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The Global Project Management Playbook
Strategies for Mid-Project Challenges
Harold Kerzner (Author)
9781394382941, Wiley
Hardback, published 12 March 2026
576 pages
23.6 x 19.6 x 3.6 cm, 0.93 kg
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: 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.
Preface xv 1 The Growth of Global Project Management Challenges 1 1.1 Introduction 1 1.2 Defining a Project Challenge 2 1.3 Project Management Challenges: 1945– 1960 3 1.4 Project Management Challenges: 1960– 1985 5 1.5 Accidental Project Management 8 1.6 Project Management Challenges: 1985– 2025 8 1.7 Creating the Right Culture 12 1.8 Global Project Management 15 1.9 Growth of Project Management Challenges 16 1.10 Types of Project Management Challenges 17 1.11 Early Warning Signs of Challenges 20 1.12 Barriers That Cause Global Challenges 20 1.13 Managing Multicultural Challenges in Latin America and the Caribbean 30 1.14 Overcoming Project Ambiguity: How Dubai Customs Integrates Strategic Foresight to Build Resilient Initiatives 33 1.15 Kombs Engineering 39 2 Role of the Executive in Managing Challenges 41 2.1 Introduction 41 2.2 An Executive’s View of Project Management 42 2.3 The Growth in Project Governance 44 2.4 Excellence in Project Sponsorship 46 2.5 When Sponsorship Struggles 47 2.6 Empowerment of Project Managers 49 2.7 Recent Sources of Challenges 51 2.8 The Growth of Nontraditional Projects 51 2.9 Impact of the VUCA Environment 53 2.10 The Impact of the COVID- 19 Pandemic on Project Management 56 2.11 General Motors and Ventilators 60 2.12 When Executive Sponsorship Fails 62 2.13 The Need for Project Cancellation Criteria 65 2.14 Growth of Project Management Offices 66 2.15 Waha Oil Company Success Story 69 2.16 Embedding Transformation: A Case Study in Clarity, Ownership, and Execution at Scale 74 2.17 Motorola 78 2.18 Roadway Express 79 3 Training and Education Challenges 81 3.1 An Introduction to the Need for Training 81 3.2 Training in Modern Project Management Practices 81 3.3 Need for Business Education 82 3.4 Traditional Need for Training 84 3.5 Today’s Need for Training 84 3.6 Selecting Participants 85 3.7 The Need for Executive- Level Education 86 3.8 Fundamentals of Project Management Education 90 3.9 Recent Changes in Project Management Education 90 3.10 Designing Courses and Conducting Training 92 3.11 The Growth in Project Management Education 94 3.12 PM Ready: Empowering Young Changemakers with Project Management 94 3.13 Project Launching eSpelman at Spelman College: Project Management Approaches in Online Education 97 3.14 Project Management Is a Profession 100 3.15 Corporate Training: How Education Empowers Organizations to Overcome Project Management Challenges 102 3.16 How Consulting Helps Clients Overcome Project Management Challenges 106 3.17 Overcoming Global Project Management Challenges at GEA 112 3.18 Avalon Power and Light 119 4 The Role of Best Practices in Managing Challenges 121 4.1 The Need for Capturing Best Practices 121 4.2 Step 1: Definition of a Best Practice 122 4.3 Step 2: Seeking Out Best Practices 125 4.4 Step 3: Validating the Best Practice 132 4.5 Step 4: Levels of Best Practices 134 4.6 Step 5: Management of Best Practices 135 4.7 Step 6: Revalidating Best Practices 136 4.8 Step 7: What to Do with a Best Practice 136 4.9 Step 8: Communicating Best Practices Across the Company 137 4.10 Step 9: Ensuring Usage of the Best Practices 139 4.11 Common Beliefs 139 4.12 The Dark Side of Project Management Best Practices 141 4.13 Best Practices Library 142 4.14 Determining the Value of a Best Practice 144 4.15 Educational Best Practices 145 4.16 Education on Brainstorming Becomes a Best Practice 151 4.17 Apple Computer and Cell Phones 155 4.18 Intel Corporation and “Map Days” 156 4.19 Dashboards and Scorecards 156 4.20 Key Performance Indicators 162 5 Managing the Challenges 167 5.1 Introduction 167 