Global Project Management

Global Project Management Communication, Collaboration and Management Across Borders Jean binder Binder Book.indb 3 20/09/2007 12:04:40

Jean Binder 2007 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the publisher. Published by Gower Publishing Limited Gower House Croft Road Aldershot Hampshire GU11 3HR England Gower Publishing Company Suite 420 101 Cherry Street Burlington VT 05401-4405 USA Jean Binder have asserted his moral right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as the author of this work. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data Binder, Jean Carlo Global project management : communication, collaboration and management across borders 1. Project management 2. International business enterprises Management I. Title 658.4'04 ISBN-13: 9780566087066 Library of Congress Control Number: 2007927132 Printed and bound in Great Britain by TJ International Ltd, Padstow, Cornwall. Binder Book.indb 4 20/09/2007 12:04:40

Contents List of Figures List of Tables Acknowledgements Preface xiii xv xvii xix Introduction 1 Traditional, distributed, international and virtual projects 1 Global projects 1 Examples of global projects 3 Global programs 5 Global projects and programs requirements 8 To be or not to be global? 10 Organisational change and organisational theory 11 A framework for global programs and projects 12 The framework sources 15 What the framework provides to global organisations 16 The next steps 17 Key concepts 18 Further reading 18 Interactive section 20 Part I Global Teams 21 Chapter 1 Cross-Cultural Collaboration 23 Defining culture 23 Culture and project management 24 The cultural dimensions defined by Hofstede 25 The cultural dimensions from Trompenaars 28 The impact of the dimensions on global project management 33 A 360 analysis of the cultural dimensions on your project team 34 Avoiding generalisations 39 Building on the richness of a multicultural team: crossvergence and hybridisation 40 4-step framework for effective cross-cultural project management 42 Chapter 2 Global Project Leadership 43 Project management and leadership 43 Global leadership 44 Commitment 45 Motivation 46 Binder Book.indb 7 20/09/2007 12:04:44

viii G l o b a l P r o j e c t M a n a g e m e n t Becoming a good global leader 48 Brainstorming on global leadership 49 Chapter 3 Trust Building 51 Identifying the level of trust required 52 Trust and communication channels 52 Establishing trust 54 Maintaining trust 56 Long-term trust 59 Chapter 4 Conflict Resolution 61 Global sources of conflict 62 Conflict levels in global projects 62 Global perspectives on conflict 63 Conflict management steps 63 Chapter 5 Coaching over Distance 69 Coaching on global projects 70 Global coaching principles 70 Establishing a global context for coaching 71 Create a global understanding and direction 72 Review achievements and objectives 72 Anatomy of a coaching session 73 Completing the global coaching process 74 Part I: Key concepts 75 Part I: Further reading 76 Part I: Interactive section 77 Part II Global Communication 79 Chapter 6 Stakeholders and Communication Channels 81 Identifying the global key stakeholders 82 Knowing the global stakeholders 83 Analysing the global stakeholders 83 The stakeholder commitment framework 84 Defining strategies to change stakeholders commitment levels 85 Completing the global stakeholder register 87 Global communication channels 87 Chapter 7 Meeting Rules and Templates 91 Meeting types and communication media 91 Etiquette for cross-cultural meetings 92 Online meeting templates 92 Visual information 98 Chapter 8 Global Communication Strategy 101 Defining the types of project information 101 Binder Book.indb 8 20/09/2007 12:04:44

C o n t e n t s ix Identifying the stakeholders requirements 102 Define a global communication matrix 105 Chapter 9 Global Communication Techniques 109 Collecting information from the global team members 109 Distributing information to the global stakeholders 110 Exchanging project information 113 Chapter 10 Global Creativity 117 Project management processes and creativity 117 Online brainstorming sessions 118 Limitations of online brainstorming sessions 124 Asynchronous brainstorming 126 Part II: Key concepts 127 Part II: Further reading 127 Part II: Interactive section 128 Part III Global Organisations 129 Chapter 11 Global Project Structure 131 Centralised project management 131 Distributed project management, with local coordinators 132 Distributed project management, with functional coordinators 134 Round-the-clock project management 135 Project management global network 136 Chapter 12 Selection of International Human Resources 139 Global team members skills 140 Global program and project managers skills 142 Recruitment 143 Selection 144 Induction and training 150 Chapter 13 Global Program and Project Offices 153 Defining project offices 153 Program or Project Management Offices (PMO) 154 Program or Project Support Offices (PSO) 156 Features of global project offices 156 Chapter 14 Organisational Support 163 Build emotional intelligence 163 Promote work-life balance 165 Value the human resources 166 Promote the use of collaborative tools 167 Develop and promote a global project management methodology 167 Establish 360G performance appraisals 168 Binder Book.indb 9 20/09/2007 12:04:44

