Description
Delivers practical guidance on navigating global project execution challenges with real-world strategies and case studies
Global projects demand more than just planning—they demand resilience, adaptability, and the ability to navigate disruption during execution. As organizations expand across borders, industries, and cultures, the mid-project phase has emerged as the most critical and complex stage of project management. It is during this phase that teams encounter unclear requirements, shifting priorities, stakeholder misalignment, and cultural barriers, all of which can derail progress if not addressed with clarity and strategy. The Global Project Management Playbook: Strategies for Mid-Project Challenges addresses this exact need, providing a structured yet flexible framework for managing execution-phase challenges in global initiatives.
Drawing on contributions from over fifty leading organizations—including many Fortune 500 companies—this in-depth volume combines strategic analysis with field-based case studies from professionals who have faced and overcome real-world obstacles. Readers gain insight into how global project teams navigate complex governance structures, balance executive sponsorship with team-level decision-making, and course-correct under pressure. The Playbook not only examines challenges, but also distills lessons learned from successful recoveries and adaptations, providing actionable tools for both academic instruction and professional application.
Equipping readers with the skills and knowledge to drive projects forward in today’s interconnected world, The Global Project Management Playbook:
- Builds on Harold Kerzner’s extensive body of work, adding fresh perspectives on global execution challenges
- Places a unique focus on the mid-project execution phase, where real challenges surface and success is determined
- Features detailed case studies drawn from diverse industries and global organizations that provide a breadth of practical insights
- Provides frameworks for addressing executive sponsorship, governance, and organizational accountability
- Explores team dynamics, conflict resolution, and decision-making under pressure
- Contains practical tools for navigating scope creep, shifting priorities, and stakeholder misalignment
Written by one of the most influential voices in project management, The Global Project Management Playbook is ideal for graduate and advanced undergraduate students in project management, international business, and organizational leadership programs, as well as those taking PMP®/CAPM® certification and professional training courses. It is also an indispensable reference for project managers, program directors, and executives engaged in global initiatives across industries.
Table of Contents
Preface
1 THE GROWTH OF GLOBAL PROJECT MANAGEMENT CHALLENGES
1.0 Introduction
1.1 Defining a Project Challenge
1.2 Project Management Challenges: 1945-1960
1.3 Project Management Challenges: 1960-1985
1.4 Growth of the Accidental Project Manager
1.5 Project Management Challenges: 1985-2025
1.6 Creating the Right Project Management Culture
1.7 Global Project Management
1.8 Growth of Project Management Challenges
1.9 Types of Project Management Challenges
1.10 Early Warning Signs of Challenges
1.11 Barriers that Cause Global Challenges
1.12 Managing Multicultural Challenges in Latin America and The Caribbean
1.13 Overcoming Project Ambiguity: How Dubai Customs Integrates Strategic Foresight to Build Resilient Initiatives
1.14 Kombs Engineering
2 ROLE OF THE EXECUTIVE IN MANAGING CHALLENGES
2.0 Introduction
2.1An Executive’s View of Project Management
2.2The Growth in Project Governance
2.3Excellence in Project Sponsorship
2.4 When Sponsorship Struggles
2.5Empowerment of Project Managers
2.6 Recent Sources of Challenges
2.7 Growth of Non-Traditional Projects
2.8 Impact of the VUCA Environment
2.9 Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Project Management
2.10 General Motors and Ventilators
2.11 When Executive Sponsorship Fails
2.12 The Need for Project Cancellation Criteria
2.13 Growth of Project Management Offices
2.14 Waha Oil Company Success Story
2.15 Embedding Transformation: A Case Study in Clarity, Ownership, and Execution at Scale
2.16 Motorola
2.17 Roadway Express
3 TRAINING AND EDUCATION CHALLENGES
3.0 Introduction to the Need for Training
3.1 Training in Modern Project Management Practices
