project manegment

Management

Project Management

This case illustrates how a traditional company was transformed into a product-driven organization. Describe the characteristics of a classic functional organization. What are some of the strengths and weaknesses of a functional organization?

A functional organization is one where the employees are grouped hierarchically, managed through clearly defined lines of authority, and everyone ultimately reports to one person at the top. Some of the strengths of this type of set up include: employees always know who they report to and from whom they should be receiving work, and employees are grouped by functionality, so finding an answer to a specific question about that area should be easy. Some of the weaknesses of this type of organizational structure include: functional managers are often reluctant to allow any of their employees to work on projects that are not in their functional area, and answers to questions outside of one's functional area have to given to another functional area which delays things getting done.

2. Through the case, the author describes how the company, its products, and the relationships with its customers were transformed. What are some of the lessons of the cultural shift the company underwent during the 1970's?

There were many lessons that the company learned as a result of their cultural shift during the 1970's. They learned the importance of focusing on customers needs, working single-mindedly to achieve goals, deploying resources accordingly, not accepting excuses for things not being done or being late, and empowering managers to use the organization to achieve their goals. Ultimately they learned that in order to be successful they needed to get away from a traditional organizational structure and employ more of a matrix type structure.

3. The author states that, "In a highly technical area of development such as this, throwing resources at the problem does not necessarily solve it." Is this only true for technical areas?

No, this is true for any area within an organization. Throwing resources at a problem without first defining the problem and then coming up with the correct solution will only lead to missed deadlines and inferior work being done as the solution to the problem is worked out on the fly. The more planning that is done in the beginning the less re work there will be to do later.

4. The author focuses on the importance of being "close to the customer." What is meant by this phrase and how is it accomplished?

The customer is in the end the one person that a company must try and keep happy. Without customers there is no need for a product to be produced and thus no need for a company to be in business. Working closely with customers in order to make sure that they are getting what they want is crucial to a business being successful. Sometimes the customer doesn't really know what they want and this is where a project manager can help to facilitate the customer's wants and turn those into a solution that works best for the customer and the company. Being close to the customer consists of having close contact and open communication with them in order to best anticipate and fulfill their needs. Companies should always make the customer their number one focus in order to be successful.

5. The author notes that an effective project manager must have a combination of technical and managerial skills. What other specific skills are critical for an effective project manager?