When I was much younger, my long-term goal was to travel the world in order to see and experience as much as I could of foreign cultures. At the time, mobile phones where as heavy and big as my school bag and computers were still a luxury. Now things have changed, and probably for the better. Today, I can surf the web to find a cheap plane ticket to go home for my holidays and take my cellular phone to ring my family and let them know I am coming back.

Sometimes I miss the good old times. After all, even if we know we could not survive at work without a computer hooked up to the Internet for more than a day, how did previous generations manage to live on? They will probably tell you that we have lost all human touch with the advent of information technologies. How can you prove them wrong?

We definitely have not lost this very human touch. In fact, it is very much alive and tends to create barriers to the international development of high-tech products. If you look at the localization industry, things start to make sense. Our natural need to have access to technologies in our own language is the reason why the localization industry is booming. What is more natural than to stick with what you know best: your own culture and language? We probably all wish the software industry were the exception that would prove the rule, but the reality is that people are more willing to work with tools in their own language - which, again, is good for the industry.

Of course, it is also good news for all the native speakers looking for a breakthrough in the software industry. However, stakeholders in the software localization industry will tell you that it is a very demanding and challenging task to be responsible for a localization project involving several language tiers, multicultural staff and tight deadlines and budgets. If the complexity of localization projects would frighten the previous generations I mentioned earlier, it would at least help me prove my point. The success of these multiple projects depends on how organizations manage their work, use their budget and allocate human resources, which are the key factors of successful projects.

The localization industry seems to be changing all the time. Variety might be the spice of life; yet, it would be normal to give more credit to project managers who successfully deliver localized versions of US software in several languages on the same date. It is obvious to anybody involved in localization that version control and change management are key parameters of localization projects. The issue is to deal with these constraints.

This is sometimes hard since, in most cases, some team-members will have been promoted from translator level to project manager level over the years without being properly trained into project management issues. Obviously, a few years experience as translator, language specialist or team leader are invaluable. No localization team could survive without them. They all have major roles to play but they need to be “guided” into the project lifecycle. It is as if the best actors on earth gathered together with a brilliant idea but without any director, or as if the best classical orchestra were trying to perform live without its conductor. If things happened that way, you would never see that movie and you would be turned off classical music for the rest of life.

When finished, software localization projects should look like well-orchestrated ballets. You can see anything as a project and there are proven techniques to help you out. Most of the time, all companies face the same problems. I believe there is no need to find a one-off solution to a major crisis which is bound to recur. Problems should be eradicated.

Localization as decoration

Running successful projects has a lot to do with common sense. Imagine you want to paint a room. The first logical action is to empty it. Yet, in quite a substantial number of projects I have dealt with, it looked like people wanted to start painting before emptying the room. The idea behind this is that you have to plan your projects carefully, instead of rushing to start. A good plan is the key to a successful project. Of course, even with the best plan in the world, you should not sign up for mission impossible either. It only works in movies and your boss might not be too happy.

Given the dependencies between all the stakeholders in a typical localization project, project managers should make the goal clear right from the very beginning. Some projects fail simply because stakeholders are not looking for the same outcome. Once again, if you painted your room and some members of your family thought you did it in order to be able to sell the house, whereas you just wanted to change the color of the walls, there would be war. It is pointless.

Goals have to be defined in the first instance. As far as localization is concerned, some stakeholders might put more emphasis on the functionality of the localized product, while others might take this as a secondary matter and be more worried about the shipping date. This will eventually lead to adversarial relationships.

Careful planning…

The planning phase should take some time so that plans are as precise as possible. The idea is to break down all the tasks you have to complete and assign names to jobs, rather than simply department names in the hope that somebody else will sort it out for you.

Leadership issues must also be given extreme attention. Project managers are more than leaders; they take up many roles such as that of supervisors, instructors and motivators. Therefore, they should be concerned with any assumptions about their projects and not take it for granted that everything is going to run smoothly. Running a risk analysis is a good way of monitoring expectations.

In addition to this, you have to plan for the unexpected in order to have a fallback position. What will you do if you run out of paint in the middle of your work, or if you fall down and break your arm? Rather than taking too many risks, it is better to include a contingency plan. Be prepared to work out options; for example, forget about the missing paint and have a mix and match instead!

…put into practice

The execution phase follows the planning phase, and you can start working knowing that you have planned your project to the best of your abilities. Execution actually means putting into practice the plan you design. It should be like sticking to your New Year’s resolution - something which most of us have already forgotten by January 2. You cannot afford to do that with your projects. After all, if you are the project manager, your leadership style will be reflected in the final outcome and you will either be blamed or praised for it.

While executing the plan, it is essential that you to know how things are going: if you are on target, if you are likely/unlikely to meet the deadline, how your team is doing, and so on. Project managers in localization have to run several projects concurrently. This means they have to delegate responsibilities to other team members, and to check on these on a regular basis through status reports, memos or meetings. What is more, in order to ensure team spirit for the project, you should tell people what is happening, filtering the information so as to keep morale high and motivate people if you are not on target. If you are on target, you might still want to filter information so as to prevent people from resting on their laurels.

Of course, we have probably all experienced projects which failed at some stage in our lives. You can never predict 100 percent what is going to happen, such as when you will actually run out of paint. Plans are guidelines based on preliminary research and as the project develops, it is wise to go back to the planning phase and adapt to the new circumstances, which could mean you have to switch to one of your options. Localization projects are multiple projects, which makes the whole project management strategy even more demanding even though, in principle, you can still achieve your goal and meet your targets and deadlines if you follow these planning and execution steps.

The localization industry is still young and in the process of becoming structured. My bet is that localization stakeholders, especially project managers, are very much aware of these issues but do not take the time to tackle them or to be trained in them. They should focus on the projects themselves. Organizations involved in localization should acknowledge the need for projects to be managed in a more structured way - through project management training, audits, project health checks or rescue. Once again, this should not take place on a one-off basis but should become an ongoing process.

Eventually, we could say that project management is a continuous learning process! I also believe you would love to see that movie featuring the best actors in the world, enjoy a live performance of your favorite orchestra and, most of all, successfully run all your projects within budget, meeting the original deadline and satisfying all the project stakeholders.

---

Mathieu Gorge
Sales & Marketing Executive
ETP
Moatstown House
Athy, Co. Kildare
Republic of Ireland
Tel: + 353 507 31 989
Fax: + 353 507 31 092
E-mail: info@etpint.com