Chapter 5; The Project in the Organizational Structure

__________ is defined as inappropriately intense loyalty to the project.

Projectitis

Identify the statement that is NOT a major disadvantage of placing the project in the matrix approach.

The project manager takes responsibility for managing the project.

The __________ is responsible for the installation, testing, and support of the product or process once the engineering is complete.

test engineer

A room where project teams can meet, and where the latest details on project progress will be available, is called the __________.

war room

The __________ matrix is least similar to the pure project organizational form.

weak

Identify the major reasons for the rapid growth of project-oriented organizations.

1-Speed and market responsiveness have become requirements of successful competition. Moreover, clients want increased customization of project outputs. 2- the development of new products, processes, and services has become increasingly complex. This requires interdisciplinary collaboration and coordination. 3- rapid expansion of technological possibilities tends to destabilize organizational structures. 4- business managers are seeking to gain greater control over the operations of the business.

Virtual teams, when composed, should consist of "boundary spanners" who number about one in every __________ team members.

6-7

Discuss the advantages of empowering the project team.

By empowering a project team, team members are enabled to manipulate tasks so that project objectives are met. Team members are encouraged to find better ways to do things. A participative style of management avoids micromanaging professionals and enables them to achieve goals using appropriate methods of their choosing. Team members begin to understand that they are responsible and accountable for achieving the project's deliverables. There is a good chance that synergistic solutions will result from team collaboration. The project manager will serve as a tool for evaluating a team's performance and will be positioned to provide timely feedback to keep the team on track.

__________ engineering refers to the use of a design team that includes design and manufacturing engineers as well as staff from other relevant areas of the business.

Concurrent

When the standard departments of the organization represent individual disciplines such as engineering, marketing, purchasing, and so on, the organization follows __________.

Functional managment

An organization structure that is based on the Financial, Human Resources and Operational departments rather than by project is termed as a(n) __________.

Functional organization

The approach to organizing that includes both functions (disciplines) and projects in its hierarchy is known as the __________.

Mixed organization

According to Dewhurst, a group of individuals working independently is a __________.

Name only team (NOT)

A major contribution of __________ is to establish project administration procedures for selecting, initializing and planning, budgeting, and scheduling projects as well as to serve as a repository for reports on the performance of the planning, budgeting, scheduling, and resource allocation processes.

PMOs

It is the responsibility of the __________ to ensure that the project is structured in such a way as to allow for motivational factors to be used.

Project manager

The process of dealing with uncertainties in projects has come to be known as __________.

Risk Management

One of the main technical problems faced by the project manager is meeting __________ without compromising performance.

Schedule and cost goals

Subletting tasks out to smaller contractors is known as __________.

Subcontracting

__________ is the term that describes the optimization of a subelement of a system, perhaps to the detriment of the overall system.

Suboptimization

Identify three major advantages and disadvantages of using functional elements of the parent organization as the administrative home for a project. Assume that the structure is appropriate for the project being undertaken.

The advantages would include: the flexible use of staff in a manner that maximizes utilization of staff, the sharing of expertise among multiple projects, and the provision of a stable base for technological continuity for the organization. The disadvantages would include: the client is not the primary focus of activity within the function, lines of cross-functional communication may be unclear, and responsiveness to client needs may be slow and arduous.

Identify three major advantages and disadvantages of using the pure project organization as the administrative home for project. Assume that the structure is appropriate for the project being undertaken

The advantages would include: the project manager has full line authority over the project, the structure tends to support a holistic approach to running the project, and the ability to make swift decisions is greatly enhanced. The disadvantages would include: the duplication of resources which are not shared between projects, the inconsistent adherence to corporate policies and procedures, and the potential to develop projectitis in a manner that distorts relationships between project team members and their counterparts in the parent organization.

Explain how a company can go about implementing a PMO.

The best way to implement a PMO is to treat it as a project and apply good project management procedures. In addition, given the role of this special type of project, it is also suggested that the effort not be initiated until it has the full commitment of the top managers of the organization. It should also have a senior management sponsor/ champion who is determined to see this project through to success. One way to initiate the project is through a pilot program in one of the areas that falls under the responsibility of the PMO project champion. Following its completion, the pilot project can be assessed, any mistakes corrected, and the benefi ts publicized to the rest of the organization.

Identify the statement that is NOT a major advantage of placing a project in the matrix approach.

The division of authority between the project manager and the functional managers is complex.

Identify the statement that is NOT a major disadvantage of placing a project within a functional element of the parent organization.

The functional division contains the normal path of advancement for individuals whose expertise is in the functional area.

Identify the statement that is NOT a major advantage of placing a project within a functional element of the parent organization.

The functional division tends to be oriented towards activities particular to its function.

Identify the statement that is NOT a major advantage of placing a project within the pure project organization.

The functional manager retains full line authority over project team members.

Identify the statement that is NOT a major disadvantage of placing a project within the pure project organization.

The project manager has full line authority over the project.

A characteristic of __________ projects is that the work these projects can cross time, space, organizational, and cultural boundaries.

Virtual

The key to conflict resolution is to turn a __________ into a __________.

Win-lose // win-win

The __________ is a basic project document that describes all the work that must be done to complete the project and forms the basis for costing, scheduling, and work responsibility.

Work Break Down Structure (WBS)

A major purpose of the project management office should be to serve as __________.

a link between strategic management and project management

This behavior in a project manager would be highly correlated with unsuccessful project management.

conflict avoidance

This member of the project team is responsible for the efficient production of the product of the process, including the manufacturing engineering, design and production of tooling, production scheduling, and other production tasks.

development engineer

Project priorities are more of a concern in the __________ stages of the project life cycle.

earlier

The project management office is often created by organizations to __________.

establish consistent project management standards and methods

A major advantage of using a __________ placement for a project is that individual experts can be utilized by many different projects.

functional

When the major focus of a project must be on the in-depth application of a technology rather than on minimizing cost, meeting a specific schedule or achieving speedy response to change, the __________ organizational form is apt to be the form of choice.

functional

Viewing the whole at one time rather than each piece individually describes the __________ approach.

holistic

If the project manager controls when and what people do while the functional managers control who will be assigned to the project and what technology will be used, the __________ organizational form is probably being used.

matrix

The __________ organizational form is a pure project organization overlaid on the functional divisions of the parent firm.

matrix

When a project requires the integration of inputs from several functional areas and involves reasonably sophisticated technology, but does not require all the technical specialists to work for the project on a full-time basis, the __________ organizational form should be used.

matrix

In the __________ form of organizational structure, pure functional and pure project organizations may coexist in the firm.

mixed

The firm or organization within which the project is being conducted is known as the __________.

parent organization

The __________ manager is typically responsible for a number of related projects, each with its own project manager.

program

When a firm engages in a large number of similar projects, the __________ organizational form is apt to be preferred.

pure project

The underlying principle of modern organizations is __________ of the human elements in the group.

specialization

The __________ matrix is most similar to the resembles the projectized organizational form.

strong

This member of the project team is in charge of product design and development and is responsible for functional analysis, specifications, drawings, cost estimates, quality/reliability, engineering changes, and documentation.

systems architect

This person is responsible for the installation, testing, and support of the product (process) once its engineering is complete.

test engineer

In the systems approach to design, one organization would have to take responsibility for __________.

the integrity of the project design