Project Management Roles in different Organizational Structures
Project Management Roles in different Organizational Structures
By Edward Bell
Note: This list and very helpful post is courtesy of Edward Bell. Edward is not the actual author (who remains unknown).
Last weekend, I ran across this handy Project Coordinator/PM chart – that defines roles in various types of Projectized Organizational Structures. I put it here as a reference, and possibly a study tool for anyone studying for their PMP.
| Functional | Weak Matrix | Balanced Matrix | Strong Matrix | Projectized | |
| Description | Traditional organization with a direct supervisor. | The PM and FM share responsibility, with the FM having more authority. | The PM and FM share responsibility, with each having equal authority. | The PM and FM share responsibility, with the PM having more authority. | Projects do not exist under functional departments. The PM has sole management authority. |
| Authority of project manager | Very low. | Low. | Low to medium. | Medium to high. | High. |
| Resource availability | Very low. | Low. | Low to medium. | Medium to high. | High. |
| Project manager involvement | Part-time. | Part-time. | Full-time. | Full-time. | Full-time. |
| Staff involvement | Part-time. | Part-time. | Part-time. | Full-time. | Full-time. |
| Advantages | The FM holds accountability for the project. | The PM gets some authority to manage the project. | The PM and FM share the responsibility of the project. | The PM gets more authority to assign resources and manage the project. | The PM has full authority to staff and manage the project. |
| Disadvantages | The PM holds little or no authority. | The FM can see the PM as a threat and cause conflict. | The PM and FM can be confused about who manages what. | The FM may feel out of the loop. | The PM holds accountability for the project. |
Edward Bell has over 25 years experience in the Information Technology (IT) Industry. He has a very diverse background that begins with his military service with the US Army Military Intelligence Corp, continues with contractual employment with the Department of Defense (DoD) overseas, settles upon management with JES Holdings and ends with his current position as Technical Services Director with Questionmark. You can read more from Edward on his blog.
I have been learning PM for the last couple of years and this article has provided much clarity to help me put my current situation into context.
I feel I should show this article to senior management as a discussion point to help agree authority and responsibility.