Global Project alignment and virtual teaming mitigates cost and time overrun
Challenge: A large manufacturing division of a F50 global conglomerate was rolling out a new mail and messaging system to 40,000 employees in over 30 countries. Each day the project was delayed, the company lost tens of thousands of dollars. Halfway through the project, the parent company transferred all IT operations to an outsourcer. The project came to an abrupt halt when leadership, roles, accountabilities, metrics, and funding were all suddenly thrown into question.
Solution: Nancy Settle- Murphy conducted a series of onsite Project Jumpstart workshops to help the newly-defined team agree on operating principles in vital areas such as accountabilities, decision-making and change control. Participants from other countries were involved through a series of phone conferences, emails and web forums. A stakeholder analysis helped target information and tools where and when they were most needed.
Results: After a costly delay of several months, the project got back on track, thanks to the leadership of a rejuvenated team whose members knew what they needed to do to collaborate successfully with counterparts around the world. Ultimately, the team made up a surprising amount of the time and expenses that were lost during the long delay. Business units suffered far fewer interruptions than had been predicted, and internal users adapted quickly and easily to the new system.
Tags: change control, manufacturing, Project Jumpstart workshops