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MANAGING PROJECTS WITH GLOBALLY DIVERSE PROJECT TEAMS. FRANK GORMAN CS MAG Professional Awards MAG PMI Leadership Institute Graduate Past Chair PMI-DVC. Introduction. The growing multi-national business environment requires projects that are global in scale
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MANAGING PROJECTS WITH GLOBALLY DIVERSE PROJECT TEAMS FRANK GORMAN CS MAG Professional Awards MAG PMI Leadership Institute Graduate Past 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 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 International Project Team
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