The Functional Manager’s Role in IT Project Management

In a certain kind of large company with an extensive information technology organization, the functional manager plays a key role in project management. Especially in a matrix organization, where the functional manager retains considerable authority over project team members, the functional manager is responsible for many project management processes. Project success will depend on the functional manager and the project manager cooperating, communicating, and understanding each other’s role.

An Imaginary Company

In this kind of organization the functional manager typically leads a team responsible for creating and maintaining one or more applications that serve an operational area and its business functions. To draw from an imaginary example, Culloden Healthcare (a fictitious health insurance company) has an operational unit responsible for customer eligibility and enrollment functions. A functional manager—call her Lara—leads a team supporting the eligibility and enrollment business applications.

Lara’s team includes an architect, business and systems analysts, programmers, and system testers. Some years ago the team developed both the graphical user interfaces and the back-end applications that handle database transactions for eligibility and enrollment. As business projects are approved and funded, Lara’s team is …