organization's structure, how it impacts the way manage a project.

Hey again, ready to keep going?

The previous videos explained that knowing what kind of organizational structure you're working in plays a major role in how you prepare for and carry out your project.

An organization's structure provides

the framework for accountability and communication.

As the project manager,

it's vital that you understand who

you're reporting to on each project,

and just as importantly,

who the members of your team report to.

Knowing the organizational structure

also tells you how and

where to get the resources you'll

need so you can get the project done efficiently.

When you understand the organization's structure,

you'll be able to identify how it

impacts the way you manage the project.

One way organizational structure

can impact the way you manage

a project is by the amount of

authority given to the project manager.

Authority has to do with your ability to make decisions

for the project that impact the organization.

In some cases, you might have the authority to do things

like select the vendors

who provide services or goods for the project.

Other times, you might have

a set of vendors selected for you.

Your level of authority and

responsibility will vary from project to project.

Another way organizational structures can impact

project management is through resource availability.

Managing a project is a lot

easier when you know how to access the people,

equipment, and budget that you need.

Let's explore how different structures

can affect the way you manage a project.

In a Classic structure,

you might find yourself with

less authority and a tighter scope.

You may need to rely on getting

approval from the appropriate managers,

directors, and department heads

in order to move forward and complete certain tasks.

In this case, it's likely that these people are in

charge of the people on

your team and the resources you need.

As a project manager working in a Classic structure,

you may depend on the managers in

your organization to approve resources.

In other words, the amount of people

working on your project or the budget that you

have allocated to your project is decided

by the leaders of your department or function.

In a Classic structure,

you may have to go through a chain of approvals and

advocate for more resources if you need them.

For example, if you need a budget increase,

you would report this to your manager.

Then your manager might escalate

this up to their management chain to get approval.

That's the Classic structure;

a traditional top-down arrangement

of employees and authority.

Now, let's explore the Matrix structure.

The main difference with

a Matrix structure is that employees often

have two or more managers

or leaders they'll need to work with and update.

Your team members will have

their functional manager and you, the project manager.

If members are working on multiple projects,

they may have even more managers.

This can affect your authority as a project manager,

as you will need to cooperate with

more than one leader in the organization.

You may need to share resources and negotiate priorities.

The key is to make sure you know who

your stakeholders are and who controls what

since the chain of command isn't always as

clearly defined as in the Classic structure.

Because there isn't always a clear chain

of command in a Matrix structure,

you need to make sure you have identified

and communicated with anyone you might

need to report to and get approval

from well before the project begins.

Once this is established though,

your project within a Matrix structure

should be able to run efficiently.

Matrix structures emphasize a strong project focus

from the team and the organization.

You as the project manager,

generally have more autonomy to make

decisions and gather resources as needed.

As I hope you've noticed, the way

an organization is structured

can have a big impact on

the planning and execution of your project.

Understanding all of this will help you

run and manage a project much more efficiently.

Next, I'll tell you about organizational culture,

another factor that impacts how you

manage your project. Catch you in a bit.

n which of the following ways can organizational structure impact project management? Select all that apply. Project manager authority Correct An organization's structure impacts the amount of authority given to the project manager. Authority has to do with the project manager’s ability to make decisions for the project that impact the organization. Phases of the project life cycle Resource availability Correct Organizational structure can impact project management through resource availability. Managing a project is a lot easier when the project manager knows how to access the people, equipment, and budget the project needs.

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