In a fast-paced and rapidly changing business environment, project management has shifted from something in an organization\u2019s periphery to a core business capability. That\u2019s with good reason, especially considering that not only do 70 percent of projects fail, but organizations that undervalue enterprise project management have a 50 percent higher failure rate, research shows<\/a>.<\/p>\n Many components help organizational leaders deliver results, from business strategy to processes, financial management, and management across functions, regions, and even globally.<\/strong><\/p>\n As remote, hybrid, and offshore collaboration increases, so does the need for robust enterprise portfolio and program management<\/a> and remote project management capabilities.<\/p>\n Take a sizeable wholesale food distribution company<\/a>, for example, that spent a year upgrading processes, improving Sharepoint and Power BI capabilities, and creating a new project portfolio management and reporting process to streamline its annual planning processes and prioritize IT requests. To further enhance processes, it established a high-performing program management office and worked to grow it in maturity before scaling.<\/strong><\/p>\n Working through common challenges such as collaboration, productivity and team building can help enable integration and product innovation and enhance decision making throughout complex project deployments. To overcome the geography hurdle in project management<\/a>, consider the following techniques:<\/p>\n Effective communication and collaboration are critical if your team is spread across geographic locations. To help keep an open flow of information, identify an individual (and a backup) at each location to serve as a main point of contact and to help keep the team focused.<\/p>\n Proactively plan for the impact of internal and external dependencies when considering international time zones. Before leaving for the day, ensure all teams, both domestic and offshore, are prepared to begin their work. Check the environment and resource availability, codes needed to properly check in, data availability, and other project-specific needs.<\/p>\n Requesting basic metrics consistently across all onshore, offshore, remote, and hybrid teams enables improved communication. Good examples include planned and actual dates, percent complete, and other established project KPIs.<\/p>\n Create a 15-minute stand-up meeting at least once each week. Encourage team members to share accomplishments, upcoming activities, and anything from others to keep the project on track and budget.<\/p>\n Regularly provide verbal and written updates and recognize the team\u2019s milestones and individual contributions. Plan for onsite visits to team members to reiterate the importance of each team.<\/p>\n A successful remote project management model requires focus and discipline.<\/strong> Geography need not be a barrier but instead a key part of the regular workings \u2013 and deep culture \u2013 of your team.<\/p>\n \n Establish Clear Lead Roles to Represent Offshore and Onshore Teams<\/h2>\n
Monitor Intersection Points (Interim Milestones)<\/h2>\n
Implement Simple, Consistent Metrics Across the Team<\/h2>\n
Hold Brief Stand-Up Meetings to Ensure Teams Are Enabled<\/h2>\n
Ensure Team Inclusion Through Consistent Program Leadership Communications and Onsite Visits<\/h2>\n