Managing projects is already a complex balancing act that must consider scope, resources, and production while attempting to maintain unity and focus across the project team. For global projects, these difficulties are amplified. And though entering foreign markets has become more nuanced for brands, the Great Recession of 2008 only increased the appeal of developing markets, ensuring that global projects, and therefore global teams, will continue to become more common.
But expanding into new markets or harnessing the expertise of globally-based personnel is far from simple. Let’s examine strategies in three major categories for managing global teams.
Logistics
The first step is choosing who will lead the project, and who will provide additional, supporting leadership. Depending on the importance of locality it may be best to appoint a local executive with strong management capabilities. Flying in a manager from your global headquarters can undermine the authority of your local employees, who have valuable insight into the regional markets and expectations of the regional staff. On the other hand, a trusted leader from your main office may facilitate greater communication between the local office and your main base.
The importance of time zones can’t be overstated, and need to be taken into account on all project decisions, even when selecting which employees to train. Employees who aren’t comfortable with flexible (and sometimes inconvenient) meeting times, or other collaborative tasks, will not make good candidates for the project.
To ensure that every member of the global team feels adequately engaged, it’s important to schedule time to communicate outside of just email or instant messaging. A face to face meeting may not be possible due to costs, but even having a regular phone conversation can do wonders for moral.
Value Alignment
The most difficult part of managing teams on a global scale is undoubtedly culture. While prior training in cultural norms should be a prerequisite, preparation doesn’t guarantee that everything will run smoothly. Employees from different cultures may have varying opinions about work requirements, or even about neighboring cultures that they may be asked to work with.
The best way to navigate this tricky territory is clear communication and expectations. While work standards may vary between cultures, if the project manager institutes an honest environment with clear expectations, there will be no confusion during the project about what standards need to be met.
Technology
Since it’s a given that global teams will be remote, choosing the right project management software is paramount. Global projects require greater collaboration, which can be facilitated by software platforms with powerful teamwork features.
For example, instead of relying on email for document sharing, consider implementing a PM system that allows users to create private wiki-pages around specific elements of the project. This establishes a knowledge base that’s more easily accessible and controllable than storing information in disparate files on a hard drive, through various Google docs, or at worst in an email client with thousands of other messages.
Additionally, video conferencing or built-in instant messaging can bridge the gap between countries and culture by making collaboration more intuitive. Time tracking capabilities are also useful when working with remote contributors, because it adds a level of transparency across the project team, eliminating any confusion over time zones.
Software considerations should also extend to verticals: is there software developed to fit the specific requirements of your industry? Usability plays a large role in the effectiveness of the PM software, and if your industry has specific workflow patterns you’ll want to replicate those inside your program. If the software isn’t intuitive to implement and compelling in its functionality, then company adoption will be low.
Managing global projects demands an ability to deal with complex tasks and a masterful understanding of communication and culture. However, technology plays a critical role in managing projects of this scope, so developing standards around which applications should be used and how information should be stored is critical. Selecting a strong project management platform can help alleviate many of these headaches.
Author Bio
Zach Watson is the content manager at TechnologyAdvice. He covers healthcare IT, project management software, and emerging technologies. Connect with him on Google+.