x G l o b a l P r o j e c t M a n a g e m e n t Establish a global rewards policy 171 Implement a corporate training scheme 171 Chapter 15 Global Collaborative Networks 173 Collaborative networks: a project-centred approach 173 Understand the challenges 174 Define a collaboration strategy 175 Initiate the collaboration 176 Monitor the interfaces 176 Part III: Key concepts 177 Part III: Further reading 178 Part III: Interactive section 179 Part IV Implementation of Collaborative Tools 181 Chapter 16 Basic Infrastructure 183 Basic technologies 183 Evaluating the current situation 184 Implementing changes 184 Defining documentation and procedures 185 Evaluating the implementation 186 Chapter 17 Interactive Audio and Video 189 Evaluation of current audio conferencing solutions 189 Evaluation of new audio conferencing solutions 189 Implementing changes 191 Defining procedures for audio conferencing set-up 191 Evaluating the implementation 191 Video conferences 192 Evaluating existing video conferencing solutions 193 Implementation of new video conferencing solutions 193 Defining procedures for video conferencing set-up 194 Evaluating the implementation 195 Chapter 18 Interactive Text and Images 197 Evaluating technologies for instant messaging 197 Evaluation of the existing instant messaging solutions 198 Implementation of a new instant messaging solution 198 Defining procedures for instant messaging set-up 199 Evaluating the implementation 199 Evaluating technologies for web conferencing 200 Evaluation of existing web conferencing solutions 200 Implementation of web conferencing 201 Defining procedures for web conferencing set-up 201 Evaluating the implementation 202 Binder Book.indb 10 20/09/2007 12:04:44

C o n t e n t s xi Chapter 19 Knowledge Sharing 205 Evaluating technologies for knowledge sharing 205 Evaluating the existing knowledge-sharing solutions 207 Implementing a new knowledge-sharing solution 207 Defining procedures for knowledge-sharing set-up 208 Evaluating the implementation 209 Chapter 20 Collaborative Project Management Software 211 Evaluating collaborative project management software tools 211 Defining procedures for the collaborative project management software 213 Implementing the new collaborative project management software 214 Evaluating the implementation 214 Part IV: Key concepts 215 Part IV: Further reading 216 Part IV: Interactive section 216 Part V Adoption of Collaborative Tools 217 Chapter 21 Getting Connected 219 Understanding what can be improved 219 What to avoid in e-mail discussions 221 Using telephones 222 What to avoid in telephone discussions 222 Chapter 22 Effective Audio and Video conferences 225 Understanding what can be improved 225 Using audio conferences 225 Using video conferences 228 Chapter 23 Coordinating and Attending Online Meetings 231 Understanding what can be improved 231 Communication style during online meetings 232 Special considerations for instant messaging discussions 232 Special considerations for online meetings via web conferencing 233 Chapter 24 Fostering Knowledge Exchange 237 Understanding what can be improved 237 Defining the rules for knowledge sharing 238 Leading people to share information 239 Chapter 25 Collaborative Project Management 241 Understanding what can be improved 241 Updating information on the project management software 242 Information pushed by the project management software 244 Pulling information from the project management software 244 Interfaces between the project management software and other tools 245 Part V: Key concepts 246 Binder Book.indb 11 20/09/2007 12:04:45

xii G l o b a l P r o j e c t M a n a g e m e n t Part V: Further reading 246 Part V: Interactive section 247 Part VI Implementing the Global Project Management framework 249 Chapter 26 A Charter for the Framework 251 Stakeholder needs and expectations 251 The benefits of the framework implementation 253 Defining a scope for the implementation 254 Chapter 27 Implementation Strategies 255 The emotional intelligence guidelines 255 The maturity model approach 257 The action research cycles 263 Part VI: Key concepts 264 Part VI: Further reading 264 Part VI: Interactive section 264 Coda 267 List of Acronyms and Abbreviations 269 Bibliography 271 Index 275 Binder Book.indb 12 20/09/2007 12:04:45

