Ideas on changing a Weak Matrix Organization to a Projectized

Organizational Culture

Eddie Kim Sr Director, OpEx| HireRight Brea, Ca, United States

Most of you will understand the challenges of executing projects in a weak matrix organization leveraging borrowed resources from functional leaders. How are companies becoming projectized? what are some things PMs can do to transform your organization into a projectized environment?

Posted: May 5, 2020 5:52 PM

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Adrian Carlogea Australia

May 28, 2020 2:22 PM

Replying to Peter Rapin

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The most obvious companies suitable for projectized organizations are professional services companies - architectural, engineering, construction management, software developers (other than in-house). Some government departments or crown corporations may also see an advantage as well.

You may also see hybrid organizations where a company could have parallel structures, functional and project, possibly each reporting to a VP - this would include large companies with continual project activities as well as production mandates. Including petrochemical, oil and gas, power generation, mining, etc.

With a company primarily focused on production with occasional projects, setting up a project organization would most likely not be effective. I would think naming a functional leader as project sponsor with either internal staffer or hired gun as project manager would suite.

Hi Peter,

I think when you have permanent employees the projectized organization is almost never suitable even if most of the activities are performed as projects.

From my experience the closest you can get to a projectized organization is when an organization needs a large project but it does not have the competence to deliver it to itself. In these cases a special structure is created within the organization to deliver the project and most team members, many times even the PMs, are some sort of contingent workers such as contractors, consultants, temporary employees.

A typical scenario I know is when a non-IT company needs a major IT project/program to implement a major system. The company may have dedicated IT technical works and IT Project Managers but they are not suitable for such a project. In this case a special temporary structure is created which would be formed mostly of contingent workers that would stay with the company until the project is finished. Many times a Program or Project Director would be appointed which may also be a contingent worker. The structure is usually supervised by a permanent employee that servers as some sort of Major Projects Director/Executive.

Permanent employees of Software Services Companies and other companies would work in a matrix structure reporting to a functional manager and working with multiple PMs. I know a lot of permanent employees working exclusively on projects but still they are part of functional or matrix structures and they don't report to PMs.

Posted: May 29, 2020 12:47 PM

Eddie Kim Sr Director, OpEx| HireRight Brea, Ca, United States

Appreciate everyone taking time out to share your perspectives. I'm in agreement that projectization isn't the most effective model for all lines of businesses. At the end of the day, I guess everyone's primary objective is to problem solve and adapt regardless of role. :D

Posted: Jun 4, 2020 7:46 PM

Joshua Yoak Evanston, Il, United States

This is going to sound like I'm a smart aleck, but they're not ready for it. Concentrate on getting them to balanced matrix org. first.

Posted: Jun 4, 2020 11:12 PM

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Ideas on changing a Weak Matrix Organization to a Projectized

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