Throughout the United Arab Emirates (UAE), du Telecom provides mobile and fixed

Question

Throughout the United Arab Emirates (UAE), du Telecom provides mobile and fixed telephony, broadband connectivity and IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) services to people, homes, and businesses. When it opened for business in 2006, the company boldly entered what was already a saturated market with 100% penetration. Although du Telecom recognized that the telecom industry in the Arabian Gulf is fast growing and that the company would face ever increasing competition, it approached the market as an opportunity rather than an obstacle. Within four years, du had acquired almost 40% of the region’s mobile market share and was maintaining an annual growth rate of more than 32% in a saturated market. 1. Established in 1987, Huawei is a global leader of ICT solutions and the largest telecommunications equipment maker in the world. 2. Their telecom network equipment, IT products and solutions, and smart devices are used in 170 countries and regions. In 2013, du signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd., 3. A Chinese multinational networking and telecommunications equipment and services company. With this understanding, du and Huawei are working together to better define the best practices in portfolio and project management concepts, processes and techniques for their industry, including knowledge transfer and research. 4. Du and Huawei are operating what they term a “distributed PMO” in two countries. This requires that both understand how a PMO functions in that type of environment. The two companies decided to work together to exchange best practice industry methodologies, concepts, tools and techniques, while also better defining best practice portfolio management concepts, processes, and techniques. THE CHALLENGE Du knows that every project takes place in a specific context, be it a stand-alone project or part of a greater program, or one among a portfolio of projects. A project may also involve a team whose members have never worked together before, and it may require assigning responsibilities and roles to people who are new to them. All of these factors are identified and considered as part of a project. With all of these considerations in mind, du was looking for partners who could help them overcome these challenges. This provided the trigger to initiate an engagement with Huawei. In a region marked by fierce competition, telecom operators contend with constant change and long-term uncertainty. One key shortcoming that du explored for surmounting these challenges was the role of project leadership—a capability that delegates and facilitates faster decision making and improves time to market. Questions 1. Design an effective solution for this Project. 2. What troubles, challenges, or stressors do they face? 3. Develop the lesson learned from this case. 4. Demonstrate their key Achievements.
Throughout the United Arab Emirates (UAE), du Telecom provides mobile and fixed telephony, broadband connectivity and IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) services to people, homes, and businesses. When it opened for business in 2006, the company boldly entered what was already a saturated market with 100% penetration. Although du Telecom recognized that the telecom industry in the Arabian Gulf is fast growing and that the company would face ever increasing competition, it approached the market as an opportunity rather than an obstacle. Within four years, du had acquired almost 40% of the region’s mobile market share and was maintaining an annual growth rate of more than 32% in a saturated market. 1. Established in 1987, Huawei is a global leader of ICT solutions and the largest telecommunications equipment maker in the world. 2. Their telecom network equipment, IT products and solutions, and smart devices are used in 170 countries and regions. In 2013, du signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd., 3. A Chinese multinational networking and telecommunications equipment and services company. With this understanding, du and Huawei are working together to better define the best practices in portfolio and project management concepts, processes and techniques for their industry, including knowledge transfer and research. 4. Du and Huawei are operating what they term a “distributed PMO” in two countries. This requires that both understand how a PMO functions in that type of environment. The two companies decided to work together to exchange best practice industry methodologies, concepts, tools and techniques, while also better defining best practice portfolio management concepts, processes, and techniques. THE CHALLENGE Du knows that every project takes place in a specific context, be it a stand-alone project or part of a greater program, or one among a portfolio of projects. A project may also involve a team whose members have never worked together before, and it may require assigning responsibilities and roles to people who are new to them. All of these factors are identified and considered as part of a project. With all of these considerations in mind, du was looking for partners who could help them overcome these challenges. This provided the trigger to initiate an engagement with Huawei. In a region marked by fierce competition, telecom operators contend with constant change and long-term uncertainty. One key shortcoming that du explored for surmounting these challenges was the role of project leadership—a capability that delegates and facilitates faster decision making and improves time to market. Questions 1. Design an effective solution for this Project. 2. What troubles, challenges, or stressors do they face? 3. Develop the lesson learned from this case. 4. Demonstrate their key Achievements.
Throughout the United Arab Emirates (UAE), du Telecom provides mobile and fixed telephony, broadband connectivity and IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) services to people, homes, and businesses. When it opened for business in 2006, the company boldly entered what was already a saturated market with 100% penetration. Although du Telecom recognized that the telecom industry in the Arabian Gulf is fast growing and that the company would face ever increasing competition, it approached the market as an opportunity rather than an obstacle. Within four years, du had acquired almost 40% of the region’s mobile market share and was maintaining an annual growth rate of more than 32% in a saturated market. 1. Established in 1987, Huawei is a global leader of ICT solutions and the largest telecommunications equipment maker in the world. 2. Their telecom network equipment, IT products and solutions, and smart devices are used in 170 countries and regions. In 2013, du signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd., 3. A Chinese multinational networking and telecommunications equipment and services company. With this understanding, du and Huawei are working together to better define the best practices in portfolio and project management concepts, processes and techniques for their industry, including knowledge transfer and research. 4. Du and Huawei are operating what they term a “distributed PMO” in two countries. This requires that both understand how a PMO functions in that type of environment. The two companies decided to work together to exchange best practice industry methodologies, concepts, tools and techniques, while also better defining best practice portfolio management concepts, processes, and techniques. THE CHALLENGE Du knows that every project takes place in a specific context, be it a stand-alone project or part of a greater program, or one among a portfolio of projects. A project may also involve a team whose members have never worked together before, and it may require assigning responsibilities and roles to people who are new to them. All of these factors are identified and considered as part of a project. With all of these considerations in mind, du was looking for partners who could help them overcome these challenges. This provided the trigger to initiate an engagement with Huawei. In a region marked by fierce competition, telecom operators contend with constant change and long-term uncertainty. One key shortcoming that du explored for surmounting these challenges was the role of project leadership—a capability that delegates and facilitates faster decision making and improves time to market. Questions 1. Design an effective solution for this Project. 2. What troubles, challenges, or stressors do they face? 3. Develop the lesson learned from this case. 4. Demonstrate their key Achievements.

