Creating a new team

 You are starting to work on a project that aims to investigate which new app should be
created to streamline internal processes at HSBC. The first part of the project is conducting
research on internal processes used globally. This will require working with people in
different regions across the world. To do this, you need to build a team to work on the
project over the coming months.

 Considering the new app needs to work globally, an international team is needed to ensure
success. As a result, the team operates across different time zones, which makes team
conference calls difficult to schedule and run. Some of your global colleagues were unable to
join your weekly meeting today, in which this project was discussed alongside what actions
need to be scheduled next. Everyone needs to be aware of what was discussed ahead of
next week’s meeting.

 When releasing new technologies or processes regionally, work must be done to understand
all local rules and regulations. These will determine how the project will progress and the
work is typically done before other activities start. You are working on a new app which is
critical for the business. Due to this, senior colleagues have asked you to get some of the
other activities started at the same time as researching regulations. This will mean the risk
analysis can be done sooner but could create inefficiencies and lead to less robust
recommendations.

What will you do?

 As you work on different projects at HSBC, you will need to collaborate with colleagues from
different areas of the bank. On the project team, there are a number of colleagues you will
be working closely with whom you have never met before and might not meet face to face.

How do you feel about working with a geographically distributed project team, and why?

Working with others

 You have been asked to take responsibility for investigating potential risks to using the app.
You have found several factors that have not yet been considered. During a catch-up with a
senior colleague, Reema, you explain that either the deadline will need to be extended or
more resources will be needed. Without this, there could be a risk that the app does not
work as expected. Reema thinks that it will be challenging to get sign-off on these solutions
and it would be easier to work longer hours to solve issues as they arise.

How do you respond?

 Progress is being made towards the launch of the new internal HSBC app. To showcase this
work, you have been asked to create an information pack to be shared with colleagues. This
will inform them of the project and the intended outcomes. You have been completing this
while working on other tasks, and you now need to move to the next big phase in the
project. Your manager, Ting, has reviewed the information pack and has shared concerns
about some missing information. Redoing this work would put a lot of pressure on you, on
top of the other tasks which are now scheduled.

How do you approach this situation?

 Throughout the project, improvements are made to the app features. You have found a new
feature that you believe should be included and you are presenting your ideas to the rest of
your team in person. As you are doing this, some of the experienced members of the team
continue to interrupt you with questions and queries, while other members choose not to
contribute to the session.

What do you do?

 You have several suggestions for linking the app back to the customer service the bank
provides. You have shared your suggestions with your team and your manager, Ting. After
sharing these suggestions with Ting, they have offered you personal feedback.

In the future, how would you gather some feedback on your ideas from other team
members?

 Due to the global nature of the bank, there can be similar projects completed in different
regions. Your manager, Ting, has shared that a team in another region has recently launched
new technology which is very similar to the work you are doing. You have tried to contact
the team, but you have not been able to speak to them directly due to the time zone
difference. Instead, they have emailed you some useful information to read through.

What do you do next?

 While working on this project, you have learnt a lot about processes within the bank and
how to set up and create new technologies. You have also spent a significant amount of time
analysing large data sets.

How do you feel about learning new things?

 Your main focus at the moment is to continue working on the app development. However,
there are several other tasks and activities that you can do alongside this project. Some of
 these activities require more work than others due to higher levels of responsibility which
will need to be balanced around your work on the new app.

What will you decide to do?

 For the past few days you have been creating a report which summarises the app features
and implementation plans. You have a strict deadline for completing the report in three
days’ time, and you need to spend the next day working on the most challenging part. You
estimate that you should finish the whole report one day before the deadline.

What do you do?