Week 4: PM Roles w/in Org Structure Flashcards
What are two of the most common organizational structures ?
Two of the most common organizational structures are Classic and Matrix.
What is the important purpose of org structures?
Org structure can serve as a map to help you determine where you fit in, who you should communicate with, and how frequently to communicate with them.
How are job roles grouped in the “Classic” structured organization?
The Classic grouping includes what are usually called “functional” or “top-down” structures.
What is a Matrix structure?
Matrix structure has direct higher-ups to report to and stakeholders from other departments or programs
These people may not be your direct bosses, but you are responsible for communicating with them, since they may inform changes to your work
Classic organizations are also referred to as…?
functional organizations because the organization is divided into departments based on function. Each department is led by a functional manager, and employees are grouped according to the functions of their role.
In Classical, how is a project team formed?
The project team will typically remain in their reporting lines but act as their own assembled team. They do not fall under any of the existing functional departments. In the Classic organizational structure, the project builds from already existing departments to form teams.
In the Classic structure, who might you need to consult with, during a project?
If you are a project manager in this type of structure, you may need to consult with functional managers to understand your resources and the capacity of each teammate, as well as to familiarize yourself with each function’s internal processes and approval structure.
What affect does the Classical org structure have on your authority as a PM?
Your authority may be slightly limited due to competing priorities, approval chains, and other complexities,
How is the Matrix org structure different from the Classic structure?
The Matrix structure differs from the Classic structure in that the employees have two or more managers.
How is a Matrix organization arranged?
You still have people above you, but you also have people in adjacent departments with whom you will need to communicate on your work progress.
As a project manager in a Matrix organization, what is the chain of commend?
As a project manager in a Matrix organization, a team will essentially have at least two chains of command, or managers. You can think of the project manager as being a temporary manager while assigned to the team. The functional manager is consistent regardless of the project a project manager is supporting.
PMs level of authority in a Matrix organization?
Within most Matrix organizations, some project managers or department leads may have the same level of authority as the functional managers and operate more directly.
What is “authority” to a PM?
What is an example of this?
Authority has to do with your ability to make decisions for the project that impact the organization. In some cases, you might have the authority to do things like select the vendors who provide services or goods for the project. Other times, you might have a set of vendors selected for you.
What is a PMO?
A Project Management Office, or PMO, is a group within an organization that defines, sets, and helps maintain project management standards and processes throughout that organization. It often acts as a coordinated center for all of the organization’s projects, helping them run more smoothly and efficiently.
The main functions of a PMO include:
//Best practices
They help ensure consistency among their organization’s projects by providing guidance about processes, tools, and metrics.
//Common project culture
PMOs help set common project culture practices by training employees about optimal approaches and best practices. This helps keep project management practices consistent and efficient across the entire organization.
//Resource management
PMOs are often responsible for managing and allocating resources—such as people and equipment—across projects throughout the organization based on budget, priorities, schedules, and more
PMOs provide training, mentoring, and coaching to all employees, but project managers in particular.
//Creation of project documentation, archives, and tools
PMOs invest in and provide templates, tools, and software to help manage projects. They also play an important role in maintaining their organization’s project history. Once a project closes, they archive all of the documents created during the project for future reference and to capture lessons learned.
