Page 321 - Global Project Management Handbook

SUCCESS FACTORS IN VIRTUAL GLOBAL SOFTWARE PROJECTS 16-9

Are there variables that permeate all cultures and help us to understand the root causes
of the cultural differences of GSV team members? Yes, a set of such variables is termed a
cultural map. One of the map’s variables is time orientation, which we will use to point
to the essence of cross-cultural project management. Specifically, cultures differ in how
they value time. Some cultures emphasize a focus on the past, whereas others focus on
the present or future. Americans, for example, focus primarily on the immediate effects
of a challenge or action; they are present-time oriented. In contrast, the Japanese concentrate
on long-term performance, or future time.
Let’s take project scheduling as an example. Present-oriented schedulers are likely to
develop a precise schedule for the near-future activities, and as information becomes
available, the longer-term activities will be expanded in more detail following the
“rolling wave” concept (Harrison and St. John, 1998). Everything will be done to pre-
serve the deadlines because time is money. In contrast, the importance of deadlines is
likely to be low to past-oriented project teams. In their minds, whether the deadlines will
be met is God’s will, something that human schedulers cannot dictate. The approach
practiced by future-oriented schedulers is that schedules will focus on the long-term view
and not be very detailed; to account for contingencies that life may deploy, any deadlines
likely will be treated as tentative.
Similarly, cultural differences affect team members’ perceptions of all areas of project
management, from scope to resource allocation to project organization. The central point
here is that these differences can play havoc in project communication, control, and per-
formance. Simple strategies such as immersion, training, and more advanced techniques
can help overcome these differences and their impact (Milosevic, 1999, 2001).

Multiple Sites

Multiple sites are often located in developing countries, which have different tech-
nological infrastructure and human resources. In particular, the cost, availability,
and capability of data communication vary between these countries. In some coun-
tries with inadequate infrastructure, these lines are not available at all. Because of
the lack of proper and dependable telecommunications, VGS teams are prevented
from communicating effectively, and the coordination, control, and performance of the
project are seriously affected.

Human resources in different countries vary as well. For example, the level of education,
skill, and experience of developers depends on location. Availability of programmers also
is location-specific. For example, some programmers, such as those in Japan, are willing
to work longer overtime hours, whereas Scandinavians generally are not. All these factors
influence productivity levels and project performance.

SYSTEM OF SUCCESS FACTORS

Success factors are those characteristics, conditions, or variables that, when sustained, main-
tained, or managed properly, can have a significant impact on the success of a project
(Leidecker and Bruno, 1984). To increase the likelihood of a VGS project’s success, senior
and project managers need to address a specific group of success factors (Fig. 16.3). Should
they address them individually or as a system?
There is no doubt that deploying success factors individually can improve VGS project
performance incrementally. However, this approach hides a trap. Success factors are
mostly interdependent, and building them individually without regard for the other factors