List of Figures Figure I.1 Dimensions of global projects 3 Figure I.2 A software development global project 4 Figure I.3 A pharmaceutical global project 4 Figure I.4 An organisational change global project 5 Figure I.5 Global program stakeholders 6 Figure I.6 Categories of global programs 6 Figure I.7 Local program of global projects 7 Figure I.8 Global program of local projects 7 Figure I.9 Global program of global projects 8 Figure I.10 Requirements of global project managers global team management 9 Figure I.11 Requirements of global project managers communication across borders 9 Figure I.12 Requirements of global project managers organisational culture 9 Figure I.13 Requirements of global project managers collaborative tools 10 Figure I.14 Possible advantages of global projects 11 Figure I.15 Possible challenges of global projects 12 Figure I.16 The Global Project Management Framework : five categories 13 Figure I.17 The Global Project Management Framework 14 Figure I.18 The Global Project Management Framework : sources of information 15 Figure I.19 The Global Project Management Framework : the deliverables 16 Figure I.20 The evolutionary Global Project Management Framework 17 Figure 3.1 Communication channels in the same location 53 Figure 3.2 Communication channels not crossing country borders 53 Figure 3.3 Communication channels built from previous experiences 54 Figure 3.4 Weak communication channels that require trust building 54 Figure 3.5 Trust in all communication channels 57 Figure 6.1 Levels of stakeholders commitment 85 Figure 6.2 Communication channels in a traditional project 87 Figure 6.3 Communication channels on a global project, two locations 88 Figure 6.4 Communication channels on a global project, multiple locations 88 Figure 6.5 Reducing the number of virtual communication channels 89 Figure 7.1 Example of a project risk register 96 Figure 7.2 Example of drop-down menus 97 Figure 7.3 Example of automatic filtering 97 Figure 7.4 Example of legends to define available entries and their meaning 97 Figure 7.5 Global Project Binder change record 99 Figure 7.6 Global Project Binder meeting minutes record 99 Figure 7.7 Graphic representation of project phases 100 Figure 8.1 Examples of global project knowledge components 103 Binder Book.indb 13 20/09/2007 12:04:45

xiv G l o b a l P r o j e c t M a n a g e m e n t Figure 8.2 Example of a communication requirements matrix 104 Figure 8.3 Example of a global communication matrix 106 Figure 9.1 Example of a project dashboard main page 112 Figure 9.2 Example of a project dashboard second level pages 112 Figure 9.3 Examples of different patterns of project status meetings 115 Figure 10.1 Example of a mindmap produced during a risk identification session 122 Figure 10.2 Example of a mindmap branch detailed during a local session of risk analysis 123 Figure 10.3 Example of one entry on the risk and opportunities list prepared after the brainstorming session 125 Figure 11.1 Example of centralised structure 132 Figure 11.2 Example of distributed structure 133 Figure 11.3 Example of distributed-functional structure 135 Figure 11.4 Example of round-the-clock structure 136 Figure 11.5 Example of project network structure 137 Figure 12.1 Example of a preparation sheet for a telephone interview 148 Figure 12.2 Example of a preparation sheet for a face-to-face interview 149 50 Figure 13.1 Project office and the stakeholders 155 Figure 13.2 Different types of project office examples 155 Figure 13.3 Different types of project office outsourced PMO 156 Figure 13.4 Different types of project office global PSO 157 Figure 14.1 Traditional performance appraisal in functional organisations 168 Figure 14.2 Traditional performance appraisal in matrix organisations 169 Figure 14.3 360-degree performance appraisal 169 Figure 14.4 360G performance appraisal 170 Figure 15.1 Project-centred collaborative network 174 Figure 27.1 The global project management maturity levels 258 Figure 27.2 Evolving to maturity level 2 258 Figure 27.3 Evolving to maturity level 3 259 Figure 27.4 Evolving to maturity level 4 260 Figure 27.5 Evolving to maturity level 5 261 Figure 27.6 Evolution of productive time and ineffective time as the maturity ` level increases 261 Binder Book.indb 14 20/09/2007 12:04:45