5.2 Understanding Solutions to Challenges 167 5.3 Unclear Requirements Challenges 168 5.4 Changing Requirements Challenges 169 5.5 Outdated Requirements Challenges 170 5.6 Stakeholder Engagement Challenges 171 5.7 Political Challenges 171 5.8 Scope Creep Challenges 178 5.9 Budget Constraints Challenges 179 5.10 Cash Flow Challenges 179 5.11 Heavy Focus on Profit Margin Challenges 180 5.12 Management Reserve Challenges 180 5.13 Unrealistic Schedule Challenges 181 5.14 Trade- Off Challenges 181 5.15 Competing Priorities Challenges 182 5.16 Project Termination Challenges 182 5.17 Defining Success and Failure Criteria Challenges 183 5.18 Risk Management Challenges 183 5.19 Ineffective Communications Challenges 184 5.20 Accountability Challenges 184 5.21 Team Conflict Challenges 185 5.22 Workload Mismanagement Challenges 186 5.23 Skills Gap Challenges 186 5.24 Enterprise Project Management Methodologies Challenges 187 5.25 Common Global Environment Challenges 188 5.26 Identifying Project Management Challenges 189 5.27 Aligning Expectations Through Root Cause Analysis of Project Challenges 190 5.28 Blockchain in Cross- Border E- Commerce: Dubai Customs’ Path to Global Leadership 196 5.29 MTDG: The Helwan Tank Ammunition Facility Project 200 5.30 A Case Study on Overcoming Global Project Management Challenges 203 6 Workforce Management Challenges 215 6.1 Introduction 215 6.2 Workforce Expectations 216 6.3 Finding Critically Skilled Workers 217 6.4 The Inventory Skills Matrix 217 6.5 Staffing with Temporary and Contract Workers 218 6.6 The Technical Prima Donna Challenges 219 6.7 The Lazy Worker Challenges 219 6.8 The Team Friction Challenges 220 6.9 Walk the Halls Project Management 220 6.10 The Toxic Team Member Challenges 224 6.11 Creativity Boundary Conditions 230 6.12 Cognitive Biases and Challenges 231 6.13 Stakeholder Involvement in Project Staffing Challenges 238 6.14 Developing Project Workforce Backup Plans 239 6.15 Other Staffing Challenges 239 7 Culture Challenges 241 7.1 Introduction 241 7.2 Creation of a Corporate Culture 242 7.3 Corporate Values 244 7.4 Types of Cultures 245 7.5 Corporate Cultures at Work 246 7.6 Texas Instruments 249 7.7 GEA and Heineken Collaboration: A Learning Experience 250 7.8 Indra Group: Building a Cohesive Culture 259 7.9 Disney 263 7.10 How COMAU Created a Culture of Data to Drive Performance 265 7.11 Barriers to Implementing Project Management in Emerging Markets 270 8 Complexity Challenges 277 8.1 Introduction 277 8.2 The Complexity in Defining “Complexity” 277 8.3 Trade- Offs and Scope Changes 278 8.4 Prioritization of Constraints 279 8.5 Full- Time Versus Part- Time Assignments 280 8.6 Problem- Solving and Decision- Making 280 8.7 Impact of Project Duration 281 8.8 Tracking Assumptions 282 8.9 The Importance of Business Value 282 8.10 Growth of Solution Providers 283 8.11 Classification Method for Demands and Projects Based on Level of Complexity 285 8.12 Project Management and Agile Approaches in Drug Development 288 8.13 Global Finance and Accounting Transformation— A Strategic Transition Initiative 309 References 313 9 Smaller Challenges 317 9.1 Introduction 317 9.2 Examples of Smaller Challenges 318 9.3 Information Is Power Challenges 321 9.4 Outsourcing Challenges 322 9.5 Recognizing Achievements Challenges 322 10 Merger, Acquisition, and Partnership Challenges 323 10.1 Introduction 323 10.2 Planning for Growth 323 10.3 Effects of Mergers and Acquisitions on Project Management 324 10.4 Effects of Partnerships on Project Management 324 10.5 Project Management Value- Added Chain 324 10.6 Preacquisition Decision- Making 327 10.7 Landlords and Tenants 332 10.8 Solutions to Challenges When Companies Work Together 333 10.9 Integration Results 334 10.10 Value Chain Strategies 336 10.11 Failure and Restructuring 337 10.12 Success After Two Years: A Stalled SaaS Migration 338 10.13 Bridging Borders and Breaking Silos: Leading a Complex Multinational Infrastructure