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Chapter 15
Project Organization, Leadership, and Control
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
15-1. Q: The four categories or elements of the project-driven organization were written largely for projects
in which systems were designed and manufactured. How would the categories and their contents differ
for an architecture/engineering (A/E) firm whose project involved the design of structures and
management of their construction?
15-2. Q: What types of projects are managed most effectively using the (fully or partially) projectized
organization? What types are managed most effectively as part of the normal functional organization?
15-3. Q: Discuss the ways in which the matrix management structure tends to reduce the problems of project
management under (a) a fully projectized organization and (b) a normal functional organization. (c)
What are the disadvantages of going to the matrix structure?
15-4. Q: Project managers have a variety of professional certifications available to them through the Project
Management Institute. Research these certifications and identify any that might be valuable to you at
this stage in your career. What is this value?
© 2020 Pearson Education, Inc., Hoboken, NJ. All rights reserved. This material is protected under all copyright laws as they currently exist.
No portion of this material may be reproduced, in any form or by any means, without permission in writing from the publisher.
15-5. Q: In the text we discuss the technical, administrative, and interpersonal skills desirable in a project
manager. What attributes do you believe are desirable in an engineering specialist working on a project
in a matrix organization?
15-6. Q: If you were a project manager, which three or four responsibility areas of the nine listed under The
Manager’s Charter would you most want to have included in a charter granted you by management?
State your reasons.
A: Answers will vary. One group of graduate students made the following choices:
15-7. Q: Discuss the precautions you might take as manager of a new project in building a project team to
assure that the project does not get off “on the wrong foot.”
A: You would like to select team members who have a positive attitude toward the project, have the
15-8. Q: Explain why informal communication channels are important in matrix organizations.
A: Informal networks are very important in matrix organizations because the formal structure is very
15-9. Q: Describe what types of products or services each of the following contracts would be appropriate
for, and give an example for each: (a) firm fixed-price, (b) cost plus fixed-fee, and (c) time and
materials.