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Ajax Project

Autor:   •  February 2, 2018  •  2,854 Words (12 Pages)  •  591 Views

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“Carrying out a project (Zwikael & Globerson, 2004) according to its plan does not necessarily ensure a successful outcome. If the planning is faulty, the project will not result in the expected outcome and vice versa; high-quality planning increases the chances that the project will be properly executed and successfully completed”.

Proper project planning results in effective project execution that requires that the number of subsequent changes be minimised had effective project planning been done properly. It is difficult to perform effective project planning unless the project vision, mission, and all of the project requirements are taken into consideration at the beginning of the project. In this case although major objectives of the project were stated but an outline of the project plan was given with no details. This left room for changes in the project scope as was seen that when testing was performed the desired results were not seen thus having the engineers to make constant changes to pass the test phases. These changes result in the inability to effectively estimate and control the project costs and even the deliverables (Kimmons, 1990).

The element of project risk which was clearly not planned for was also realised by the project manager during the second test. He had not mitigated that they would fall behind with the project in a way that the team became demoralised and he tried to remedy this by having status meetings and trying to set new objectives based on the meetings. At this point the project lost its credibility and was headed for failure (Sutterfield, Friday-Stroud & Shivers-Blackwell, 2006).

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Figure 1: Project Planning Steps

3.2. Organisational Structure

“According to Heldman (2009:20), matrix organisations came about to minimise the differences between, and take advantage of, the strengths and weaknesses of functional and projectised organisations”. As shown in figure 1.1, the blend of the projectised and functional structures.

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Figure 2: Matrix organisation structure

The matrix organisational model is furthermore classified into three more structures namely the Weak, Balanced, and Strong organisational structures. The main difference between the classifications is primarily the level of power and influences the project manager and functional manager has. The weak matrix organisation is aligned / has similar characteristics to the traditional functional organisational structure, whereby the functional manager will have the most influence and power within the organisation. The strong matrix on the other hand, is aligned / has similar characteristics to the projectised organisational structure, whereby the project manager has the most power and influence within the organisation. The balanced matrix represents a shared level of power and influence that both the project manager and functional manager have within an organisation. Within a matrix organisational structure, resources are usually presented with two or more reporting lines, the primary reporting line will be to the functional manager and the other would be to the project that a resource is assigned to. Essentially, a matrix organisational structure is a hybrid organisational structure based on two traditional organisational structures, the functional and the projectised organisational structures.

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Table 1: A matrix organisation structure (PMI, 2012)

It is noted that CEBEX doesn’t performs under a matrix organisational structure. Due to the nature of the organisation, this type of organisational structure is ideal as the project manager is managing everyone and there is a need for technical manager and this structure must be supported by a programme manager, and this structure allows for maximum resource utilisation across the board. One of the many benefits of using this organisational structure is the fact that it gives project managers an opportunity to gain deeper insights into each functional area, also for the functional team members / resources to have a dedicated reporting line by getting the necessary attention. Resource assignment and utilisation under this organisational structure should be straight forward exercise between the project team and functional management.

"According to Clements and Gido (2012: 450), the project manager is responsible for leading the development of the project plan, establishing the project schedule and budget, and allocating specific work packages or activities and budgets to various functional components of the company organization. Each functional manager is responsible for how the assigned work activities will be accomplished and who will do each activity."

The project manager’s role does not include poaching resources from other projects, but to involve functional managers (impacted stakeholders) in the initiating and planning process of new projects. Tren will need to complete a resource assignment matrix to identify which resources will be needed and their level of responsibilities within the project. His current authoritative approach in an attempt to assign resources to this project has not been without difficulty. The level of influence and power of a project manager varies based on the type matrix organisational structure the environment is performing under. Tren should approach functional managers with his requirements, then negotiate his way into resource allocation.

In this organisational structure, the functional manager should have a view of their functional team / resources / members. Functional managers should know how their resources are assigned to functional work and or project work all the time. They should also know which resources will benefit which project, and how best to share their resources across functional work and project work. The level of influence and power of a functional manager will vary based on the type of matrix organisational structure they’re operating in. power and influence will favour them if functioning in a weak matrix environment / structure.

3.3. Effective Project Team

Matthews & McLees (2015) state that, “to build effective project teams and to maintain the necessary teamwork, a project leader must understand the aspects of team leadership and the crucial skills of team members”.

In numerous projects people who have never worked together are assigned to the same project team (Steyn & van Dyk, 2016). With

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