Throughout the United Arab Emirates (UAE), du Telecom providesmobile and fixed telephony, broadband connectivity and IPTV(Internet Protocol Television) services to people, homes, andbusinesses. When it opened for business in 2006, the company boldlyentered what was already a saturated market with 100% penetration.Although du Telecom recognized that the telecom industry in theArabian Gulf is fast growing and that the company would face everincreasing competition, it approached the market as an opportunityrather than an obstacle. Within four years, du had acquired almost40% of the region’s mobile market share and was maintaining anannual growth rate of more than 32% in a saturated market.
1. Established in 1987, Huawei is a global leader of ICTsolutions and the largest telecommunications equipment maker in theworld.
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 HuaweiTechnologies Co. Ltd.,
3. A Chinese multinational networking and telecommunicationsequipment and services company. With this understanding, du andHuawei are working together to better define the best practices inportfolio and project management concepts, processes and techniquesfor their industry, including knowledge transfer andresearch.
4. Du and Huawei are operating what they term a “distributedPMO” in two countries. This requires that both understand how a PMOfunctions in that type of environment. The two companies decided towork together to exchange best practice industry methodologies,concepts, tools and techniques, while also better defining bestpractice portfolio management concepts, processes, andtechniques.
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 oneamong a portfolio of projects. A project may also involve a teamwhose members have never worked together before, and it may requireassigning responsibilities and roles to people who are new to them.All of these factors are identified and considered as part of aproject. With all of these considerations in mind, du was lookingfor partners who could help them overcome these challenges. Thisprovided the trigger to initiate an engagement with Huawei. In aregion marked by fierce competition, telecom operators contend withconstant change and long-term uncertainty.
One key shortcoming that du explored for surmounting thesechallenges was the role of project leadership—a capability thatdelegates and facilitates faster decision making and improves timeto 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.