3.2 The Need for Business Education
3.3 The Traditional Need for Training
3.4 Today’s Need for Training
3.5 Selecting Training Participants
3.6 The Need for Executive-Level Education
3.7 Fundamentals of Project Management Education
3.8 Recent Changes in Project Management Education
3.9 Designing Courses and Conducting Training
3.10 The Growth in Project Management Education
3.11 PM Ready: Empowering Young Changemakers with Project Management
3,12 Project Launching eSpelman at Spelman College: Project Management Approaches in Online Education
3.13 Project Management is a Profession
3.14 Corporate Training: How Education Empowers Organizations to Overcome Project Management Challenges
3.15 How Consulting Helps Clients Overcome Project Management Challenges
3.16 Overcoming Global Project Management Challenges at GEA
3.17 Avalon Power and Light
4 BEST PRACTICES IN PROJECT MANAGEMENT
4.0 The Need for Capturing Best Practices
4.1 Step 1: Definition of a Best Practice
4.2 Step 2: Seeking Out Best Practices
4.3 Step 3: Validating the Best Practice
4.4 Step 4: Levels of Best Practices
4.5 Step 5: Management of Best Practices
4.6 Step 6: Revalidating Best Practices
4.7 Step 7: What to Do with a Best Practice
4.8 Step 8: Communicating Best Practices across the Company
4.9 Step 9: Ensuring Usage of the Best Practices
4.10 Common Beliefs
4.11 The Dark Side of Project Management Best Practices
4.12 Best Practices Library
4.13 Determining the Value of a Best Practice
4.14 Educational Best Practices
4.15 Education on Brainstorming Becomes a Best Practice
4.16 Apple Computer and Cell Phones
4.17 Intel Corporation and “Map Days”
4.18 Dashboards and Scorecards
4.19 Key Performance Indicators
5 TYPES OF PROJECT MANAGEMENT CHALLENGES
5.0 Introduction to Challenges
5.1 Understanding Solutions to Challenges
5.2 Unclear Requirements Challenges
5.3 Changing Requirements Challenges
5.4 Outdated Requirements Challenges
5.5 Stakeholder Engagement Challenges
5.6 Political Challenges
5.7 Scope Creep Challenges
5.8 Budget Constraint Challenges
5.9 Cash Flow Challenges
5.10 Heavy Focus on Profit Margin Challenges
5.11 Management Reserve Challenges
5.12 Unrealistic Schedules Challenges
5.13 Tradeoff Challenges
5.14 Competitive Priorities Challenges
5.15 Project Termination Challenges
5.16 Defining Success and Failure Criteria Challenges
5.17 Risk Management Challenges
5.18 Ineffective Communications Challenges
5.19 Lack of Accountability Challenges
5.20 Team Conflict Challenges
5.21 Workload Mismanagement Challenges
5.22 Skills Gap Challenges
5.23 Enterprise Project Management Methodologies Challenges
5.24 Common Global Environment Challenges
5.25 Identifying Project Management Challenges
5.26 Aligning Expectations Through Root Cause Analysis of Project Challenges
5.27 Blockchain in Cross-Border E-Commerce: Dubai Customs’ Path to Global Leadership
5.28 MTDG: The Helwan Tank Ammunition Facility Project
5.29 A Case Study on Overcoming Global Project Management Challenges
6 WORKFORCE MANAGEMENT CHALLENGES
6.0 Introduction
6.1 Workforce Expectations
6.2 Finding Critically Skilled Workers
6.3 The Inventory Skills Matrix
6.4 Staffing with Temporary and Contract Workers
6.5 The Technical Prima Donna Challenges
6.6 The Lazy Worker Challenges
6.7 The Team Friction Challenges
6.8 Walk the Halls Project Management
6.9 The Toxic Team Member Challenges
6.10 Creativity Boundary Conditions
6.11 Cognitive Biases and Challenges
6.12 Stakeholder Involvement in Project Management Challenges
6.13 Developing Project Workforce Backup Plans
6.14 Other Staffing Challenges
7 CULTURE CHALLENGES
7.0 Introduction
7.1 Creation of a Corporate Culture
7.2 Corporate Values
7.3 Types of Cultures
7.4 Cultures at Work
7.5 Texas Instruments
7.6 GEA and Heineken Collaboration: A Learning Experience
7.7 Indra Group: Building a Cohesive Culture
7.8 Disney
7.9 How COMAU Created a Culture of Data to Drive Performance
7.10 Barriers to Implementing Project Management in Emerging Markets
8 COMPLEXITY CHALLENGES
8.0 Introduction
8.1 The Complexity in Defining Complexity
8.2 Tradeoffs and Scope Changes
8.3 Prioritization of Constraints
8.4 Full-Time Versus Part-Time Assignments
8.5 Problem Solving and Decision-Making
8.6 Impact of Project Duration
8.7 Tracking Assumptions
8.8 The Importance of Business Value
8.9 Growth of Solution Providers
8.10 Classification Method for Demands and Projects Based on Level of Complexity