List of Tables Table 1.1 Countries (regions) and their power-distance relative ranks 25 Table 1.2 Countries (regions) and their individualism relative ranks 26 Table 1.3 Countries (regions) and their masculinity relative ranks 27 Table 1.4 Countries (regions) and their uncertainly-avoidance relative ranks 28 Table 1.5 Countries (regions) and their long-term orientation relative ranks 28 Table 1.6 Countries and their relative universalism ranking (according to the car and the pedestrian dilemma) 29 Table 1.7 Countries and their relative individualism ranking (according to results of the quality of life question) 30 Table 1.8 Countries and their relative achievement-orientation (according to results of the acting as suits you even if nothing is achieved question) 30 Table 1.9 Relative positions of countries on the extent to which exhibiting emotion is acceptable 31 Table 1.10 Relative positions of countries on cultural-diffuseness, according to the paint the house situation 32 Table 1.11 Classification of country cultures according to their relationship to fate 32 Table 1.12 Cultural dimensions exercise (sheet 1) 35 Table 1.13 Cultural dimensions exercise (sheet 2) 36 Table 1.14 Cultural dimensions exercise (evaluation sheet 1) 37 Table 1.15 Cultural dimensions exercise (evaluation sheet 2) 38 Table 2.1 Factors of motivation in different areas of the world 48 Table 4.1 Comparison of conflict resolution approaches 65 Table 5.1 Coaching log (example 1) 73 Table 5.2 Coaching log (example 2) 73 Table 7.1 Examples of meeting types 93 Table 7.2 Communication media recommended for each meeting type 93 4 Table 10.1 Example of meeting request for an online brainstorming session 119 Table 10.2 Example of a brainstorming spreadsheet for the identification of risks and opportunities 121 Table 12.1 Example of a job description 145 Table 12.2 Example of an interview control sheet 147 Table 13.1 Example of a career path for program and project management 160 Table 16.1 Survey to identify efficiency of e-mail, telephones and remote access 185 Table 16.2 Checklist: documentation and procedures for basic technologies 187 Table 17.1 Survey to identify efficiency of audio conferencing 190 Table 17.2 Checklist: documentation and procedures for audio conferencing 192 Table 17.3 Survey to identify efficiency of video conferencing 194 Table 17.4 Checklist: documentation and procedures for video conferencing 195 Binder Book.indb 15 20/09/2007 12:04:45

xvi G l o b a l P r o j e c t M a n a g e m e n t Table 18.1 Survey to identify efficiency of instant messaging 199 Table 18.2 Checklist: documentation and procedures for instant messaging 200 Table 18.3 Survey to identify efficiency of web conferencing 201 Table 18.4 Checklist: documentation and procedures for web conferencing 202 Table 19.1 Survey to identify efficiency of existing knowledge-sharing suites 207 Table 19.2 Checklist: documentation and procedures for knowledge sharing 208 Table 20.1 Collaborative project management software comparison matrix 213 Table 20.2 Survey to identify efficiency of the collaborative project management software 214 Table 20.3 Checklist: documentation and procedures for the collaborative project management software 215 Table 21.1 Interview to understand the use of e-mails and telephones 220 Table 22.1 Interview to understand the use of audio and video conferences 226 Table 23.1 Interview to understand the use of online meetings 232 Table 24.1 Interview to understand the use of knowledge sharing 238 Table 25.1 Interview to understand the use of the collaborative project management software 242 Binder Book.indb 16 20/09/2007 12:04:45

Acknowledgements I would like to thank the following people: Yannick Jolliet, who reviewed many parts of the book and gave me precious recommendations and testimonials; Marie-Paule Sottiaux, for the support, testimonials, review and lunch discussions; David Page, Carolyn McKellar, Marion Sachs, Belinda Freaney-Sadouk, Sophie Domine, Jean-Marc Genier, Jose Gonzalez, Jennifer Hyams, Mark Russell, Reddy Mandala, Viktor Puetzer, Annie Jordan, Patrick Vitzthum, Frank Bondoux, Thierry Sales and Paolo Lenti for the feedback during the interviews and initial brainstorming sessions; John Pelham for the insights on stakeholder management, communication strategies and cross-cultural experiences; Karel de Bakker for the nice suggestions on global risks; Paul Gardiner and Jim Ritchie for the support during my academic research. Grateful acknowledgement is made to Geert Hofstede, Fons Trompenaars, Charles Hampden-Turner and Peter Wooliams who granted permission to reprint the definitions and classification tables of their cultural dimensions. Sincere thanks to Jonathan Norman, Fiona Martin and Mike Brooks at Gower for all their trust and support. Earnest thanks to my cat for the company, my daughters for the inspiration and my wife for the help and endless patience. Binder Book.indb 17 20/09/2007 12:04:45

Preface The need for this book With the increasing trend for outsourcing, off-shoring and globalisation, many organisations are taking advantage of geographically distributed skills, round-the-clock operations and virtual teams. Small and medium sized businesses are linking up with major companies, forming supplier networks to deliver products and services, and customer networks of distributors, resellers and end-users. Global projects are now the operating units that establish an initial link among these cross-border networks and rely on information flows across the different partners and stakeholders. Most projects in these global environments involve people from different companies, located in various countries. Currently, many companies struggle to obtain acceptable levels of efficiency and quality from global projects since the organisation structures and project management methodologies are not adapted to a multicultural environment, and because many project managers and team members still feel uncomfortable when they communicate over a distance. Many project managers still rely exclusively on the so-called hard skills, such as planning, scheduling and controlling, to coordinate the projects. The soft skills (for example, communication, understanding of cultural differences and team building) and the informal project management techniques (such as networking, influencing and improvising) are essential for the success of global projects, and require special attention from organisations. The framework described by this book is all about soft skills and informal project management, suggesting areas of knowledge that require special attention for effective global program and project management. Rather than providing one-size-fits-all recommendations, the chapters of this book guide you in a quest to harvest your company s good practices, using them to develop and implement a Global Project Management Framework in your company or project. Intended audience This book provides a comprehensive framework of good practices on global project management, and is primarily directed at project managers, program managers and project office members involved in the preparation and application of project management methodologies, and working on programs and projects involving different companies and locations around the globe. They can start by improving the project management and communication practices in their current portfolio of programs and projects, and later include these good practices in the company methodologies. They can also identify what types of tools can improve understanding over a distance, deploying them in their current work environment. Binder Book.indb 19 20/09/2007 12:04:46

