Project management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

Project management - Assignment Example Organisational Structure Project Team Structure The project is to be managed by a single project manager, reporting in to the Operations Director. The organisational structure chosen depends to a large extent on any methodology used and whether the organisation has any existing project management structures that are appropriate. For the purposes of this paper, it is assumed that there are no existing structures and the organisation does not have a preferred project management methodology. Projects are usually organised in one of three ways, according to Clements and Gido (2006 p.390): functional, project and matrix. The functional structure is typically used in organisations producing standard products and projects tend to be managed in-house, if they ever occur. The project-type organisation assumes that the project is a complete entity in its own right, with its own manager, team and resources. The projects are large, complex and expensive, taking years rather than weeks or days. T here may be several projects running at once, but they are independent of each other. The matrix structure is similar to the project-type structure, in that multiple projects run at the same time. However, the projects can vary in size and scope from a few months to several years, and the resources need to be co-ordinated across them all. It is similar to the functional structure in that functional expertise is retained. There is a functional manager as well as a project manager involved in organising the project and co-ordinating the resources. This classification of structures is mirrored in the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) (Project Management Institute (PMI) 2004 p.28). Based on this brief description, the project-type structure would appear to be suitable. But before a final decision is reached, other possibilities should be assessed. If the PRINCE2 (Office of Government Commerce (OGC) 2009) methodology was to be used, a different organisational structure would b e recommended. This would comprise a Project Board, with three members (Senior User, Senior Supplier and Project Executive), to whom the project manager would report. The project could be a separate organisation, like the project-type structure above, or it could take place within another organisation, similar to the functional structure, depending upon the circumstances and the decisions of those involved (ibid, pp.31-43). The three roles on the Project Board represent the interests of the user, the supplier and the business (the Project Executive). The Project Executive is the ultimate authority of the project and may report into a Programme Board if the project is one of a number focused on achieving a particular set of outcomes. The Senior User represents the ultimate users of the project’s outputs who will take those outputs into business-as-usual operation. The Senior Supplier represents those who will provide the resources that create the project’s outputs. PRIN CE2 can be used for any size of project as it is considered a generic approach to project management, focusing solely on the management aspects of project management, rather than any specialist contributions (ibid, p.4). So arguably it could be used in this situation as well. This approach to project management organisation is also used by the Association for Project Management (APM), where the Project Board is referred to as the