Pure project organization
A pure project organization is a certain form of organization with which a project is run. It is characterized by the high level of instruction and decision-making powers of the project manager and a considerable distance from the line organization .
Demarcation, classification
Projects are singular, complex and time-limited tasks. The company provides resources to achieve the project goals. The project organization can be designed in many ways. The forms differ in the degree of organizational independence from the basic organization, the characteristics of the task (one-off, complex, time-limited) and the extent to which the project manager has authority to issue instructions and make decisions. Along a continuum from the weakest to the strongest expressions of the criteria we distinguish line project organization , staff line project organization , matrix project organization , pure project organization and project company .
In the pure project organization, the project is supervised full-time by a project team. The resources required for the entire duration of the project are available to him to achieve the performance, deadline and cost targets.
features
The pure project organization is characterized by the usually great importance, the large scope, the great uncertainty, the high time pressure, the long duration and the high complexity of the project. An efficient coordination of the project-related individual activities can no longer be guaranteed by the primary organization . As a result, the project task is completely outsourced from the basic organization and "the idea of a secondary organization is abandoned".
Similar to a business unit organization, the tasks are structured object-oriented, but with a time-limited horizon from the start. The helicopter RX 2000 and Jäger 45 projects are examples of such an organization in the aircraft industry. Both a horizontal and a vertical internal organization of the project are recommended. As the project size increases, the overall project is divided into sub-projects and a project hierarchy consisting of overall project manager and sub-project manager is established.
In accordance with the process concept, the project is assigned to a project group responsible for results. The team is made up of employees from various functional areas and hierarchical levels. They will be outsourced from their respective areas for the duration of the project and assigned to the project. Each team member brings his or her specific goals, points of view and proposed solutions into the problem-solving process. The team members are directly subordinate to the project manager in a technical and specific way, i. H. They receive instructions exclusively from him.
The project manager coordinates the tasks in the interests of the entire company. Since he is responsible for the fulfillment of the performance, deadline and cost targets, he has unrestricted authority in the following matters: task content ( what? ), Timing ( when? ), Personnel assignment ( who? ), Technical implementation ( how? ), Place of work ( where? ), And type and amount of material resources (with what? ). The project manager thus has the exclusive right to dispose of the personnel and material resources reserved for the project. The project manager reports to the steering committee . Due to this resource autonomy , the pure project organization differs considerably from the staff and matrix project organization . In contrast, the project company represents the highest degree of independence, as it not only acts organisationally but also legally independently.
advantages
Unrestricted access to project-specific resources increases the chance of achieving performance, deadline and cost targets. Clear assignments of tasks , responsibilities and competencies also contribute to the achievement of goals through reduced conflict potential. Due to the great identification of the employees with the task, there is a high willingness to cope with difficulties. As a result, project-specific decisions can be found more quickly. In addition, the cooperation of employees from different company areas enables the reduction of interface problems. By maintaining a holistic view, better coordination can be achieved and the duration of the project reduced to a necessary minimum. The line authority of the project manager enables not only a relatively quick reaction to disturbances, but also the unification of will-formation and will-enforcement in one hand. The quality of the results thus reaches a high level.
disadvantage
A major problem arises from the project-specific provision of resources. Employees and material resources are not always dispensable for the entire duration of the project. The proper operation of the company must not be disrupted or weakened qualitatively or quantitatively. This often results in the endeavor of the departments concerned to only send those employees who they miss the least. A similar problem results from the simultaneous handling of several projects. Problems of demarcation and coordination between the projects can arise if they require roughly the same resources. The multi-project management provides for this purpose appropriate solutions. Different employees are required in the course of a project. The occupancy of the people cannot be guaranteed if the intensity of work fluctuates in the different project phases. Another problem area is represented by employees who obtain information and help from their traditional department for their project work. This can interrupt the routine process in the basic organization. The problem of reintegrating project staff into the primary organization (re-entry problem) is an important aspect. In many cases, employees are unsure about their future tasks and their superiors. You have no motivation to finish the current project quickly. This is also supported by the communication-promoting atmosphere of the project, as the employees defend themselves against a return to the “stuffy” everyday life. The line authority of the project manager can also reduce motivation, as it often expresses itself in an authoritarian leadership style . Ultimately, the project can develop a life of its own that leads to excessive deadlines and budget overruns.
Areas of application
The pure project organization is mainly found in large projects with a long duration. It is ideal because of the small number of interfaces to daily operations. "In extreme forms, the line project organization itself can become the primary organizational principle." This is the case, for example, in plant engineering, civil engineering, the aircraft industry, software companies, or in research and development.
literature
- Manfred Schulte-Zurhausen : Organization. 3. Edition. Verlag Franz Vahlen, Munich 2002, ISBN 3-8006-2825-2 .
- Georg Schreyögg: Organization, basics of modern organizational design. Business publisher Dr. Th. Gabler / GWV Fachverlage, Wiesbaden 2003, ISBN 3-409-47729-2 .
- Oskar Grün: Project organization. In: E. Frese (Ed.): Concise dictionary of the organization. 1992, ISBN 3-7910-8027-X , Sp. 2102-2116.
- Helmuth Kasper, Peter Heimerl, Jürgen Mühlbacher: Structural and process-oriented forms of organization. In: Personnel management, leadership, organization. Linde Verlag, Vienna 2002, ISBN 3-7073-0430-2 .