MANAGING PROJECTS WITH GLOBALLY DIVERSE PROJECT TEAMS

FRANK GORMAN CS MAGProfessional Awards MAGPMI Leadership Institute GraduatePast Chair PMI-DVC

Introduction

The growing multi-national business environment requires projects that are global in scale

The increasing recognition of need for good project management practices around the globe presents opportunities

Technical expertise is spread throughout companies and the world. The best people are not necessarily in the same place

The project team is increasingly globally diverse as a result of the above factors

What is a global project?

A project that is managed from one location and implemented elsewhere

Geographically dispersed project team Cross currency budget complexities Multi-national regulatory bodies Political issues Cultural issues

Exercise # 1

List the top 5 reasons why a global project might fail. Give reasons specific to global projects.

Why do global projects fail?

Failure to recognize that global projects are different Different management models must be considered

and may be necessary for the project as a whole or in specific locations

Culture and customs and the failure to account for them

Micro-management from corporate HQ Not to be overlooked – Time Differences

The International Project Team

Sponsors:– Senior sponsorship

You may have multiple sponsors organizationally You may have multiple sponsors geographically

– Mergers, acquisitions and divestiture sponsorship issues. A good thing or a bad thing?

– Sponsors must have a stake in the project

The International Project Team

The Project Managers– May be a Program Manager– Several peer leaders at the

various locations – Some teams must be local

even with improved communication technology

– The leaders must function as a tightly synchronized team

– Overall responsibility may change from leader to leader as the project progresses if implementation is sequential

Characteristics for Project Managers:

– Previous international project leadership experience

– Cultural sensitivity– Corporate political problem

solving skills– The ability to work with minimal

supervision– Communication skills– Language skills– A willingness to travel

The Project Team

Multilingual skills are always of value Cultural sensitivity skills for teams operating

away from their base are important International travel experience Flexibility For local implementation teams, no special

skills may be required

Exercise

List 5 unique items to include in a Global Project Plan

The Project Plan

Time must be added for staffing the project Add cost for translation skills where necessary Account for exchange rates Significant travel budget Add cost for communications Risk assessment is broader Communication plan should be more significant than

normal

Summary

The Project Manager who is implementing on a global or international scale must bring an extra set of skills with them

Project Managers with the right political savvy and a sense of cultural sensitivity can actually enhance the project

Global Project skills are marketable! The company is looking for two things in a Project

Manager – complete the task on or ahead of time and within the budget