One of the most difficult tasks project managers and business analysts face is obtaining customer requirements. Even when business customers and business analysts work in the same building, misunderstandings are bound to arise. It’s a challenge to ask the right questions, get the right people involved and document unambiguous requirements, regardless of the backgrounds of those participating. When the project includes multicultural stakeholders, and particularly when those stakeholders work in geographically dispersed areas and form a virtual team, the job becomes much harder.
Some of the challenges facing project managers and business analysts aren’t unique to multicultural projects. However, personal agendas and conflicts about roles, priorities and availability worsen the situation. In addition, recent studies have shown that almost half of the typical project budget is spent reworking defects in requirements. While there are many underlying reasons for this rework, dealing with a group of multicultural business customers and/or project team members can create significant hurdles.
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http://www.computerworld.com/managementtopics/management/project/story/0,10801,109625,00.html