Introduction

With the current trends in business and technology, the odds that you will manage a project consisting of stakeholders from the same culture, located in the same environment, and representing a common business function decrease as each day passes. In the past, these more complex project situations were assigned to proven, experienced project managers. Today, you are likely to deal with cross-functional, cross-cultural, or virtual environments (or combinations of these three) in your initial project management opportunity. This is why I feel it is important to review key aspects of managing differences in project environments.

I want to accomplish two primary goals. One, I want to share with you the unique aspects of each of these project situations, the common problems to watch out for, and, most importantly, the key principles and lessons that I have learned managing these types of projects. Two, I want to emphasize how these special situations do not require any additional project management techniques—just disciplined application of the principles and techniques. With this knowledge and awareness, you will be more confident and better prepared to manage these aspects of your project environment.