Project Management Organizational Structures Paper
Name
MGT 437 – Week 4
University of Phoenix
Date

Project management comes in various shapes in forms in terms of organizational structure. Certain project management structures yield better results than the others depending on the situation. There are three main types of project management organizational structures – functional, matrix, and pure project (also called just project or product) – each having its own set of advantages and disadvantages. All projects need a project management structure so the common goals are achieved. Functional project management structures are structures where each job and function is the project management is a point of focus. The division of labor here is the main organization strategy in functional project management structures. Each person is grouped according to his/her according function-based jobs into so-called clusters in this type of organizational structure. Each person’s specialized job is also grouped and centralized into groups and a department for each function is created. When an organization has unique departments for each job, the top management can then organize all activities and communicate with each department regarding issues the project managers’ report. Each department is appointed a sub-project manager to look over the activities and functions of each department which is much more efficient than having the top management look over each and every department. Having individuals’ project managers also creates more quality productivity as each department is given automatic feedback from the project manager rather than having the top management project manager looking at each department one by one. Each project manager would then report the progress and functionality of each department to the top management project manager. This is very advantageous for the project team as it encourages quality work standards and routine functionality (Russell, 2007). Functional project management structures are one of the oldest types of project management structures, but this will not apply for complex projects. An example of a scenario where a functional project management structure would be effective those TV shows where a project team gifts a new house or car to a family who’s car or house has been destroyed by a natural disaster or is in poor condition. In Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, a project team consisting of specialized works and hundreds of workman get together to renovate or create a brand new house in just a week – compared to a couple of months. In this show, the project team is organized using a functional project management. There is a group responsible for the exterior design, interior carpeting, interior painting, furniture importation, etc. and each activity is supervised by a sub-project manager and each manager reports to the top management project manager – Ty Pennington (TV.com, 2011). This type of structure is effective in such a situation since these different jobs done by the groups of peoples can’t all be monitored by one person since he/she can’t be ubiquitous and be everywhere at the same time. The pure project (also called the project or product) management structure is exactly the title – a pure project. The team is not divided into departments, but rather is put together in one group to achieve the goal. Also, unlike a functional management structure, there is only one project manager who everyone reports to. Once the project is successfully delivered, the structure is dismantled and the team starts another project. The goal of a pure project management structure is to deliver the project successfully. Pure project management structures are only good for projects that are simple and require very few functions. For example, if the project was to deliver a 50th anniversary reception for a married couple, a pure project management structure would be appropriate for the project team to use