In this blog, we will cover all that you need to know about project organization in order to start realizing it for your current or upcoming projects. A project organization requires a great deal of planning, collaboration, and focus. How a project team decides to structure its approach to a new project can be the breaking point between project success and failure. Making sure that team members know what their roles entail, who has the final decision-making power, and what they can expect from other project team members is important for any project to thrive.
Leaders and project managers now enjoy a wide range of opportunities for tackling complex projects. These options include making use of dynamic, remote, and hybrid teams. Nonetheless, in order to figure out which type of team might work best, project managers need to be strategic in their project organization as well as in any other of their functions.
Project Organization 101
Project organization is about how a project’s tasks and timeline are laid out. It requires a project manager to coordinate the activities and contributions of team associates across departments. This guarantees the business best utilizes team members’ skills, does not waste time, and produces deliverables.
Solid project organization relies on a shared agreement about how decisions are made, how work gets done and in what order, and who is in charge at various stages of development. While the project manager normally heads resources throughout a project’s life cycle, other departments may take charge of precise tasks at specific times.
3 Styles of Project Organization
There are two principal factors affecting thriving project organization that project managers need to consider at the outset of new projects, which are the process of the project’s path to completion and the structure of the team that will execute that process. So much of digital staffing is about how these two elements bond. Having a clear list of duties with an equally clear timeline established at the start of a project can prevent problems later on.
The reality of choosing a structure that best facilitates both timely, short-term deliverables and long-range project goals allows project managers to select the best placement of team members upfront. Implementing one of the following three organizational structures provides flexibility as to how a project comes together.
1. Project organizational structure
With this type of project organization, project managers function as line managers across a team that have been assessed and rated according to individual strengths, not necessarily previously dedicated roles. Team members focus solely on the project, reporting directly to the project manager and sharing their experiences with other team members.
2. Functional organizational structure
For small projects or short teams, a functional structure is often chosen because this framework allows the project manager and all available team members to work in the same department or functional space. An example of a functional setup would be handing a project over to your public relations or marketing division so all the experts you need are in one place.
3. Matrix organizational structure
If your employees need to split their efforts between regular tasks and the project at hand, a matrix organizational structure may be the right fit. This project management plan catches leadership responsibility divided between functional management and the project manager. The matrix approach generally requires a fair bit of negotiation in its processes, as the team’s efforts are spread across your company’s normal workload and the new project at hand.
The Importance of Project Organization Charts
A project organization chart will identify the roles and responsibilities of the team, but also detail the team members selected for those positions. This encloses identifying training if needed, recognizing how to allocate resources, and determining appropriate ways to involve stakeholders. In order to do this, six things need to be realized.
1. Senior Management Team
You have to get a team that is responsible for the project. These are, of course, those people with a vested interest in the project and are committed to its success. This team is generally made up of project sponsors or the client, though it can also include experts who offer advice throughout the project.
2. Project Coordinators
There is a deep need to have a point individual, or group at the mid-to-low management level, to carry out tasks that fall to this level. This person or group will help synchronize team tasks. The number of coordinators will be determined by the size of the project, but always focus on three areas of a project, which are planning, technical, and communications, principally.
3. Identify Personnel
First, identify who are the people that are related to the project scope. These are those who have an impact on the project. They are the key team. These people can run the gamut from marketers to salespeople, department heads and IT personnel to consultants and support staff, etc.
4. Stakeholders
The key to a successful project is to determine the stakeholders, aside from the project team that will oversee the project, as they are also impacted by the project and will be involved in the project development process.
5. Project Organization Chart
Furthermore, you have to develop the project organization chart. First, review the previous steps and then make this visual representation of how the people in the project will collaborate, what their duties are, and where they are interrelated. The project organization chart must have the primary decision-makers listed. Each person involved in the project must have an assignment and identify the role and the responsibilities of those positions are clearly described. Any links connecting roles must be specified, as well as all the stakeholders. Be sure that the reporting and communications channels are also defined.
6. Training Requirements
Sometimes teams are gifted at their tasks and with the tools that have been furnished to help them, but sometimes they are not and need a period of training before the project can be accomplished. This is the point where any training that is needed is established and offered to the team. The project coordinator is usually managing the task of upskilling team members.
Conclusion
Project organization is one of the main aspects responsible for the success or failure of a project, so be aware to have organized your designs in a way that will benefit you and your business.
