3 Project organization forms for a successful project
The project organization: What is it all about? What benefits can you bring to your company?
Companies are showing a growing interest in project management. In a competitive environment, the effective implementation of projects and optimization of work processes is increasingly becoming a competitive advantage. There are 3 forms of project organization that guarantee the continuity of the company
In this article you will find basic information on the organization of projects. You will also discover a brief comparison of management tools for projects. You can improve your performance along the entire work process and enable effective quality management for your project.
What is project organization? Definition
The term project organization refers to a
System of competence for the fulfillment of temporary, complex tasks (projects).
Gabler Wirtschaftslexikon
In contrast to the ongoing organization of a company or department, the project organization has some special characteristics. A project is limited in time. It is a one-off action, has a specific goal and a clear financial and personnel framework.
The organizational structure of a project depends on the scope of the project, the planned project phases, the company's capacities and the duration of the project. This can be summarized in the work breakdown structure.
What forms of project organization exist?
There are three different forms of project organization:
- Pure project organization;
- Staff project organization;
- matrix project organization.
Pure project organization
The pure project organization, also known as the autonomous project organization, is primarily used for large projects. In this type of organization, the project manager (PMO) has full responsibility for objectives as well as disciplinary and technical authority. Employees from different areas of the company are outsourced from their original department specifically for this project. The project is a department or a separate company for a limited period of time, i.e. a project-oriented company.
This type of organization can be represented schematically as follows:
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
| High level of identification of project participants with the project | Effort required to reintegrate the project teams into the line organization |
| Simple authority and responsibilities | Exchange of know-how between departments often difficult |
| Direct communication channels | Reintegration of employees in the former department often problematic |
Staff line project organization
The staff line organization - also known as the influence project organization - is particularly suitable for small projects. Instead of picking members from the departments, individual tasks are assigned to the respective department. The project manager only has a coordinating and advisory function and can refer to the company management. The name "staff line" refers to the link between company management and department management. The two elements of the company organize and negotiate the project.
The staff line organization can be illustrated using the following diagram:
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
| Structure of the core organization is not changed | No direct authority for the project manager |
| Very flexible in the allocation of resources | Coordination effort |
| Simple exchange of know-how between the specialist departments | Measures are difficult to implement |
Matrix project organization
In the matrix organization, the powers of department management and project management overlap. Department heads retain the upper hand over their employees, who also remain in the departments during the project. In this organizational structure, however, the project managers also have disciplinary authority within the project. They can assign tasks to project staff.
As the name suggests, this organizational form can be represented as a matrix:
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
| Reintegration after the end of the project is easier as employees remain in their departments | Possible conflicts with different departmental and project objectives |
| Flexible allocation of resources | Risk of employee overload (due to dual roles in the core and matrix organization) |
| Exchange of know-how between project and core organization possible |
Tips: How to organize a project?
In order to work efficiently in project mode and ensure successful project management, you should consider a few aspects to increase the overall performance of your project teams:
- Agile methods: organize your tasks according to "pending", "in progress" and "completed" to simplify your project management. The Kanban board follows exactly this pattern. It fits around 80% of all projects in the company (IT projects, marketing, communication, etc.)
- Efficient communication for better collaboration: Some solutions include a messenger or are linked to your email account. The number of tools you use can be reduced and everything can be integrated into a unified environment.
- Centralize information: Manage all of your project's files and data in the same application. This way, you won't forget anything and can quickly find all the data you need.
- Analyze your project and progress using indicators on a dashboard. You can carry out budgeting and easily determine whether deadlines are being met or which resources may be missing.
Which project organization is suitable for my company?
Choosing the type of project organization can be difficult, because projects are as individual as you are: it all depends on your company!
Defining the perfect organization for a project is no easy task. This is because every idea, every project team and every company has specific characteristics, needs, restrictions and structures .
General standardization is only possible to a very limited extent. An awareness of these individual aspects is essential for successful project organization and the feasibility of project work.
The planning, elaboration and development of an idea can be facilitated with the help of supporting management software for project administration.
Your project managers and all other employees involved in the project will thank you for it! Try it out for yourself!
Overview: Software for project organization
Wrike
The Wrike management software is a simple and user-friendly platform for project management. It offers a suitable environment for developers, marketing departments, creatives and designers.
Wrike
monday.com
monday.com is a cloud-based project and team management software that easily adapts to your industry-specific needs. With its appealing design, the tool is very intuitive and offers different views for your tasks, such as Kanban, Gantt chart or timeline view.
monday.com
Meistertask
Meistertask is a comprehensive application for project management and organization. You can visualize your projects in various views such as Kanban or as a task list.
MeisterTask
Taskworld
Enjoy a good overview of your projects thanks to the Taskworld timeline. It allows you to track the progress of your tasks in the project schedule. Various dashboards and colorful tags help you keep an eye on everything.
Taskworld
Teamleader
Teamleader facilitates the administrative work of entrepreneurs and enables the coordination of a wide range of work processes. In addition to the CRM, contact management, time recording and lead management modules, it also offers a task and project planner.
Article translated from German