PMP lesson · Project Initiation & Business Value · The organisation around the project · lesson 2 of 4 · about 6 minutes
Organisational structures and the PM's authority
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Goal: After this lesson you can describe functional, matrix and projectized structures, and adapt how you get resources to the PM's level of authority.
1The situation
“Who do you work for?”
The robot cell needs a structural engineer 50% of her time. Two weeks in, she has missed three deliverables. In private she explains: her functional manager has also assigned her to two other projects; her total load is 150%.
The PM cannot simply order her to prioritise the robot cell: in this company the functional manager controls her time.
Knowing the organisation's structure tells you how much authority you have and therefore how to get things done.
2Five structures
Structures range from functional (departments rule) to projectized (projects rule), with matrix types in between:
Functional
Departments
PM coordinates; functional managers decide.
Matrix
Shared
People report to both; authority weak, balanced or strong.
Projectized
Projects
Team reports to the PM; PM controls resources.
In functional and weak matrix structures, the PM works through functional managers: negotiate with data, influence with expert and referent power, use governance when objectives are at risk.
3Authority across structures
The further right, the more the PM controls resources and budget.
4How it looks on the exam
Exam-style question 1. In a strongly functional organisation, the project manager is a part-time coordinator with no budget authority. A functional manager reassigns two team members to departmental work without notice. What should the project manager do?
A. Instruct the team members to continue project work
B. Work with the functional manager to understand the needs and agree availability, escalating through governance if objectives are at risk
C. Report the functional manager to the sponsor
D. Re-plan without discussion and accept the delay
Show the answer and the decode
Answer: B.
In simple English
Functional organisation; the PM has little authority.
What is the question really asking?
The most appropriate action.
Key words / trigger
“strongly functional … no budget authority”
PMP logic
Work through functional managers; use governance when objectives are threatened.
Why the wrong answer looks attractive
Instructing the team members seems decisive, but the PM lacks that authority.