in a short time; therefore, it is decided that two information technology teams should work together to upgrade the Web site. One team is in the U.S. and the other in Japan. Either team has the expertise to do the entire job on its own; however, because of the time constraint, the job is divided between them. It is decided that the primary communication method will be e-mail because of the time difference between the two countries. After a month, the project manager notices that some work is being duplicated and that a few issues raised by the quality team are not being addressed.

What actions can the project manager take to ensure that the two teams coordinate their efforts so that a working Web site can be completed on time? Suggest ways that the problem can be solved and analyze the likely result of each suggestion, if implemented.