Karina Jensen - UCSC Extension in Silicon Valley

Time is running and we’re all focused on getting the job done. When working on international projects, the speedometer is going 24/7 as distance and time zones create a relay race around the world. As the global project manager and tour guide, you have your project check list in hand. Clear objectives? Check. Roles and [...]

Are you ready to take your global initiatives to the next level? Taking advantage of new market opportunities requires effective planning and implementation. Since summer is around the corner, it may be time for a little cleaning and fine-tuning for your international product and marketing plans. In order to provide you with a readiness check-up, [...]

Innovation seems to be at the top of everyone’s mind in conceiving, planning, developing, and managing projects around the world. The 2010 PMI Global Congress for EMEA took place in Milan last week with an inside look at emerging project management trends, skills, issues, and tools. Kicking off the event with the keynote address, author [...]

Sending an SOS? Need some guidelines or information regarding international project management? You may be ready to launch a global project or you may find yourself in the midst of a big international initiative. Yet you’re missing those extra insights on the cross-cultural challenges faced throughout the project cycle. If you need some extra resources, [...]

How would you translate the innovation culture in the SF Bay Area to a group of international engineering students? Would that include an entrepreneur, a garage, and a creative mind? And the project manager? When invited to organize a road trip to study the SF Bay Area’s role in innovation and technology, I immediately googled [...]

Sitting through a debate session at the European Commission’s conference on creativity and innovation, I wondered how this very conservative and structured assembly would harness creative ideas. Glancing at the serious faces surrounding me, I wondered if I had arrived at the right event. One of the panel speakers must have read my mind as [...]

Despite all of the doom and gloom of the global economy, there is still a ray of light that reminds us of the possibilities ahead. See this moment as an opportunity to create and innovate across cultures. Yes, we still need to manage our projects and organizations with thrift and efficiency. However, that’s not going [...]

Yes, we’re living in a world economy and it’s the era of globalization. Yet it seems so difficult for many organizations to develop a global view. Innovation, speed to market, and customer intimacy are increasingly becoming drivers for achieving competitive advantage in today’s networked world. Yet few companies are paying full attention to the needs [...]

The international adventures and pitfalls of a global project manager can make great storytelling for your team campfire. Then why is it that most team members would prefer that you put out the flame? Why not keep the fire burning? When the team has celebrated the successful conclusion of the project, they’re ready to head [...]

You’ve developed the global project plan, polished the strategy, won approval from the sponsoring executive, and presented it with great fanfare to your worldwide team. As you wait for the accolades, the plan surprisingly draws mixed reviews from your stakeholders and team members around the world. Team Europe directly voices its discontent with the lack [...]

All aboard? It’s the last day of the worldwide tour and you’re ready to put your passport to use. Yes, it’s time to launch your global project and head for the airport. In order to ensure a smooth launch, you will need to maximize awareness, interest, and participation from your team members around the world. [...]

It’s a global initiative just waiting to happen. You’ve got the plan and you’re ready to go. But where’s the team? How are you going to recruit, dazzle, and motivate your international team members? All of a sudden, you may find yourself spinning circles around the globe. Don’t get lost in foreign territory. Get your [...]

Uno, dos, tres: are you ready for take-off? In order to get a running start for fall and the coming year, take the opportunity to evaluate your global launch timeline. The global launch plan provides a clear vision and road map to facilitate execution by cross-functional and cross-regional teams. The creation of the global launch [...]

Parlez-vous le project management? A cross-cultural perspective and local market understanding is always needed when delivering effective project management solutions. There are many cultural communication mistakes that have been made by well-intentioned global strategists who assumed similarity rather than difference. In Taiwan, the translation of the Pepsi slogan “Come alive with the Pepsi Generation” was [...]

It’s time to go global. With ticket and passport in hand, you’re ready to evangelize the world about your mission. The global launch project has been approved and your team is onboard. There’s just one challenge: you only have one strategy for multiple countries. The regions are following different travel plans, communication and teamwork is [...]