I recall a major global project at one of my former companies where the project manager was located abroad but failed to account for the domestic (U.S.-based) operating model in their planning. The PM would schedule meetings convenient in their time zone but in the wee hours of the morning for the U.S. teams. The PM would then get frustrated when no one showed up and complicated matters further by assuming processes would be administered based on when they scheduled them and not in conjunction with the normal processing times.

The PM probably looks pretty bad here but I'm going to defend them! The issue was not the PM but leadership and the culture of the organization which had long been a highly domestic business. The international contract was celebrated. However, no one thought about the operational implications which required changing to meet the needs of an international program. The culture maintained its domestic focus which essentially doomed the effort before it even started.

I will say the project manager could have been more effective in communicating and engaging with leaders and particularly those in technology and operations. However, the ultimate failure was a lack of understanding of the cultural changes necessary to be successful when engaging on a global project.

Regarding this statement:

"Thus, individuals from diverse disciplines should collaborate in defining the requirements and suitable practices during the entire project."

Question) Can you share your thoughts through the lens of being the project manager on the tangible steps you would take to ensure this goal?