4 Benefits of Having Global Project Managers on Your Team
Planning, developing, and monitoring projects takes integrity, efficient communication skills, and strong leadership. An effective Project Manager must obtain technical expertise, exceptional problem-solving and negotiation skills, and the ability to manage a project’s life cycle. While businesses continue to pursue and use international suppliers, the expense of international travel, and the various worldwide travel restrictions, the search for quality Global Project Managers are becoming increasingly popular.
April 26, 2022
Is There a Difference Between a Project Manager & Global Project Manager?
Whereas our traditional domestic Project Managers do not typically encounter cultural barriers or international laws, many companies extend their capabilities to other countries. As the corporate world expands its resources internationally, traditional Project Managers are being asked to enter a space of unfamiliarity. Virtual meetings around the 24-hour clock (depending on the time zone), multicultural barriers, and international law, some of which are foreign skills to their traditional PM mastery. The difference? Global Project Managers are becoming an essential component of many international businesses as they understand the various cultures surrounding them, are submerged within local laws and are highly skilled in managing the obligations of an international project.
While perhaps domestic Project Managers may have resumed their international travels following our global pandemic, travel remains limited as many countries experience lockdowns and strict COVID-19 policies. Combined with increased travel expenses and unpredictable global traveling restrictions, we share with you that HB International has worked incredibly hard since 2002 to provide our customers with Global Project Managers to ensure your project is pursued without interruptions.
In working with Global Project Managers, here are several advantages that our team has experienced:
1. Established international infrastructure
The ability to:
- Occupy an infrastructure that is close in proximity to suppliers to support in-person collaboration and ongoing projects firsthand
- Oversee projects and interact with in-person suppliers, engineers, and the Quality Assurance team.
2. Exceptional language skills
The ability to:
- Communicate with suppliers and engineers in the local language
- Communicate technical terms to help assist customer project demands, the status of various projects, the technicalities of machinery, and the specifications and technical drawings of products.
- Communicate project development, status, and technical terms with domestic customers
- Maintain cohesiveness amongst suppliers, team, and customers
3. Reduction in travel expenses
The ability to:
- Travel within closer proximities to meet with suppliers and HBI teammates
- Schedule and conduct visits with suppliers, observe day-to-day operations, check-in on current projects, and accompany QA for audits and product inspections.
4. Intercultural management, interpersonal skills, and cultural competency
The ability to:
- Understand and obtain knowledge of different cultures simply because they are immersed in it
- Close adjacency to suppliers in surrounding countries to enable the ability to adapt to different cultures and engage in social-cultural norms
- Quickly adapt to multicultural differences between suppliers, customers, and teams.
HBI’s team is here to help you get the products you need, when you need them. For questions or inquiry regarding a specific project, please fill out our form below. We look forward to working with you!
