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 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