1 the manager, the project organisation structure, and the team

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The Manager, the Project Organisation Structure,

and the Team

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An Outcome Approach to PM

• An objective measure that should not be

open to misinterpretation

• Indicates clearly all the significant factors that will determine success

• Contingency and ‘what if’ factors should be considered at the outset

• There should be no surprises about what is being measured

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Project Management in Organisations

• Systems are created within the business context of an organisation

• Projects are implemented so that business plans can be translated into systems to meet business goals

• Project management is used in many industries

• Project management is becoming established

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Modern Project Management

• Everyone practices project management

• Project management is more than project planning

• The emergence of management by projects and modern project management (the new strategy)

5

Project Manager’s Roles

• Facilitator

• Communicator

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Facilitator

• Manager-As-Supervisor Versus Manager-As Facilitator

• Systems Approach Versus Analytical Approach– sub optimisation

• Must ensure project team members have appropriate knowledge and resources

• Micromanagement

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The Project Manager’s Three Overriding Responsibilities to the Project

1. Acquisition of Resources

2. Fighting Fires and Obstacles

3. Leadership and Making Trade-Offs

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Negotiation, Conflict Resolution, and Persuasion

• Necessary to meet three overriding responsibilities

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Selection of a Project Manager Key Criteria

• Credibility

• Sensitivity

• Leadership, Style, Ethics

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Communicator

Communication Paths Between a Project’s Parties-At-Interest

PM

Outside interested

parties

Senior management

Project team

Client

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Influencing the Organisation

• Project manager needs to “get things done”

• Needs an understanding of formal and informal structures

• Must operate within cultural norms

• Must understand the broader context

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Making Good Decision

• Recognise the need for a decision

• List the options

• Forecast the outcome of adopting each of the options

• Choose the best option

• Implement the chosen option

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Project Stakeholders

• People who are actively involved or whose interests may be affected

• Necessary to identify project stakeholders and determine their needs and expectations

• Manage and influence their expectations

• Identify key stakeholders

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Project Stakeholders

• Project Sponsor

• Project Manager

• Project Team

• Project Users

• Quality Manager

• Risk Manager

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Virtual Project Manager

• Geographically dispersed Projects

• Communication Via– Email– Web– Telephone– Video Conferencing

• “Never let the boss be surprised!”

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Virtual Project Structure

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Dedicated or Pure Project Team

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The Pure Project Organisation

• Advantages– Effective and efficient for large projects– Resources available as needed– Broad range of specialists

• Disadvantages – Expensive for small projects– Specialists may have limited technological

depth– May require high levels of duplication for

certain specialities

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Functional Project Organisation

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Functional Project Organisation

• Advantages– Technological depth

• Disadvantages– Lines of communication outside

functional department slow– Technological breadth– Project rarely given high priority

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Matrix Project Organisation

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Matrix Project Organisation

• Advantages– Flexibility in way it can interface with parent organisation– Strong focus on the project itself– Contact with functional groups minimizes “projectitis”– Ability to manage fundamental trade-offs across several

projects

• Disadvantages– Violation of the Unity of Command principle– Complexity of managing full set of projects– conflict

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Matrix Team Problems

• Weak (Functional) Matrix– PM has no direct reports– Ability to communicate directly with

team members important

• Matrix Projects– Important to maintain good morale– Project Office

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Characteristics of Effective Project Team members

• Technically Competent

• Politically Sensitive

• Problem Orientation

• Goal Orientation

• High Self-Esteem

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Mixed Project Organisation

President

Project 1 Finance Engineering Project 2 Manufacturing

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Project Organisation Structure

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Project Management Structures

• Challenges to organise projects• The uniqueness and short-term duration of

projects relative to the ongoing longer-term organisational goals

• The multi-disciplinary and cross-functional nature of projects creates authority and responsibility dilemmas

• Choosing an appropriate project management structure

• The best system balances the needs of the project with the needs of the organisation

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Organisational Structures and Cultures

• Unique cultures and shared values

• Organisational culture has influence upon a project

• Organisational structures often constrain projects

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Key Dimensions Defining an Organisations Culture

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Cultural Dimensions of an Organisation Supportive of Project Management

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10 ways to screw up a project1. Don’t bother prioritising your

organisation’s overall project load

2. Encourage sponsors and key stakeholders to take a passive role on the project team

3. Set up on going committees focusing on management process

4. Interrupt team member relentlessly

5. Create a culture in which project managers are expected to ‘roll over’ and take it when substantive new deliverables are added (Michael Greer)

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10 ways to screw up a project6. Half way through the project, add a whole

bunch of previously unnamed stakeholders

7. Never force sponsors to stand behind their approvals with a formal sign-off

8. Make sure project managers have lots of responsibilities and deadlines, but no

authority

9. Describe project deliverables in the vaguest possible terms

10. Get projects up and running as quickly as possible