8.11 Project Management and Agile Approaches in Drug Development
8.12 Global Finance & Accounting Transformation – A Strategic Transition Initiative
9 SMALLER CHALLENGES
9.0 Introduction
9.1 Examples of Smaller Challenges
9.2 Information is Power Challenges
9.3 Outsourcing Challenges
9.4 Recognizing Achievements Challenges
10 MERGER, ACQUISITION AND PARTNERSHIP CHALLENGES
10.0 Introduction
10.1 Planning for Growth
10.2 Effects of Mergers and Acquisitions on Project Management
10.3 Effects of Partnerships on Project Management
10.4 Project Management Value-Added Chain
10.5 Preacquisition Decision Making
10.6 Landlords and Tenants
10.7 Solutions to Challenges
10.8 Integrations Results
10.9 Value Chain Strategies
10.10 Failure and Restructuring
10.11 Success after Two Years: A Stalled Saas Migration
10.12 Bridging Borders and Breaking Silos: Leading a Complex Multinational Infrastructure Rollout
10.13 The Global Leap: Project Management Strategies for International Growth
10.14 Project Study - X - From Barriers to Breakthroughs: A Smarter Approach
11 CHALLENGES WITH PROJECT MANAGEMENT METHODOLOGIES
11.0 Introduction
11.1 Excellence Defined
11.2 Recognizing the Need for Methodology Development
11.3 Enterprise Project Management Methodologies
11.4 Benefits of a Standard Methodology
11.5 Critical Components
11.6 The Importance of Benefits and Value
11.7 Valmet Customer Project Management
11.8 Hitachi: Program and Project Management Standardization in Global Projects
11.9 Howard Consulting: IT Operational Biopharmaceutical Efficiency Case Study
11.10 Project Management Tools and Socialized Project Management
11.11 Artificial Intelligence and Project Management
11.12 Listening to The Voices in Artificial Intelligence Deployments
11.13 Overcoming Project Challenges with AI: State of the Art – Generative AI – Open Innovation
11.14 Life-Cycle Phases
11.15 Churchill Downs Incorporated
11.16 Indra Group: The Need for a Methodology
11.17 Implementing the Methodology
11.18 Implementation Blunders
11.19 Overcoming Development and Implementation Barriers
11.20 Wärtsilä: Recognizing the Need for Supporting Tools
11.21 General Motors Powertrain Group
11.22 Indra: Closing the Project
11.23 When Traditional Methodologies May Not Work
11.24 Siemens: The Pill Before – Doping for Agile Transformation
12 CHALLENGES WITH INTEGRATED PROCESSES
12.0 Introduction
12.1 Understanding Integrated Management Processes
12.2 Evolution of Complementary Project Management Processes
12.3 Total Quality Management
12.4 Concurrent Engineering
12.5 Risk Management
12.6 Wärtsilä: The Need for Proactive Risk Management
12.7 Indra Group: When a Risk Becomes Reality (Issue Management)
12.8 The Failure of Risk Management
12.9 Defining Maturity Using Risk Management
12.10 Boeing Aircraft Company
12.11 Change Management
12.12 Other Management Processes
13 CHALLENGES INFORMAL PROJECT MANAGEMENT
13.0 Introduction
13.1 Informal versus Formal Project Management
13.2 Trust
13.3 Communication
13.4 Cooperation
13.5 Teamwork
13.6 Color-Coded Status Reporting
13.7 Crisis Dashboards
13.8 The Risks of Using Informal Project Management
14 INNOVATION PROJECT MANAGEMENT CHALLENGES
14.0 Introduction
14.1 The Failure of Success Challenges
14.2 One Size Fits All Challenges
14.3 Insufficient Line of Sight Challenges
14.4 Failure to Search for Ideas Challenges
14.5 Sense of Urgency Challenges
14.6 Intellectual Property Rights Challenges
14.7 Not Understanding the Relationship Between Creativity and Innovation Challenges
14.8 Too Many Assumptions Challenges
14.9 Innovation Funding Challenges
14.10 Cash Flow and Financial Uncertainty Challenges
14.11 Control, Control, and Control Challenges
14.12 Analysis-Paralysis Challenges
14.13 Naviair: On Time On Budget
14.14 Ericsson: Managing Change Within Research and Development at Business Area Networks
14.15 Building Tomorrow’s Homes, Today: MBRHE’s Triumph in Landmark 3D-Printed Villa
15 PROJECT MANAGEMENT OFFICES
15.0 Introduction
15.1 No PMO, No Problem. Just Ask Boeing
15.2 Churchill Downs Incorporated: Establishing a PMO
15.3 Churchill Downs Incorporated: Managing Scope Changes
15.4 Types of Project Offices
15.5 Project Audits and the PMO
15.6 PMO of the Year Award
16 GLOBAL PROJECT MANAGEMENT EXCELLENCE
16.0 Introduction
16.1 IBM: Overcoming Project Management Challenges
16.2 Deloitte and Enterprise Value Delivery for Agile Delivery
16.3 Deloitte: Enterprise Program Management