Explanation / Answer

1.

du Telecom is in the right direction by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Huawei Technologies Ltd., a Chinese multi-national company with global leadership in area of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and telecommunication equipment manufacturing. The MoU will enable the two companies in carrying out collaborative project management and portfolio management, knowledge sharing (including knowledge transfer) and research.

The two companies can benefit from each other’s core competencies and gain an edge over the competitors in the saturated Arabian Gulf market. Moreover, they are functioning as a “distributed Project Management Office (PMO)” by sharing the best project management practices in both the countries, while retaining autonomy in decision-making in their respective countries.

All these are an effective solution for the given Project.

2.

The challenges that the two companies will face will often be in terms of issues related to misinterpretation or misunderstanding arising from the differences in culture of the two countries – United Arab Emirates (UAE) and China.

Sometimes, there may also be ego clashes and conflicts with one company trying to have the upper hand over the other with respect to certain business decisions.

Keeping in view the preceding aspects, the biggest challenge in this Project would be effective project leadership which would be accountable for delegating the different tasks to various team members (many of them being new to one another), while achieving synergy in the process and ensuring timely installation of project deliverables.

3.

The important lesson learned in this case is the predominant role of leadership, effective teamwork and achievement of synergy which ultimately lead to project success even in cases involving companies from two different geographic locations.

4.

The companies’ key achievement has been to work together as a “distributed PMO” and share one another’s knowledge, expertise and technologies. Also they are coming out with best industry practices related to project management and are enjoying a sustained competitive advantage in the intensely competitive Arabian Gulf market.

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