xx G l o b a l P r o j e c t M a n a g e m e n t Senior executives can use the information in this book to understand the main challenges faced by global project managers and team members, and to identify how the deployment of tools and practices can improve the productivity of global project teams and the quality of the deliverables, while reducing travel and relocation costs. The senior board have a role model during the implementation of the framework, selecting the human resources to work on global projects, creating a project management office and providing organisational support. This book also provides various types of project structure adapted to different needs and some suggestions to improve the motivation of a project team that spans different locations, cultures and languages. Finally, anyone participating in a global project as a team member or stakeholder can also find useful recommendations for smooth communication with people located in diverse countries, coming from other cultures, speaking different native languages or working in various time zones. Academic researchers can make use of the framework presented in this book, performing new studies to investigate the impact of each chapter on the efficiency and productivity of global project teams, and to complete the Global Project Management Framework with new developments, technologies, practices and theories. The structure of this book The introductory chapter presents the characteristics of global projects and programs, discusses how these peculiarities affect the work and efficiency of global project and program managers and summarises the main advantages and challenges of deploying a global team for a project or program. It presents a framework that helps global program and project managers to focus on the advantages and address the challenges of having project team members dispersed across the globe: the Global Project Management Framework. The chapters in Parts I to V explore in detail the five main categories of knowledge in the Global Project Management Framework : Chapters 1 5 (Part I) present the core principles that allow the management of people across country and cultural boundaries. Chapters 6 10 (Part II) complement the learning on people management by presenting the communication strategies that facilitate the management of project team members in different countries, and make them collaborate more effectively. Chapters 11 15 (Part III) suggest organisational structures and practices that create all fundamental conditions for a good collaborative environment on global projects, and expedite the implementation of the people and communication strategies. Chapters 16 25 guide the development of good practices for the implementation (Part IV) and use (Part V) of the communication media and collaborative tools mentioned in the previous chapters: the technology that allows the management of people and the communication between stakeholders across country and cultural boundaries. Part VI concludes the book, by presenting different strategies to adapt the recommendations according to the organisational cultures, standards, methodologies and requirements, obtaining buy-in from senior managers, project managers and project team members. Binder Book.indb 20 20/09/2007 12:04:46

P r e f a c e xxi How to read the book The book structure allows companies to understand the main domains that have an impact on the performance of global project teams, and then adapt their project management methodologies to a global environment. The sequence of the chapters aims to provide a progressive understanding of the needs and good practices. As an alternative route, project managers and team members may read each chapter independently and address specific issues to improve their efficiency on global projects. Many cross-references are provided to allow the chapters to be read in any order. The main sources of information There are different layers of information to consider when looking for good practices on global project management. The first and most important layer is the experience of other global project managers, team members and senior managers from different countries. One way to learn about this experience is to participate in networking events organised by associations such as the Project Management Institute and the British Computer Society. The second layer is the foundation of knowledge on project management methods, tools, techniques and processes. This book does not redefine this set of principles, preferring to build on the information already established by existing bodies of knowledge. The main references for this book were the PMBOK guide from the Project Management Institute, PRINCE2 from the Office of Government Commerce, the IPMA Competence Baseline (ICB) and the Gower Handbook of Project Management. However, a certain level of abstraction was adopted to allow companies using other methods and methodologies to consult this book without difficulty. The third layer is the literature on virtual teams and distributed project management, which establishes the requirements and recommendations for projects involving people in different locations. The third layer is the literature on virtual teams and distributed project management, which establishes the requirements and recommendations for projects involving people in different locations. The main sources are described at the end of each part of the book. The fourth layer is the knowledge gathered by the intercultural studies from Hofstede and Trompenaars, present in most chapters of this book. Web companion The website www.globalprojectmanagement.org provides tools, templates and an open forum for the exchange of information related to the practices described in this book, also linking to different hardware, software and services solutions. Binder Book.indb 21 20/09/2007 12:04:46