Executive Summary

The premise of my paper focuses on managing projects in a global setting, specifically with an emphasis on time zone management. Across the globe, companies, and industries alike, have faced operational deficiencies due to the global pandemic of COVID-19. How teams need to come together and establish a game plan for a project either remotely or across different time zones is crucial to support the well-being of the project at hand. When managing global projects, there are key dimensions that dictate guidelines for how to go about executing a project with employees and resources being located in varying time zones. Some takeaways from professional forums will strengthen my paper to clearly demonstrate what employers could learn from when operating under the time zone initiative.

Introduction

Project Management is an integral part of any organization. It serves more than just executing a task; it is the culmination of operational efficiencies, teamwork, and success. Meticulous planning to create agendas, achieve and exceed goals, and complete the project in a timely matter, are the heart of project management. Under the umbrella of project management lies time management. There is a right place and time for everything, this a prevalent component in all areas of a project. Without time management, the progress of a project would be both undetermined and not monitored properly, leaving a company or specific department under pressure. Organizational downfall is a common result of failed time management since it is the framework teams rely on to assess what is next, what is a predecessor, and ultimately where the project is going. There are certain dimensions of managing projects across time zones that will allow for the project to run smoothly and be deemed successful. Managing across time zones or even on a remote capability of working is crucial to ensure everyone and everything is on the same page.

With some companies operating under home and abroad offices, it is important to understand the phases of project management in order for these two entities to collaborate effectively. Initiation, planning, executing, monitoring, controlling, and closing are all stages of the project management. Global projects, just like any project, runs under the same protocol. Setting up universal guidelines across time zone allows for a plan to be developed early, meaning working under the same framework results in consistency, no matter where or when an employee works on a task. Accredited by the PMI David I. Cleland Project Management Literature Award, “Global Project Management: Communication, Collaboration and Management Across Borders,” is renown for being the best piece of professionally published project management writing in 2007 (Binder). This manuscript details why project managers cannot hit the requirements necessary to complete a project solely due to poor time zone management. With the pandemic taking over the modern and business world, companies had to halt operations due to safety and health concerns. When dealing with a global project, this is where time management and adaptation come into fruition. Primarily, communication occurs on an asynchronous basis for these types of projects, meaning people could be working on the same task or project at a different location within the same timeframe. For example, my coworker could be working on a project at 1 P.M Eastern time while instant messaging another coworker who lives on the west coast at 10 A.M Pacific time. Binder explains how the dimensions of a global project: locations, languages, organizations, cultures, and most importantly, time zones, provide a major benefit to an organization. Furthermore, this benefit gives the opportunity for “team members to work together independently of their geographical situation, without the added costs and time needed for relocation,” though being difficult at times to exchange communication at times (Binder). Money is saved by both the company and from each employee’s personal finances to transport to and from work. Organizations will have to pay less in bills for upkeep of the office since it will not be occupied as frequently. Communication across borders of time zones has the advantage of stored information, where one could easily reference a conversation had with a colleague. Another advantage is feeling as though there are more hours in one’s day with having others working on the project in their own earlier time zone. In project management, this is known as the “around-the clock” effect where work can seamlessly be transferred from one time zone to the next for activities requiring 24-hour constant support or a strand of tasks for a non-interrupted period of 15 hours (Binder).

Emphasizing the above strategies for seamless project managing within time zones, there are certain knowledge areas to be familiar with when instituting a workforce geared for working under this method. Especially when working abroad and or in unfamiliar territory or markets, understanding the ethics and values of the culture at hand will leave business opportunities open. Project managers need to gauge these aspects to not only establish rapport, but also grow to accept varying opinions and mindsets when approaching the delegation of duties and so forth. Consequently, a strong global leadership team can be formed on this basis for time zone management to retroactively kick-off interwoven management, leadership, and communication styles of both parties. Communication channels is a knowledge area that not only involves employees, but stakeholders as well. These channels must be detected early. One channel strategy offers a mix of both synchronous and asynchronous information to be shared amongst members. This ensures accessibility of such data and knowing that the correct and intended party receives vital materials. The project manager must take the reins in understanding the varying time zone market in how they would like to be communicated with and their preferred method of distribution of project resources. Time zone management, again, provides an advantage of “reduced time required to moderate meetings and prepare reporting, fewer misunderstandings, electronic flows for document review and approval, automatic handling of basic project management and communication tasks, and fewer and shorter business trips,” via diversified ways of driving a project forward (Binder).

