Why One Solution Will Not Fit All

Sometimes, a project is developed with a mindset that it is built once and rolled out and we are done. But, in real situations, this approach is not practical when it comes to the project or solution, or application that needs to be used in different locations for a long period of time.

Let’s take an example to illustrate the point.  Suppose you are a Program Manager in company A, which is an MNC operating globally in about 80 counties across all the different continents. You have been given a task to roll out a Global Analytics Tool (GAT) which contains a fixed set of KPIs for management analytics & decision making.

But your program might face challenges to deploy the same GAT template in all 80 countries due to several factors…

Different Market Goals

Even within the same company, every market or continent might have its own business goals or situation. XYZ country, for example, due to natural disasters or political meltdown, is not looking at new projects at that point in time and wants the business to focus just on core activities until things settle down. And, ABC country is in need of GAT and wants you to start rolling out your program in their market.

Different Levels Of Resource Availability

Each market will have a different level of manpower or headcount. While some companies will have a lean team to demonstrate their presence, certain companies will have a high headcount due to the company's business has matured.

It takes extra time and effort to start a new project. Not all markets have the luxury of assigning the right people to handle your project from requirements gathering to user acceptance testing and go-live support even if they are interested in the value your project offers.

Different Levels Of Business/Technical Capability

In this area, there is a greater focus on risk. Occasionally, some markets take or accept the rollout of GAT due to diplomatic reasons or over-ambitiousness. Eventually, you'll notice that the project is taking much longer to get deployed. The project may be stuck in a loop of requirement gathering or UAT. Markets such as these are accepting of GAT deployment even without sufficient resources or technical expertise. A lack of expertise also results in projects taking much longer to finish or even not being completed in some cases. Before a project kicks off, identify such markets to prevent companies from wasting resources.

Different Local/Market Level Legal Restrictions

Global firms may be subject to specific laws in some parts of the world and in certain countries regarding how they can conduct business there.

In this case, non-local data should not be transported out of the country, a business should be conducted through local representatives, no global applications at the market level, etc. Thus, local legal restrictions can be another factor to consider for your local global ambition.

Hence to ensure the success of global rollout, minor adjustment and adapatability is crucial.