1.1 Diffrentiate Between Types Of Permanent And Temporary Organisation Structures

Question 1

What are the three differences between a functional , matrix and project structure ?

Answer 1

Reporting structure
Resource allocations
Communication

Question 2

What type of managers are they in a functional structure based on what ?

Answer 2

In a functions structure there are functions managers based on their areas of expertise e.g Marketing or finance

Question 3

How does an organisation arrange itself a functional structure what do they provided ?

Answer 3

An organisation arranges itself into specialist departments also known as functions such as HR , IT and customer service and they provide a specific set of out outs and skills into the organisation.

Question 4

What is the primary focus in a functional a structure and what is rare and what does that mean ?

Answer 4

Functional structures are primarily focused on day to day activities and since projects are rare they don’t tend to have a dedicated project manager department

Question 5

How are projects project performed in a function structure ?

Answer 5

Project are performed within a function or handed from one functional team to another in order to complete the work

Question 6

I’m a functional structure who is responsible for project delivery and who delivers the project ?

Answer 6

The head of the functional area is responsible for project delivery and a member of the department is assigned to deliver the project acting as the project manager but they may not carry that title

Question 7

What is the reporting structure like in a matrix structure and who do they team report to ?

Answer 7

In a matrix structure there are two reporting lines where employees report to both the project manager and functional manager the teams report to each manager for different aspects of their work ?

Question 8

Why do the team report to the project manager and what is the functional manager responsible for ?

Answer 8

The team report to the project manager for their part on the project whilst the functional manager is responsible for other aspects such as performance appraisals , training and day to day activities

Question 9

Where does the project manager for a matrix structure come from ?

Answer 9

The project manager is usually appointed from the functional department or contracted into the organisation for the duration of the project

Question 10

Why does the project manager have little authority in a matrix structure?

Answer 10

In a matrix structure the project manager has little authority because the project team sit partially within their function

Question 11

Who does the team report to in a project structure ?

Answer 11

In a project structure the team report directly to the project manager

Question 12

Why does an organisation arrange itself in a project structure ?

Answer 12

This is usually how they arrange themselves when the deliver a lot of large complex projects or when they are made up of project

Question 13

In a project structure what would each project have assigned , depending on what

Answer 13

Each project would have assigned a project manager or director depending on the size of the project

Question 14

Why does the project manager have complete authority in a project structure ?

Answer 14

In a project structure the project manager has complete authority because the project team report directly to them

Question 15

How are resources allocated in a functional structure ?

Answer 15

In a functional structure resources are allocated based on the need to the functional department

Question 16

Because a functional structure is permanent what does the mean for the team ?

Answer 16

A functional structure is permanent therefore the team is likely to be stable where they carry out routine operational work. Because the team is stable they are likely to be experts in their role and therefore bring efficiency to tasks

Question 17

How exactly are resources allocated in a functional structure and what do they do ?

Answer 17

Resources are divided into groups largely along functional lines where they work together to carry out the same or similar tasks.

Question 18

What does not having a dedicated project management department mean for functional structure ?

Answer 18

Because there are no dedicated project management department when an organisation chooses to run a project to develop a functions resources are drawn from that function for example a HR project would have a HR team

Question 19

What may a functional team lack and why and the effects ?

Answer 19

There may be a lack of project management expertise because the project team would be made up of people from the function that correspond with the nature of the project where they may be expertise in their functional role but lack experience in project delivery

Question 20

How are resources allocated in a matrix structure ?

Answer 20

In a matrix structure resources are shared between the function and the project

Question 21

How are resources shared between the project and the function in a matrix structure and what happens when the project is complete

Answer 21

Resources are temporarily assigned to a project to support project delivery and once the project is complete they return back to their function ready to be loaned out to another project or continue their work within their function

Question 22

Why does an organisation lean into a matrix structure?

Answer 22

An organisation tends to lean into a matrix structure when the project requires many skills but needs to be distinctly managed by a specific function but can still draw on the expertise within the organisation

Question 23

What affect does a matrix structure have on team in regard to loyalty ?

Answer 23

The project team may have conflicting loyalty where they are torn between project objectives vs function objectives

Question 24

How are resources allocated in a project structure and what does it consist of ?

Answer 24

In a project structure resources are allocated based on the needs of the project where this structure consists of a group of people who are only dedicated to the project

Question 25

I’m a project structure what is the affect of having a group of people only dedicated to the project ?

Answer 25

Therefore they are no split loyalties where the project team is only loyal to the project.

Question 26

In a project structure what function if any would be established and what would they do ?

Answer 26

In a project structure the organisation would have a few of any established functions who are focused in the recruitment of temporary staff to support the project

Question 27

In a project structure what would happen to the project team once the project is completed ?

Answer 27

Once the project is completed the team would disband

Question 28

What can the tempest nature of a project structure lead to and why ?

Answer 28

The temporary nature of a project structure can lead to the loss of lessons learned where the use of outside staff can bring a different perspective to the project based on their experience outside the organisation but once the project is completed the team would disband and leave the organisation taken with them skills and lessons learned

Question 29

What is communication like in a a functional structure and why ?

Answer 29

In a functional structure communication vertical with information flowing up and down the organisation of the organisation

Question 30

Who does the team take instructions from in a functional structure and what is the affect of this ?

Answer 30

The team takes instruction from the functional line manager therefore communication is straight forward because there is a clear line of communication for the project team working on the project

Question 31

Why is communication straight forward as there is a clear line of communcation for the project team working on the project

Answer 31

Because the project manager also has line manager authority I.e. any problems talk to the functional lead

Question 32

What is communication like on a matrix structure and why ?

Answer 32

In a matrix structure communication is both vertical and horizontal as there are two lines of communication the project manager and functional line manager

Question 33

What is communication complex in a matrix structure and what is the affect ?

Answer 33

Because with two lines of communication there can also be two source of information and guidance tailored to a project and functional approach but there can also be two sources of information and guidance biased towards a project or functional approach essentially with two lines of communication there can be conflicting priorities

Question 34

What is communication like in a project structure and why ?

Answer 34

Communication is horizontal in a project structure where the project team work collaboratively and share information in order to complete the project

Question 35

Describe communication in a project structure and why it is important

Answer 35

Communication is fluid , frequent and focused on specific project goals where team members work together on a specific project therefore communication needs to be efficient to keep the project on track

Question 36

Why is communication less hierarchal ima. Project structure ?

Answer 36

Communication is less hierarchal in a project structure because the project team are focused on achieving project goals rather than adhering to strict reporting structures.