I think the biggest difference would be the regulations that you have to follow and know in different countries. The plan.do.check.act cycle, PM processes, and design controls can be applied to any situation. The biggest hurdle would be anything to do with culture such as enterprise environmental factors. Being in a different culture would mean dealing with a different work ethic and way of communicating. Something as standard as holding a kickoff meeting might be challenging. In some cultures, authority is not challenged and they expect to be told what to do as opposed to being part of a conversation. They might feel like they are doing your job for you as the project manager.

Managing a project between various countries would be challenging but achievable. I think responsibilities of each country would have to be clearly defined. I also believe it helps for each team in the various countries to be as diverse as possible because it helps others to understand another culture. For example, in the US its good to have diversity because someone on that team might know or have a better understanding of a country you are working with. Having someone close to you who works with you everyday explain and help you get use to that other country is a life saver.

Currently at my company we are working on a project that is international, as we must communicate with Brazil, India, and Austria. The key hurdle with project management is the time difference within the countries and the communication gaps. With the project the burden of following as would be expected falls on us and it is the U.S. divisions job to relay the information to the other managers, sometimes this has to be done extensively, in order to get the proper documentation for the record. Another hurdle that is present is for the project we are conducting specific tests in Austria since we cannot import/export the material for testing into the United States. The hurdle that presents itself is that we need to conduct audits of the Austria site in order to ensure that they are up to par with U.S. regulations and standards. This disconnect in protocols and regulations is the largest hurdle faced when working on an international project and constant communication/documentation is key in ensuring that the project is conducted properly.

I think that in general the entire project management "outline" is similar regardless of the industry or the country. There may be minor nuances that are different but overall, the concept is relatively similar. When I was interning, there was a big project going on across multiple sites in different countries. As someone mentioned, one of the key obstacles faced is time change. I remember the people that were working on the project would come in at work at 5am or stay until 10pm just to talk to their client or partners in another country. Another thing that comes to mind is different regulations in terms of testing. Each country has their own standards to medical devices and one of the issues is making sure that the testing down meets requirements in both countries. It takes a little bit of time and effort but it is definitely manageable.

Any company seeking global presence, has to consider several key factors to handle an international project successfully such as:
1. Legal Systems
2. Quality Standards
4. Language Barriers
5. Time Zone Changes
6. Economic Conditions
7. Cultural differences.
If these factors are not taken into account by the PM while delivering an international project, the company might face difficulty to gain buy-in, support and the project might face significant loss or failure, and a significant cost will have to be recovered later on. So usually the companies use a tool called 5-D model, also known as Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions model to manage the international projects, in order to understand the cultural differences between any 2 or more countries.

It takes into account 5 key areas:
1 Power Distance : it is used to understand the equality gap in any country.In any country of high Power Distance, PM might engage with only senior stakeholders and not with everyone else during the process.
2. Individualism : Measures the need for personal achievements Vs the needs of the group. In a country with high individualism, they provide more input and take ownership of certain parts of the project.
3.Masculinity: it measures a country's need for competitiveness between the two genders. In a country with high masculinity, a male PM might face less resistance than a female or at least the boundaries might not get blurred with male and female roles.
4. Uncertainty Avoidance : This takes into account any country's flexibility and how accepting the country is of uncertainties. Any country with scores of high Uncertainty Avoidance will have lots of rules and well documented procedures.
5. Long-Term Orientation: Measures the preference of the long term horizon over the short term. Countries with high Long Term Orientation give little importance to short term deadlines and milestones.

This tool provides an overview and understanding of any country for delivering international projects so that the project can be tailored accordingly.

I agree with the comments above, I believe that the biggest difference would be dealing with the diverse regulations. From my previous experience within a cosmetic standpoint, I was working on a reform on an overseas product, both the overseas product and the American product had the same ingredients, but the big difference is that the European body utilized a stearyl alcohol that was completely different from the Stearyl alchohol we used in our regular line, the main reason was because the one we used in our American line products was not approved by the European body. I was making a batch of hand cream and I accidently picked the European designated stearyl alchohol, so stearl alcohol for those who don't know is an emulsifier that keeps creams and lotions stable. Well the European approved stearyl alcohol, did exactly the opposite of what it was intended to do, and this raw material needs another ingredient to become active. So in conclusion, the biggest challenge about going international with project management, is the ability to distinguish what is acceptable between different countries with regards to materials and standards, as well is communication and documentation.

There definitely will always be challenges communicating with international branches of the same company. As was previously stated, time differences, language differences, and cultural differences are all challenges to consider. However, I think the cultural differences will be the most important one to tackle. The cultural differences don't have to manifest simply as just simply American vs. Japanese cultural differences for example. There are also the workplace cultural differences that exist even between different branches in the same country. One site may value rapid execution of projects while another may value a significantly longer time doing research. It is thus imperative for one to understand the workplace culture of both areas when trying to communicate for a collaboration.

One of the largest considerations when taking a company global is meeting various international regulations. As an employee of a medical device company that has reach in Europe and Asia, much of our regulatory teams responsibility is deciphering and meeting standards set forth by the EU and individual countries. Our project manager is responsible for coordinating the efforts of our R&D and quality teams to meet the standards of other international bodies.

As far as managing a project between multiple countries, I believe that each regional PM should be able to manage and coordinate the activities of the teams that they are in charge of. Mostly because the regional PM should be aware of the cultural idiosyncrasies of the people they manage. The key, however, will be coordination and effective communication between PMs. If there are barriers to communication (language, timezones, cultural) this can cause a significant loss of efficiency and ability to complete a given project.

You have brought up a very interesting point. There will always be obstacles when doing international business/projects. However, the difficulty of overcoming some will be harder than others. For example: Language could typify a high obstacle between the countries trying to get the project done, however nowadays a lot of people speak English, if not then in the market we can find very efficient translators. On the same way, the timing between countries might not help, but this can resolved by finding a middle point between all the different schedules. But the main obstacle to overcome would be the laws between countries. For example experimenting with certain animals in other countries is not allowed. But in other countries the rent for the facilities is very cheap. It all depends on what countries are the ones involved in the business. In overall, a good way minimize these obstacles would be to first study the country where you want to settle in and/or the country where the company you want to make business with has the facilities. If technical problems arise, as one of my classmates mentioned before, I would just follow the plan, do, act and check cycle.

Let me know what you think

Sincerely,
Roberto Pineda

There are various obstacles come across if you are taking a company globally. As my other classmates discussed in above posts, I would like to add some points.
1.Be aware of national and religious holidays- holidays might affect a team members. As a project manager you should know which holidays are particularly important to team members.
2.Be savvy about the culture differences among team members- if someone in other country speaks flawless American English, don’t assume that there cultural values are the same as yours.
3.Don’t generalize, or make assumptions- be inclusive and seek advice from a friend who’s familiar with local customs when culture specific issues emerge.

I feel that all in all the whole venture administration "framework" is comparable paying little respect to the business or the nation. There might be minor subtleties that are distinctive however in general, the idea is moderately comparative. When I was interning, there was a major venture going ahead over various locales in various nations. As somebody said, one of the key snags confronted is time change. I recollect the general population that were taking a shot at the venture would come in at work at 5am or remain until 10pm just to converse with their customer or accomplices in another nation. Something else that rings a bell is diverse controls regarding testing. Every nation has their own particular gauges to restorative gadgets and one of the issues is ensuring that the testing down meets necessities in both nations. It requires a tad bit of investment and exertion yet it is certainly sensible.