The manner in which an organization or project team is structured can have a great impact on determining a project’s success or failure. Likewise, the culture of an organization can either help or hinder project success. Understanding the strengths and weaknesses of different project management structures, how organizational culture affects those structures, and selecting the right structure for the project help the project manager start with a solid foundation for project success.
The project management structures examined in this unit are the following:
Functional
Matrix
Projectized
Dedicated
The matrix structure is further divided into the weak, balanced, and strong.
Describe your current or former work organization. Does the organization operate under 1 of the project management structures? Discuss how well-suited this structure was for what the organization was trying to achieve.
When responding to your peers, pay particular attention to their experiences with these structures and in how well they performed and compare with your experience. Are there any shared experiences in how well that structure served its purpose?