MIS 578 Chapter 4: Organizational Capability: Structure, Culture, & Roles Flashcards
Functional
Traditional approach with clear lines of authority according to type of work.
Advantages: “one boss”; all work in a discipline report to same person; job for worker when
project is done; knowledge is retained.
Disadvantages: slow communication; technically challenging if multiple disciplines are needed.
Projectized
Opposite of functional – project manager has full authority, no departments.
Advantages: “one boss”; fast communication and decision-making; project identity; effective integration on project.
Matrix
Intermediate strategy: project and functional managers share responsibility.
Advantages: Shared resources; cooperation; high-quality decisions; knowledge is retained;
effective integration on project; flexible.
- Disadvantages: “two bosses”; slow decision-making; conflict; meetings.
Culture of the Parent Organization
Organizational culture can be dominated by emphasis on power, roles, tasks, or persons.
Culture of the Project
Impacted by parent organization’s culture, influenced by sponsor and project manager. An ethical culture should define how people should act and encourage them to actually act that way – especially in challenging circumstances
DMAIC Model
Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control
Many firms use projects to plan and manage quality and productivity improvement efforts.
The Six Sigma approach to quality improvement uses the DMAIC model.
Research and Development (R&D) Project Life Cycle Model
Many organizations use project management techniques to organize, plan, and manage research and development efforts.
Construction Project Life Cycle Model
Just as in other project applications, since construction projects differ greatly in size and complexity, a variety of project life cycle models are in use.
Agile Project Life Cycle Model
One type of model increasingly used in information systems and some other projects allows for incremental plans and benefits. These approaches have been variously called iterative, incremental, adaptive, or change-driven.
Agile Project Management
If the scope is hard to define early in the project and/or when much change is expected, a change-driven or agile approach often works better.
Steering Team
Overall priority setting, project selection and prioritization, sponsor selection, general guidance, encouragement.
Sponsor
Financial and decision-making authority, guides with offensive strategies to position project well and defensive strategies to head off potential difficulties.
Selecting, prioritizing and resourcing project. Defining roles, defining business case. Responsible for all of the items in the charter.
Customer
Represented by and works with sponsor and project manager to ensure clear requirements and
control.
Prioritize project work, commit to project, communicate clear requirements and control procedures, kill project if necessary.
CPO/PMO
Chief Project Officer - Keeper of project management system within parent organization.
Ensure all participants perform as required; maintain all project documentation and training.
Functional manager
Department heads who often control resources and make many decisions.
Decide how project work in their function is accomplished; often decide or negotiate which workers will work on project.
Project manager
Responsible for delivering expected project results on time and on budget. Flexible, facilitating type leader who spends much time communicating and must exhibit integrity and judgment.
Responsible for delivering project results. Chief communicator. Often more responsibility than authority.
Facilitator
Optional role to assist in process on some complex and/or controversial projects.
Scrum Master
In agile projects, a new title is introduced—the scrum master. In effect, this is a project manager who serves and leads in a collaborative, facilitating manner. The scrum master guides team members as they prioritize tasks and removes obstacles to their progress.
Core Team Members
On project entire duration, when possible, make decisions, carry out tasks, and supervise subject matter experts.
Jointly make decisions and represent all stakeholders; perform many project activities and supervise SMEs on others.
Subject Matter Experts (SME)
Specific and temporary help as needed.
Describe project management responsibilities
The customer’s organization has the responsibility of good stewardship of company assets – so they need to receive good value for the projects they undertake. The performing organization has the responsibility to deliver what they promise – so they need to utilize good project management practices.
Indicate how project managers can ensure their project work is accomplished even though they may lack formal authority.
Project managers often must persuade other people to enthusiastically perform work regarding their project. If project managers understand the roles played by various executives, managers, and associates both within the customer and performing organization, it is easier to persuade. Project managers also need to have integrity, competence, and judgment to inspire others to perform.
Review characteristics that should be considered when selecting team members.
Each team member (core or SME) ideally is more interested in completing the project with good quality, on time, and on budget than in personal glory. Team members collectively need to learn all of the stakeholder needs and all of the project technology.
Describe how a strong (project) matrix is different from a weak (functional) matrix.
The strength of a matrix refers to how much decision-making power project managers have vs. how much power functional managers have. In a strong matrix, project managers have relatively more power, in a weak matrix functional managers have more power and project managers are weaker.
