International Project Management

Deliverables and learning objectives

The business world today is acting internationally and globally. Consequently, enterprises have to interact in international projects and with international teams. This requires that different types of people, with nonconforming cultural backgrounds, have to achieve one common goal – the project target. Most international projects suffer from cost overruns and missed deadlines, because organisations and individuals don’t know, don’t understand or don’t handle existing cultural influences. Their success depends largely on how the management and the members of the project team cooperate and communicate with each other.

What benefits you will get from this course?

At the end of the seminar participants will be able to:

• Understand the international aspects of project management
• Communicate project management aspects by knowing the differences within the PM global world (PMI, IPMA, APMA,..)
• Understand the main structure of international project management in a global operating company
• Create a stakeholder strategy, which considers the international aspects of project management
• Profit from the influences of culture and diversity on the dynamics of international projects to achieve the project targets
• Communicate constructively and effectively with international partners and within international team.
• Know some specific practical hints to overcome cultural related hurdles
• Identify and deal with specific situations where problems and conflicts may occur: e.g. deadlines, communication, roles and responsibilities, and authority.
• Establish guidelines for group communication and cooperation considering specific international environmental (US, Mexico, India,..).
• Get what they need from international business partners.

For which ideal customer is this course designed?

Everyone who needs to be able to work effectively und successfully on international projects

The course content and structure

• Introduction and warming up
• Transfer session – how we experience international project management in our enterprise
• Definition of expectations and learning objects
• The situation today in international enterprises
  • The international business world today – trainer input and discussion
  • The international project and project management world today – trainer input and discussion
• International and/ or versus global ?
  • International projects and international business case - a common contradiction? (Project here and usage there?)
  • What is “International”? (Brainstorming/ 635 plus introduction) (Multinational, European, global, international)
  • Challenges to international projects and project management
• International aspects regarding project management (group session, own experiences)
  • Impact factors for international project management (politics, technique, economic, geography, culture and laws)
  • International project management aspects (approaches, wording, training, certification)
  • International business strategies of enterprises
  • International stakeholders with different national interests
  • Legal aspects in the international business (different legal systems)
  • Cultural and geographical aspects of individuals and of the organization
• The international project management world
  • The IPMA model (ICB)
  • The PMI model (PMBoK)
  • The UK model (PRINCE 2)
• The role of cultural and cross cultural aspects
  • Dimensions of cultural differences
  • Cultural differences according to region, religion, gender,…
  • Dimensions of national cultures (the Hofstede model and the Globe Study)
  • Regional culture specifics
• The project management course model – international project management (with analogy to the PMI model)
  • (M1) The project management context and their international specific
  • (M2) The project life cycle and the project organization
  • (M3) The project management process groups
• The PMI knowledge areas and process groups in the context of international project management (most relevant)
  • Project initiation for international projects
  • Specifications of international projects
  • The organization of project work in international projects and international teams
  • The initiation and approval of the project team
• The environmental and the stakeholder analysis
  • The relevance of stakeholder knowledge
  • Cultural differences of stakeholders
  • The management of international stakeholders in cross cultural project context
• Project scope management in international projects
  • The difficulty of scope and understandingin international projects
  • Scope changes and scope change management in international projects
• Project time management in international projects
• Project cost management in international projects
• Project human resource management
  • Team staffing and team performance
  • Differences of authority in different cultures
  • The role of an international coach
  • Managing different educational resource levels
  • Team meeting in international teams
  • Conflicts and conflict strategies in international projects (is “Gasl” all about ?)
    • The social emotional factor
    • How to create conflict competence in international teams (the integration model from Cierpka)
• Project procurement management
  • International and national legal systems
  • International and national negotiation approaches
  • Supplier development and supplier management in international projects
• Project risk management
  • The specifications of risks in international project management
  • International aspects as part of social risk in a project
  • Differences in risk approaching in various cultures
  • Risk response strategies
• Project Communication management in international environment
  • Principles of communication
  • Cultural differences in communication
  • Decision and behavior changes – limits and prerequisites
• Project quality management
  • The quality understanding and relevance in international projects
  • Quality standards for international team members and international customers
  • How to harmonize national and international quality standards
• Project controlling and monitoring
  • The role of controlling in international projects and cultures
  • Prerequisites of controlling success and support (incl. international differences)
• Summarize the training and comparison with expectations
• Feedback

Methodical and didactical hints for the course

The participants will be expected to do some preparation in advance of the program and provide input on some realistic challenging situations.

 The workshop will involve experiential-based learning activities, video, case studies, lecturettes, simulations, group activities and discussions.

 The participants will be asked to develop a specific action plan to improve the communication and cooperation in their own international group or team.

Additional helpful information

orbitak is working in close cooperation with leading scientists in the area of neurosciences, who constantly provide new consolidated findings concerning knowledge transfer, effective learning as well as methods of behavior. All orbitak courses are designed in accordance with these latest findings to ensure the best possible transfer of knowledge to you.

Course facilitator

Thomas Baumann

Next scheduled training dates and locations?