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Chapter 15 International Projects

Chapter 15 International Projects. International Projects. Types of Projects Domestic Overseas Foreign Global Issues in Managing International Projects Environmental factors affecting projects Global expansion considerations Challenges of working in foreign cultures

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Chapter 15 International Projects

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  1. Chapter 15International Projects

  2. International Projects • Types of Projects • Domestic • Overseas • Foreign • Global • Issues in Managing International Projects • Environmental factors affecting projects • Global expansion considerations • Challenges of working in foreign cultures • Selection and training of overseas managers

  3. Environmental Factors • Legal/Political • Political stability • National and local laws and regulations • Government, state and local bureaucracies • Government interference or support • Government corruption • Security • International terrorism • National and local security • Local crime and kidnapping • Risk management

  4. Environmental Factors (cont’d) • Geography • Climate and seasonal differences • Natural obstacles • Economic • Gross domestic product (GDP) • Protectionist strategies and policies • Balance of payments • Currency convertibility and exchange rates • Inflation rates • Local labor force: supply, educational and skill levels

  5. Environmental Factors (cont’d) • Infrastructure • Telecommunication networks • Transportation systems • Power distribution grids • Unique local technologies • Educational systems • Culture • Customs and social standards • Values and philosophies • Language • Multicultural environments

  6. Project Site Selection • Use of general site selection criteria • Hierarchical 3 stage process • Global • Regional • Local • Different set of criteria in each stage • Use of multi-criteria assessment matrix

  7. Cross-Cultural Considerations: A Closer Look • Culture • A system of shared norms, beliefs, values, and customs that bind people together, creating shared meaning and a unique identity. • Cultural Differences: • Geographic regions • Ethnic or religious groups • Language • Economic

  8. Cross-Cultural Considerations… (cont’d) • Ethnocentric Perspective • The tendency to believe that one’s cultural values and ways of doing things are superior to all others • Wanting to conduct business only on your terms and stereotyping other countries. • Ignoring the “people factor” in other cultures by putting work ahead of building relationships. • Adjustments Required: • Relativity of time and punctuality • Culture-related ethical differences • Personal and professional relationships • Attitudes toward work and life

  9. The Hofstede Cultural Dimensions Framework • Individualism versus collectivism • Identifies whether a culture holds individuals or the group responsible for each member’s welfare. • Power distance • Describes degree to which a culture accepts status and power differences among its members. • Uncertainty avoidance • Identifies a culture’s willingness to accept uncertainty and ambiguity about the future. • Masculinity-femininity • Describes the degree to which the culture emphasizes competitive and achievement-oriented behavior or displays concerns for relationships.

  10. Working in Different Cultures • Relying on Local Intermediaries • Translators • Social connections • Expeditors • Cultural advisors and guides • Culture Shock • The natural psychological disorientation that people suffer when they move into a different culture. • A breakdown in a person’s selective perception and effective interpretation system induced by foreign stimuli and the inability to function effectively in a strange land.

  11. Working in Different Cultures (cont’d) • Coping with Culture Shock • Create “stability zones” that closely create home • Modify expectations and behavior • Redefine priorities and develop realistic expectations • Focus on most important tasks and relish small accomplishments • Use project work as a bridge until adjusted to the new environment • Engage in regular physical exercise programs, practice meditation and relaxation exercises, and keep a journal

  12. Selection and Training for International Projects • Selection Factors • Work experience with cultures other than one’s own • Previous overseas travel • Good physical and emotional health • Knowledge of a host nation’s language • Recent immigration background or heritage • Ability to adapt and function in the new culture

  13. Selection and Training for International Projects (cont’d) • Areas for Training to Increase Understanding of a Foreign Culture: • Religion • Dress codes • Education system • Holidays—national and religious • Daily eating patterns • Family life • Business protocols • Social etiquette • Equal opportunity

  14. Selection and Training for International Projects (cont’d) • Learning Approaches to Cultural Fluency • The “information-giving” approach—the learning of information or skills from a lecture-type orientation. • The “affective approach”—the learning of information/skills that raise the affective responses on the part of the trainee and result in cultural insights. • The “behavioral/experiential” approach—a variant of the affective approach technique that provides the trainee with realistic simulations or scenarios.

