Managing Global Projects

Course Description

In many IT projects the focus is on creating processes, governance and blueprints to achieve the project goals. Managers use these plans, timelines and budgets to reduce the execution risk - but may neglect the other two critical risks. The white space risk - where some activities or complications may not be identified in advance. The integration risk - that disparate activities or personnel will not come together at key times. IT projects face a unique set of challenges, as they are not only concerned with automating process but they require people to think and behave in different ways. The reality is that even within the same organisation, companies can differ sharply in their adaptation and application of the global strategic profile. Day 1 of this course presents the active management of the communication process as an essential skill in getting the information from others, setting clear direction, building trust, engagement and persistence in the face of difficulties. Day 2 allows participants to utilize the skills from Day 1, along with the best practices from Project Management to plan, execute and control their work in the project team. Specific best practices will be tailored to suit the section managers and engineering team.
2 days
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Prerequisites

None

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this course; the participant will
Understand how to plan, estimate and schedule software projects
Identify the plan needed to deal with a global software project
Identify and manage risks associated with geographically dispersed teams
Have a clear understanding of the communication & cultural issues in global teams and how to handle them

Who should attend

Individuals who work in geographically dispersed software teams.
Project Managers who need to manage a geographically dispersed project team
People who want to set clear project objectives for themselves and others in a multi-national business

Creating an effective communications plan

The importance of the project vision statement
Recognising the power of cultural filters on project communication
Capturing the critical feedback

Avoiding conflicts

Defensive pessimism- creating a plan for things that might go wrong

Negotiating within the project team

Analyse your strengths and bargaining position
Using a murder board to rehearse
Understand the cross-cultural factors in negotiations

Managing people where you have responsibility but little formal authority

Managing a virtual team
Managing a virtual meeting
Breaking down silos in cross-functional teams

Areas of cultural impact

Cultural awareness and sensitivity
The impact of culture on management style and governance of projects
The cultural iceberg
The limitations of English as a common language
High and low context cultures
Attitudes towards time and deadlines
Cultural problem solving

Scope definition

Scope Statement
Work Breakdown Structure

Test Planning

Network diagrams and the critical path
Estimation best practices

Risk management planning for globally dispersed projects

Risk Identification
Risk Mitigation and Contingency Planning

Keeping Global Projects Under Control – Scope Verification

Project Status and reporting
Change control

Closing a Global Project

Documenting Lessons Learned
Project ManagementStrategic DevelopmentPMRiskGlobal Management