Page 305 - Global Project Management Handbook

15-6 MANAGEMENT OF GLOBAL PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS

progress for completing the project was slow and randomly closing on completion
objectives.
Typically, individuals in work environments do only what they are told to do. On a
construction site, laborers were employed to dig a base for an equipment foundation.
The requirement was that the earth be level and tamped to give it a base for pouring
concrete footers. The supervisor was shouting at the laborers to move faster with the
digging and leveling. It did not take long to observe the laborers shoveling dirt back
and forth to please the supervisor. While work was being accomplished, the laborers
were only moving dirt in different directions without making any noticeable progress.
Countries in tropical zones or having high temperatures during the day often will
allow workers the opportunity to take a nap during the day. Work hours are modified
to stop work during the hottest hours and to work in the mornings and evenings. For a
project manager expecting continuous work on a project, this may be frustrating, and
it also may have inefficiencies associated with interrupted workflow.
Religious customs also can change the manner in which work is scheduled and
accomplished. Muslims, for example, have afternoon prayers that stop all work for
some period of time while religious services are conducted. The work may or may not
continue following the religious services. Other religions also can change the work
hours and work environment.
Understanding work habits that may need to be accommodated rather than changed
is important to obtain the desired results. There is perhaps no single model that one
could use to avoid conflict with embedded work habits that have been cultivated over
many years within a country. If it is a long-term project, it may be worth the effort to
retrain the workforce. If the project is of short duration, it may be best to accept the
work habits and any inefficiencies that accompany them.

TRAINING IN QUALITY PRACTICES

Often, a participating organization in another country will have no quality process in
place. It may be that the level of sophistication in a process has not been documented
to the level that the tasks can be deployed to the workforce. Training may be required
prior to starting a project to raise the level of awareness in various workmanship practices

such as assembly procedures or milling techniques. Also, the overall quality program
needs to be deployed to the managers as well as to the workforce.
There was an example in a developing nation whereby a radio operator claimed to
know the procedures for radio communications. There were indications that the radio
operator was not using the prescribed procedures, and many mistakes were made in
communicating information. On questioning, the individual thought that he understood
the procedures, but the procedures were in English. His translation of the procedures
into his native language was not precise, and errors were injected into the process.
Instructions and training may be required to be given in the native language as well as
in English.
Practices that have been used in the past may not meet the requirements for a new
project. It may be necessary to retrain individuals in new practices that replace the existing
ones. Identifying and establishing changes from old to new practices may be required to
ensure the end state of the constructed product meets the criteria for quality, that is, meets
the customer’s requirements. Typically, the new practices will be in the technical fields
that relate to design, fabrication, assembly, and testing. Some training may be required
for managers and supervisors to indoctrinate them in the quality standards that must be
achieved.