            Remote working is becoming the new normal. Not only is it convenient, but the innovations in technology that are accessible to the public today, allows for us to be more connected than ever. Though project management is a complex field in person, it adds an additional field of depth when people are working on differing schedules and times (Dixon). Research, serving as evidence, in the article “Project management across time zones: 7 lessons”, states that at least “85% of managers believe that teams with remote workers will become the new norm,” meaning project managers are accumulating plans to adjust to this massive shift in workflow functionality (Dixon). Whether it be enlisting in a video conference service such as Zoom for meetings and or a document sharing service, the way projects will be managed in different time zones via remote work will shake up multiple industries. Delays, halts, and even takedowns of public projects can result from this shift.

In order to reverse what is now being called the “Remote Sprawl”, there are several tactics project managers can use to combat this. Project managers always need to have a plan, for they are in charge of keeping the project afloat, whether or not it progresses. Where companies and project managers alike go wrong, according to “Dealing With “Remote Sprawl”: How to Manage Teams, People, and Projects Across Time Zones,” is that “many remote companies grow and grow without understanding the dangers of not having a clear plan for working together,” signaling a warning for project managers to thoroughly assess the implication of the current market while keeping time zones in mind (MacKay). Working remotely and in separate time zones lacks the in-person or personal connection one gains from non-remote work or not seeing one face-to-face on a daily basis. Investing in relationships helps build the team closer while allowing for more casual conversations outside of work. Establishing remote guidelines for what people should follow in each time zone in consideration for others who are offline. Therefore, the guidelines keep the workflow going while authorizing for a break in the system when needed to not stress the project’s lifecycle. The project management lifecycle acknowledges an integration phase. Referring back to the last point made, it is of the project manager’s best interest to schedule in dependencies, hand-offs across project teams, and regulating workflow at the beginning and end of a milestone. Accounting for time zones and the well-being of the project and its counterparts, is what this measure serves.

Conclusion

Ultimately, time zone management is a key portion of the essence of project management. In this course and in life, we use a similar method of time management in our daily activities. Formulating agendas and plans for ourselves or finishing a task in a timely manner are a few examples of the real-world application of this skill. Project managers must adapt and account for the varying time spent between one party collaborating on a project versus another. Global teams are a primary example of where time zone management comes into play. How a specific project manager navigates this, sets the tone for the project. Management, communication, and leadership of each time zone and or party must be discussed in order to see the project into fruition. Remote work, though perhaps not operating under different time constraints or limitations by region, exhibit the same challenges and benefits of working in opposing time zones. Ensuring that the people aspect is present, and all are on the same page hold the most importance to project management. Using a mix of delivery methods will accommodate all needs of a team while cutting back on expenses of utilizing in- office or transportation resources. The Global Project Management Framework, discussed in the earlier part of the paper, is an accredited resource that details best practices for project management in time zones and beyond. All lessons provided can be used to not only strengthen a personal project at one’s firm, but, inevitably, the project management field as a whole.

 

Biography

I am a recent graduate of Montclair State University majoring in Business Administration with a concentration in management. Graduating a year early afforded me the opportunity to challenge myself by taking additional coursework in interested areas: project management. Leveraging and growing upon knowledge is most important in success. I strive to, backed my education, be a well-rounded businesswoman. Learn more about the author here.

 

References:

Binder, Jean. “The Global Project Management Framework: Communication, Collaboration, and Management across Borders.” Pmi.org, 2009, www.pmi.org/learning/library/global-project-management-framework-6863.

Dixon, Jess. “Project Management across Time Zones: 7 Lessons.” 10 Feb. 2021, canny.io/blog/project-management-across-timezones/.

MacKay, Jory. “Dealing With ‘Remote Sprawl’: How to Manage Teams, People, and Projects Across Time Zones.” 11 Jan. 2021, plan.io/blog/how-to-work-across-time-zones/.