The international dimension...

Several of our current projects include deployment to international offices and users. This tends to make the implementation more challenging, and I’ve seen a lot of projects get tripped up because they didn’t appreciate the additional complexity. On the one hand requirements are generally a lot more diverse, not just in terms of local currency and language needs, but also because there can be distinct differences in the nature and operation of each market.

Secondly, user adoption can be much more ticklish when you are dealing with independent operations distant from head-office. A situation often exacerbated when international offices end up short of the resources they need to make the project a success because of the cost and relative inconvenience (unless the office happens to be based in one of the more exotic locations) of sending project staff around the world.

One of the key objectives with these implementations is to ensure the project isn’t perceived as a solely head office initiative and that the needs of the international organisations are well represented throughout the project. Resource allocation also needs to reflect the additional user adoption challenge of remotely based users and be weighted accordingly. Sadly our involvement in these projects has not yet resulted in as many travel opportunities I might have hoped for; technology is proving our enemy in that respect. There’s too much we can accomplish these days without leaving the office, never mind the country.