Planning a Project in Mexico

ACME Mexico City (AMC). The possible expansion of the ACME outlets into the city of Mexico has been seen as a perfect avenue to help the mother company reach its profitability targets as well as expand the brand name to international levels. This is the first branch that will be done in the Mexico region and hence needs a lot of proper planning and careful implementation of the project plan in the identified region.

The AMC project will involve the building of a structure that will house the ACME products and offices as well as the contraction of a two level parking lot for the numerous cars that are expected. There are various factors that need to be considered as below; Risk management Being that ACME is planning to expand from the U.S.A.

and into Mexico, there is a wide cultural difference between these two zones hence the possible cross cultural conflict emanating from the low levels as the workers at the site and stores, to the top management or even the organization with the community. There is hence need to have a cross cultural sensitization and education as well as a team set up to handle such situations if they come up.

According to the project charter, the excavation of the site and setting of the foundation will be in the month of February and the dry wall stage will be in September. During this period, the weather in Mexico is bound to significantly vary hence must be considered as a risk to the process and be well planned for. There is also the risk of difference in standardization in the building process as well as the employment of the staff that will run the organization on a day-to-day basis.

ACME may want to use the standards that they are used to in the U.S. and yet the legal standards for Mexico could be different. In this case, there will be use of local registered architects and contractors to work in collaboration with the ACME specialists. There will also be the constant consultation with the local HR consulting firms to enable ACME to adhere to the regulations and standards that are acceptable in Mexico.

Communication process Being that ACME will be a foreign investment in the region, being acquainted with the best communication procedures that fit most in this context will be of paramount importance. The use of horizontal communication system where ideas are shared between the leadership and the staff members in a round table format is important in Mexico. Flow of information form bottom upwards is also considered critical since the new organization will gain much knowledge of the operations and doing business in the region.

The communication system and its efficiency will be the responsibility of the projects manager. He will ensure that the vital communication between the team in Mexico and the parent organization and management back in the U.S. is aptly handled. There will be a step-by-step updates sent to the top management in the U.S. as each phase of the project comes to completion and any other times that the project manager may deem necessary.

The communication within the Mexican team will be extensively through the head of each section, for instance the head of site safety, material and supplies, human recourses manager and any other heads of departments and sections that will get to communicate as frequently as possible to the project manager and the site manager. Information from the U.S.

team will also be shared in the same fashion where the project manager will receive the information and pas it across to the heads of the departments who will in turn share it with their members of staff. The project manager will also have to use the intranet to keep the relevant authorities informed of the progress of the project and the finer details concerning supplies and shortcomings.

Apart from the general report from the project manager, there will also be head of departments and sections reports on a monthly basis detailing the pertinent operational issues and successes. These mails will be sent to the top management back in U.S. for necessary actions if any required.

This kind of communication is meant to show the heads of departments that they are not limited in their work but have access to the top management hence their suggestions are as good as those of the project manger or the site manager. Advertising and marketing The marketing of the products that are deemed to be foreign in Mexico will need proper acumen for the local market and the deep understanding of trends of the market in the region and the accompanying dynamics of the market.

The AMC will need to have two important players on board; an advertising agency with high rating and significant influence over the consumers, one that understands trends and the intricacies of the Mexican consumers and advertising.