Rollout 342 10.14 The Global Leap: Project Management Strategies for International Growth 346 10.15 Project Study— X— From Barriers to Breakthroughs: A Smarter Approach 355 11 Challenges with Project Management Methodologies 359 11.1 Introduction 359 11.2 Excellence Defined 359 11.3 Recognizing the Need for Methodology Development 360 11.4 Enterprise Project Management Methodologies 364 11.5 Benefits of a Standard Methodology 369 11.6 Critical Components 370 11.7 The Importance of Benefits and Value 372 11.8 Valmet Customer Project Management 374 11.9 Hitachi: Program and Project Management Standardization in Global Projects 378 11.10 Howard Consulting: IT Operational Biopharmaceutical Efficiency Case Study 381 11.11 Project Management Tools and Socialized Project Management 385 11.12 Artificial Intelligence and Project Management 386 11.13 Listening to the Voices in Artificial Intelligence Deployments 388 11.14 Overcoming Project Challenges with AI: State of the Art— Generative AI— Open Innovation 393 11.15 Life- Cycle Phases 399 11.16 Churchill Downs Incorporated 400 11.17 Indra Group: The Need for a Methodology 400 11.18 Implementing the Methodology 403 11.19 Implementation Blunders 404 11.20 Overcoming Development and Implementation Barriers 404 11.21 Wärtsilä: Recognizing the Need for Supporting Tools 405 11.22 General Motors Powertrain Group 406 11.23 Indra Group: Closing the Project 408 11.24 When Traditional Methodologies May Not Work 410 11.25 Siemens: The Pill Before— Doping for Agile Transformation 413 References 415 12 Challenges with Integrated Processes 417 12.1 Introduction 417 12.2 Understanding Integrated Management Processes 417 12.3 Evolution of Complementary Project Management Processes 419 12.4 Total Quality Management 423 12.5 Concurrent Engineering 428 12.6 Risk Management 428 12.7 Wärtsilä: The Need for Proactive Risk Management 431 12.8 Indra Group: When a Risk Becomes Reality (Issue Management) 433 12.9 The Failure of Risk Management 435 12.10 Defining Maturity Using Risk Management 436 12.11 Boeing Aircraft Company 437 12.12 Change Management 438 12.13 Other Management Processes 439 13 Challenges with Informal Project Management 441 13.1 Introduction 441 13.2 Informal Versus Formal Project Management 441 13.3 Trust 444 13.4 Communication 445 13.5 Cooperation 447 13.6 Teamwork 447 13.7 Color- Coded Status Reporting 448 13.8 Crisis Dashboards 449 13.9 The Risks of Using Informal Project Management 452 14 Innovation Project Management Challenges 455 14.1 Introduction 455 14.2 The Failure of Success Challenges 455 14.3 One- Size- Fits- All Challenges 456 14.4 Insufficient Line of Sight Challenges 456 14.5 Failing to Search for Ideas Challenges 457 14.6 Sense of Urgency Challenges 457 14.7 Intellectual Property Rights Challenges 457 14.8 Not Understanding the Relationship Between Creativity and Innovation Challenges 458 14.9 Too Many Assumptions Challenges 459 14.10 Innovation Funding Challenges 459 14.11 Cash Flow and Financial Uncertainty Challenges 459 14.12 Control, Control, and Control Challenges 460 14.13 Analysis–Paralysis Challenges 460 14.14 Naviair: On Time on Budget 460 14.15 Ericsson: Managing Change Within Research and Development at Business Area Networks 469 14.16 Building Tomorrow’s Homes, Today: MBRHE’s Triumph in Landmark 3D- Printed Villa 477 15 The Project Management Office 481 15.1 Introduction 481 15.2 No PMO, No Problem. Just Ask Boeing 483 15.3 Churchill Downs Incorporated: Establishing a PMO 485 15.4 Churchill Downs Incorporated: Managing Scope Changes 486 15.5 Types of Project Offices 490 15.6 Project Audits and the PMO 492 15.7 PMO of the Year Award 492 16 Global Project Management Excellence 495 16.1 Introduction 495 16.2 IBM: Overcoming Project Management Challenges 496 16.3 Deloitte and Enterprise Value Delivery for Agile Method 513 16.4 Deloitte: Enterprise Program Management 520 Index 541
Subject Areas: Mechanical engineering & materials [TG]
