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Managing International Projects Across the Globe

Andres Quiles shares some essential tips for planning and managing an international project by giving some practical examples.

2 mins readOctober 12, 2021

“Building a powerful internal team is crucial to the success of your project in different countries.”

Managing global projects is more enriching than working in a single country, where despite the similarities in the approach the implementation is more complex. The limited nature of a domestic project means that actions can be focused on the individual country and localize the project to take advantage of its unique features. However, global projects will require a different approach to ensure that you get everything right and make uniform progress across the participating countries. Here is some essential information on how to prepare for an international project.

How Does Market Research Help In Managing International Projects?

Sizing up the market is the first and most crucial step in preparing for an international project. This research enables you to understand the different trends that prevail in the market. Additionally, you get to understand customer behaviors across the different countries your project is intended for. Legal requirements might vary for each of the countries, and understanding this lets you anticipate the hurdles in your path.

Gathering relevant data from the target countries is essential and a pivotal step to implementing your project. Population differences will also determine your budgeting in terms of labor distribution and logistics for the different countries. You will be better prepared when you already have an idea of what you are facing. Accurate information is critical and will save you time and resources in your project implementation.

How Crucial Is Team Recruitment as You Learn How to Prepare for an International Project?

Building a powerful internal team is crucial to the success of your project in different countries. The right combination of team members will ensure that all your legal, market, and operational needs are met across all the countries where you are launching your project. Mixing and matching team members and talent will also give you what it takes to operate and succeed in the different territories you are looking to tackle.

Without a solid and dedicated team for all the locations where you intend to set up shop, your project will see mixed results. Some of the countries with good teams will see great results while other countries will lag. Keeping track of and managing the progress of your project across the globe will be much more complicated. You should make sure that each aspect of your project has a team member accountable for it. Hiring locally, which opens up an opportunity to the local community, can be a valuable way of operating in countries where foreigners face opposition. It also improves your business's relationship with the nations where you implement your project.

A thorough recruitment process will help you build a strong team that represents you optimally in the target countries. The best talent and proper balance of personalities and social skills will prove very useful for some areas of the world. Communication will prove critical for different regions, and your team members should be able to converse in the local language for easier operations.

What Are the Types of Global Projects?

Different types of global projects will require different processes and skillsets. The right mix of strategies and tools during the expansion will help the teams to be more productive. Automating different processes will make it possible to change and adjust to meet the needs of foreign markets. For instance, some of the markets might require a lot of translation and localization to reach the right people. Language tools will be handy for these territories as they will make the work easier for the team members.

Additionally, the teams spread out across the globe will need to keep in close contact with one another. Frequent and effective communication will allow these teams to keep one another updated on progress and challenges. This way, the teams will not leave any of their regions lagging or stuck on a problem. Instead, they will work together to keep their schedules in sync and aligned with overall project goals.

Document-sharing apps and collaboration tools are essential for a project that is going global. They keep everything on track, and deliverable results are achieved in a reasonable time frame. These tools will come in handy for an international project:

  • Google Drive: This powerful cloud storage service from Google enables teams to share files and collaborate on their projects. Team members can share huge files without emailing attachments, which saves them time. There is no limit to the size of files that your teams can store on Google Drive. No matter the kind of project that the different teams are working on, file sharing will be easy.

  • Slack: Communication between your teams will be enabled by this application. You can create channels on the software to keep product-specific information from mixing with other operations. It also features a powerful search capability to find and handle any issues that teams are working on. If you have been dealing with email challenges and have noticed that your team members spend too much time on email, this is the best solution. It improves communication for the teams, which promotes better interaction.

  • Microsoft Teams: Holding meetings to keep the different teams up to speed on the project is made possible by this collaboration software. Training is also possible with this tool, and it can prove useful for recruiting new members to join your international teams. It also integrates seamlessly with other Microsoft products like Office and Outlook for easier collaboration. In case there is limited talent in some areas, the screen-sharing feature of this application will enable an expert to work remotely and fix issues that other teams are dealing with.

  • Jira: Checklists are important for many projects to confirm that all the requirements are met. Working between teams across the globe can be more productive with this application. Sharing tasks and assigning various milestones to the team members is easier when using a tag feature within the application. By keeping track of the progress of any project, the tool ensures that all the goals are achieved.

What Are Some Real-World Examples of the Types of Global Projects?

Tightly knitted insurance teams are possible with collaboration tools and make managing international projects possible. What is a global project without the agencies and teams working closely together? You will complete the different types of worldwide projects in good time using the best tools. Global project examples in fields such as insurance have achieved success in different countries with the right approach. When going international, it is essential to adopt a new operating model for the entire business. The model should involve sales, billing, marketing, customer success, product and technology. All the departments your business comprises should be able to operate in harmony with one another.

Daily meetings are essential to keep all the insurance teams updated on progress and any significant issues or challenges that arise. Insurance expansion would not have been possible without close collaboration and efficient communication. Document sharing for various legal reasons was also made possible by using multiple software tools and online services. Insurtech is making it easier to change the workflows of separate teams while ensuring that each team member plays his or her role. Growth and expansion are also made quicker, and the insurance provider achieves global success much more easily.

As insurance providers, we are always looking for means and ways to improve our service delivery. Regulations often pose challenges, but with the right tools, we can find the right talent for different territories. Keeping track of performance across the globe is also easier owing to the use of data. The data enables easier and more accurate projections and predictions of future trends. Feedback from the data makes it possible to make timely changes to the processes so that the team delivers the correct results.

Final Thoughts

Taking insurance to the global level is no easy task. It requires a workflow and strategy that can adapt to the different requirements for each country. Each territory will have regulations to adhere to, and the right approach is essential for achieving success. Thankfully, the right strategy encourages success by deploying the right team to each country. Acquiring the best talent with an effective hiring process also makes the project more manageable and better coordinated across the globe.

With the teams in place, collaboration is the next huge challenge. Thankfully, software and online tools have risen to the occasion, making it possible to better coordinate projects. Now, teams are in a position to collaborate and work on tasks more effectively. Keeping all groups on the same page as far as the project is concerned is also made possible with these tools. As a result, growth and expansion become achievable, and the project can see gratifying results in all the territories where it has been implemented. Feel free to contact us for more information.

Author’s Bio:

Andrés is the Insurance Director in the EMEA Team at CoverWallet, and has recently been included in the ‘40u40 List’ which recognises the young people likely to become the leaders of the insurance industry in Spain. He is also the President of the ‘Young Insurance Professionals Association’. He joined CW four years ago focusing on sales & operations and expanding the business in the European continent. He has participated in the launch and monitorization of Zurich Spain, Zurich Switzerland, and Aondigital in both France and Spain. Andrés has extensive experience in digital distribution and owns a BA degree in Actuarial Science.

Author’s Bio:

Timothy Carter

Andres Quiles shares some essential tips for planning and managing an international project by giving some practical examples.