What Are Project Management Structures

1. What are Project management structures?
A project management system provides a framework for launching and imple-

menting project activities within a parent organization. A good system appropri-ately
balances the needs of both the parent organization and the project by defining
the interface between the project and parent organization in terms of au-thority,
allocation of resources, and eventual integration of project outcomes into mainstream
operations.
2. What are advantages and disadvantages of project management structures?
1. No Change. Projects are completed within the basic functional structure of the
parent organization. There is no radical alteration in the design and operation of the
parent organization.
2. Flexibility. There is maximum flexibility in the use of staff. Appropriate special-ists in
different functional units can temporarily be assigned to work on the project and then
return to their normal work. With a broad base of technical personnel available within
each functional department, people can be switched among different projects with
relative ease.
3. In-Depth Expertise. If the scope of the project is narrow and the proper func-tional
unit is assigned primary responsibility, then in-depth expertise can be brought to bear
on the most crucial aspects of the project.
4. Easy Post-Project Transition. Normal career paths within a functional division are
maintained. While specialists can make significant contributions to proj-ects, their
functional field is their professional home and the focus of their pro-fessional growth
and advancement.
DISADVANTAGES
1. Lack of Focus. Each functional unit has its own core routine work to do; some-times
project responsibilities get pushed aside to meet primary obligations. This difficulty is
compounded when the project has different priorities for different units. For example,
the marketing department may consider the project urgent while the operations people
considered it only of secondary importance. Imag-ine the tension if the marketing
people have to wait for the operations people to complete their segment of the project
before they proceed.
2. Poor Integration. There may be poor integration across functional units. Func-tional
specialists tend to be concerned only with their segment of the project and not with
what is best for the total project.
3. Slow. It generally takes longer to complete projects through this functional ar-
rangement. This is in part attributable to slow response time—project informa-tion and
decisions have to be circulated through normal management channels. Furthermore,
the lack of horizontal, direct communication among functional groups contributes to
rework as specialists realize the implications of others’ actions after the fact.
4. Lack of Ownership. The motivation of people assigned to the project can be weak. The
project may be seen as an additional burden that is not directly linked to their
professional development or advancement. Furthermore, be-cause they are working on only
a segment of the project, professionals do not identify with the project. Lack of ownership
discourages strong commitment to project-related activities.
3. What should be considered in order to select a right project management structure?
Organization Consideration
Project considerrations
4. What is an organizational culture?
Organizational culture refers to a system of shared norms, beliefs, values,

and as-sumptions which binds people together, thereby creating shared
meanings. This system is manifested by customs and habits that exemplify
the values and beliefs of the organization
What are Key Dimensions Defining an Organization’s Culture and how to
identify Cultural Characteristics?
1. Member identity—the degree to which employees identify with the
organization as a whole rather than with their type of job or field of professional
expertise.
2. Team emphasis—the degree to which work activities are organized
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80 Chapter
3 Organization: Structure and Culture 3. Management focus—the degree to
which management decisions take into account the effect of outcomes on
people within the organization. 4. Unit integration—the degree to which units
within the organization are encouraged to operate in a coordinated or
interdependent manner.
5. Control—the degree to which rules, policies, and direct supervision are used to
oversee and control employee behavior.
6. Risk tolerance—the degree to which employees are encouraged to be aggres-
sive, innovative, and risk seeking.
7. Reward criteria—the degree to which rewards such as promotion and salary
increases are allocated according to employee performance rather than seniority,
favoritism, or other nonperformance factors.
8. Conflict tolerance—the degree to which employees are encouraged to air con-
flicts and criticisms openly.
9. Means versus end orientation—the degree to which management focuses on
out-comes rather than on techniques and processes used to achieve those results.
10. Open-systems focus—the degree to which the organization monitors and
responds to changes in the external environment
5. What is defining the project and What are 5 steps of defining the project?
 Size of project
 Strategic importance
 Novelty and need for innovation
 Need for intergration ( nu
6. What is project scope? Why project scope is needed and What is a checklist for defining the
project?
7. What should be considered in establishing project priorities?
8. What is Work Break-down Structure (WBS)? How WBS helps Project manager?
9. What is Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS? And how to integrate the WBS with the
organization?
10. What is a WBS coding system?
11. What is Responsibility Matrices?
12. What is a project communication plan?

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1. What are Project management structures?

A project management system provides a framework for launching and imple-

3. What should be considered in order to select a right project management structure?

4. What is an organizational culture?

Organizational culture refers to a system of shared norms, beliefs, values,

7. What should be considered in establishing project priorities?

10. What is a WBS coding system?

11. What is Responsibility Matrices?

12. What is a project communication plan?

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