  15. Chapter 16Project Oversight and Future

  16. Project Oversight • Project Oversight • A set of principles and processes to guide and improve the management of projects. • Oversight’s Purposes: • To ensure projects meet the organizational needs for standards, procedures, accountability, efficient allocation of resources, and continuous improvement in the management of projects. • To support the project manager.

  17. Oversight Activities • At the Organization Level • Project selection. • Portfolio management. • Improving how all projects are managed over time. • Assessing and elevating the maturity level of the organization’s project management system. • Using balanced scorecard approach to review progress on strategic priorities.

  18. Oversight Activities • At the Project Level • Review projects’ objectives. • Decide on issues raised by the project manager. • Track and assist the project to resolve bottlenecks. • Review status reports from the project manager. • Audit and review lessons learned. • Authorize major deviations from the original scope. • Cancel the project.

  19. Current and Future Trends in Project Management • Forces for Change • Global competition, knowledge explosion, innovation, time to market, and shortened product life cycles • Two Major Outcomes for the 21st Century: • An increase in the scope of project management and system integration. • The focus of projects has shifted from tactical to strategic. • An increasing discipline in the way projects are managed.

  20. Importance of Oversight to the Project Manager • Oversight Functions: • Providing support and help to the project manager where needed. • Determining the environment in which the project manager will implement his or her project. • Influence the performance measures used to hold the project manager responsible and accountable. • Providing the oversight group to which the project manager will reporting at predetermined phases in the project.

  21. Increasing Scope of Project Management and System Integration • Portfolio Project Management • The centralized management of projects to ensure that the allocation of resources to projects is directed toward projects that contribute the greatest value to organization goals. • Project Office (PO) • The unit responsible for continued support of consistent application of selection criteria, standards, and processes; training of and general assistance to project managers; and continued improvement and use of best practices.

  22. Key Responsibilities of Project Portfolio Management • Senior executive oversight committee • Reviews project options available by type (new, operational, compliance) • Confirms business case and linkage to organizational strategy • Selects, prioritizes, and balances the overall risk of all organizational projects • Ensures availability of resources and competencies • Sets macro time, cost, and requirements • Reviews gating outcomes

  23. Benefits of the Activities of Project Offices • Project Offices (POs) • Support integration of project portfolios for the use of best practices in strategic planning and control. • Serve as a bridge between senior management and project managers within the social/cultural environment of the organization. • Support integration of project management processes from selection through project closure and lessons learned. • Provide training that supports the movement of the organization to a higher level of project management maturity.

  24. Phase Gate Methodology • Phase Gate Review Process • A structured process to review, evaluate, and document outcomes in each project phase and to provide management with information to guide resource deployment toward strategic goals. • Decision Gate Components • Required deliverables • Gate criteria and specific outputs • A clear yes/no decision on whether to go ahead.

  25. Key Benefits of Using Phase Gating • Phase Gating • Provides excellent training for functional staff who serve on oversight review groups. • Encourages a larger perspective and role of projects within the organization. • Is a clear-cut process, easily understood, and applicable to all projects in a portfolio. • Provides a structured process for a project office to follow on all projects. • Eliminates poor value projects. • Supports faster decision making with predefined deliverables for each gate.

  26. Organization Project Management in the Long Run • Capability Maturity Model (CMM) • Focuses on guiding and assessing organizations in implementing concrete best practices of managing software development projects. • Organizational Project Maturity Model (OPM3) • Is divided into a continuum of growth levels: initial, repeatable, defined, managed, and optimized.

  27. The Balanced Scorecard Model • Balanced Scorecard Model • Assumes that people will take the necessary actions to improve the performance of the organization on the given measures and goals. • Reviews projects over a longer horizon—5 to 10 years after the project is implemented than other models. • Has a more “macro” perspective than project selection models. • Measures performance results for four major areas of activities—customer, internal, innovation and learning, and financial.

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