Question

As a project manager how you should prepare yourself for managing an international project? Write 1-page outline focusing on the most important considerations if you need to manage an international project.

Answer 1

As a project manager in charge of an international project, there are several factors which needs to be considered before any decision-making. Assume that as a project manager, I am working with a large team in the home country and the project involves working with a foreign country. The success of the project hinges crucially on some important factors. . Project manager faces a variety of practical challenges. It is important to be prepared in order to address these complications

The main factors under consideration are as follows –

• Cultural Challenges and legal and political issues

There can be substantial difference between the cultures of the home country and the foreign country. So, there should be an open mind set and acceptance for different cultural values in the working team. National culture is often imbibed in the working culture. So accepting cultural differences with an open mind benefits everyone. So, the working team should be trained and managed to be open to these differences, otherwise it will create problems in the work environment. Even if bonding with the overseas team is not possible physically, some desk research beforehand the project regarding the cultural norms of the foreign country will provide a general idea about the culture. The legal and political environment including important laws should be researched before to get rid of any avoidable miscommunication.

• Time Zone differences

International projects makes it difficult to communicate effectively owing to time zone difference. Organising a real time meeting and conferences involving both the teams becomes very difficult. One team has to adjust by working outside the working hours in case of an emergency meeting needing immediate attention. The project manager should ensure that the burden is shared equally between both the teams and the team members volunteering for adjusting to needs are properly incentivised.

• Interest of the home team

As a project manager, the primary responsibility should be to cater to the interest of the home team. If the overseas team fails to value the hard work put in by the home team, the situation should be dealt carefully by the project manager. It also becomes necessary to convince the higher management the constraints of the project.

• Communication

The main challenges of an international project are – difference in the method of working in two regions and the difference in expectations regarding the result. This can be dealt with effective communication. Communication plays a crucial role for international projects as time difference and other external costs makes it difficult to communicate easily. Successful communication will depend on the soft skill of the project manager and the teams as well. The ability to speak clearly and understand the concerns of the overseas team becomes very crucial here. A lot of time should be spent in analysing the current situation in both the teams and countries. Project coordination, monitoring and control, all depends on the communication skill of the project manager. If there is language barrier across the teams, that should be effectively dealt by hiring some translator or any other method.

• Planning, Execution and Control

The success of the project will depend on the proper planning and execution of the project. Using the right tools to address a specific concern helps in smoother execution of the process. Giving unfeasible deadlines will result in failure of the project. So proper assessment of the team should be carried out before undertaking any decision.