Section 12 - International Project Management - Part 2 Flashcards
Functional Project Structure
Just pulling out one department. too simple and quick. Rarely works in the real world as you’ll need more than one skillset and department usually.
Projectized Structure
You can just pull people right out of their department, and you pull them out of different departments and form a separate project management team in a different place. The best model for the project but the most disruptive.
Matrix structure
Dave says it is a terrible model. Not physically relocating someone but having them work on the project half the time from their desk and department. It forces the employees to have two bosses and can create conflicting goals and schedules, especially if the two bosses don’t coordinate with each other.
Virtual Structure
Building a team with people all over the world. They rarely meet face-to-face. Yes you get access to talented people all over the world but you need a high degree of emotional maturity to work with the technology. Language barriers as well, and you have to deal with really inconvenient time zones as well.
Size of the International Project Team
Size of the team: larger teams are more difficult to manage than smaller teams.
There should be enough members on the team to ensure that all required skillsets are represented, but not over-represented.
Some cultural barriers can be minimized by having staff with similar educational backgrounds or functional skillsets.
Assigning Responsibilities (Responsibility Matrix)
A responsibility matrix matches up activities to departments.
The most common structures will have:
Activities placed on each column.
Departments placed on each row.
Who you need to get approval from on each section of the project.
These can take weeks to prepare as they are very thorough.
Implementing and Controlling International Projects
Project monitoring: watch all the aspects of the project!
Project controlling: altering an activity in order to correct an undesired situation. This controlling function can either be:
Direct control: control resources using various tools and techniques.
Indirect control: control people at a personal level using leadership, motivation, negotiation, or conflict management. It’s best in this case that you don’t go tell them but get someone else to tell them for you.
Plan
Stakeholder Matrix (who is involved in the project and their responsibilities).
Cultural Gap Analysis
Project Scope Statement and Risk Register.
Quality Management Plan with specifications.
Contracts
Do
Collection of hard data; quantitative
Collection of soft data (qualitative) which considers the impact of cultural diversity.
Most managers are good at hard data but not good at soft data. It is a lot harder to collect, but do not ignore it! Talk to your people and watch how they behave.
Check
Inputs: data in various forms and observations.
Tools: Red/Amber/Green Risk Analysis
Milestone/Critical Path Analysis
Earned Value Analysis
Balanced Score Card (personnel)
Main Output: variance analysis regarding time, quality, etc.
Act
These are countermeasures to the issues that are occurring. Use the risk register as your change control tool. You can issue change orders.
You can make updates to the ‘Issues Log’. This can be your defence in the future if your project fails.
Do updates through status meetings.
Monitor Matrix for International Projects
Internal Components:
Resources, productivity of human resources, quality, scope, level of support from senior management, efficiency and consistency of business processes across workgroups.
External Components: economic situation of the country where the project is located. Government regulations and approvals (changes, delays). Natural disasters or unusual weather. Technological problems (power outages, limited communications technology)
Earned Value Analysis
The value expressed in a currency of the work accomplished at a certain point in time based on the budgeted value for the work.
Cultural Impacts on a Project’s Organizational Structure: Task vs Relationship Orientation
In task-oriented cultures (where loyalty to completing an assigned task is more important than loyalty to the person who assigned the task), a project manager can still be effective and have control even if he is operating from a remote location and is using ‘virtual’ technology.
In relationship-oriented cultures (where the loyalty to the person who assigned the task is more important than the loyalty to completing an assigned task), a project manager will only be effective only if on site, highly visible and supportive. They will want to go out for beers with you when the project is done, and will struggle if you are not around.
Cultural Impacts on Project Implementation (continued)
- Some cultures want to avoid risk, others lean heavily towards embracing risk (like North Americans).
- Some cultures are individualistic and do not mind being compared to others (like North Americans); but in collective cultures they have a group perspective. You would never approach a group and single out one person; negatively or positively.
- Some people are circumstantial; they plan unique to the project; universal people take an old plan and use it over and over.
- Task-oriented cultures relate closely to individualistic cultures and relationship cultures are related to collectivistic cultures. They have difficulty reporting negative issues because it may damage a relationship.
- Achievement managers are there to take care of the project; it is number one. If the project is successful, I will be successful as I will get the glory of the project. Standing/status managers only care about how they look; not how the project is going. The project’s success is merely a tool for recognition.
- Sequential managers are monochronic, and they have a laid out, logical plan that never changes. Synchronic or polychronic managers deal with multiple tasks at the same time and they don’t have a solid linear plan.
- Pragmatic individuals may prefer quick action based on previous experience; theoretical managers typically lack prior experience and will rely more on overly thorough analysis.
