Leading the Project Coalition 1© Graham M Winch

V : Leading the Project Coalition

• designing effective project organisations• infusing the project mission

Leading the Project Coalition 2© Graham M Winch

Complex Organisations

• a purpose• a division of labour• a hierarchy• a set of transformation processes• a set of co-ordination processes• two types of organisation

structure

process

Leading the Project Coalition 3© Graham M Winch

Two Types of Organisation

Bureaucratic organisation Adhocratic organisationTall hierarchy Flat hierarchyClear and precise specification of taskresponsibilities

Ambiguous and overlapping taskresponsibilities

Reliance upon procedures for co-ordination

Reliance upon leadership andteamworking for co-ordination

Search for technical fixes to co-ordination problems

Development of organisationalcapabilities to solve co-ordinationproblems

Production driven Responsive to client needsStrong emphasis upon planning Strong emphasis upon learning by

doingSimple jobs in a complex organisation Complex jobs in a simple organisationEmphasis on productivity Emphasis on flexibility

Leading the Project Coalition 4© Graham M Winch

[Co-ordination] expresses the principles of organization in toto;nothing less. This does not mean that there are no subordinateprinciples : it simply means that all the others are contained inthis one of co-ordination. The others are simply the principlesthrough which co-ordination operates and thus becomes effective

James D. Mooney

15: Designing Effective Project Organisations

Leading the Project Coalition 5© Graham M Winch

Designing Effective Project Organisations

• the rise of the project management concept• the responsibilities of the client• who is the project manager?• organising the project through the life-cycle• project organisation in construction• the organisation breakdown structure• project teamworking

Leading the Project Coalition 6© Graham M Winch

The Rise of the PM Concept

• an organisational innovation– a specialist co-ordinator of the process

• constructing large, complex systems– railways– aerospace

• the cold war programmes– Polaris/ Atlas

• resource bases and project coordinators

7© Graham M Winch

Resource Bases and Project Coordinators

resource basecontrol

project co-ordinator control

functional celllight -weight

heavy -weight

Leading the Project Coalition 8© Graham M Winch

Resource Bases and Project Coordinators

Project Manager Resource-Base ManagerWhat is the task to be done? How will the task be done?When will the task be done? Where will the task be done?Why will the task be done? Who will do the task?What is the budget for the task What are the resources required for the

task?Quality of integration of task output intofinal product

Quality of task output

Leading the Project Coalition 9© Graham M Winch

A Hierarchy of Project Managers

• project manager• programme manager

– but note alternative definition

• project division

Leading the Project Coalition 10© Graham M Winch

The Responsibilities of the Client• promoter

– defining need

• financier– obtaining capital

• decision-maker– appropriately timed decisions

• recruiter– mobilising appropriate resource bases

• the problem of managerial capabilities– in-house capability– executive project management

11© Graham M Winch

Client Project Management Options

client client

project coalition project coalition

executive project

manager

PM dept

Leading the Project Coalition 12© Graham M Winch

Who is the Project Manager?

• project management as a diffused responsibility

• Tate Modern Project Directors– Tate– Stanhope– Schal

• Boston Central/Artery– client side/supply side– external relations/internal effectiveness

13© Graham M Winch

Boston C/AT Project Organisation

ProjectDirector

DeputyProject Director

ProgramManager

ProjectManager

external relationsinternal

effectiveness

clientside

supplyside

Leading the Project Coalition 14© Graham M Winch

Organisation Through the Life-cycle

• organisation design a function of the level of uncertainty and size

• as uncertainty reduces organisation changes

• as size increases, organisation changes

• matrix swing– centralised to decentralised– around 15% complete

bureaucracy

bureaucracy

Leading the Project Coalition 15© Graham M Winch

Project Organisation in Construction

• little coordination at the level of the project as a whole

• mixing project and resource base management responsibilities

• poor training• resource bases in the project coalition

16© Graham M Winch

Resource-bases and the Project Coalition

team A

team Bteam C

team D

team E

team F

the project coalition

Leading the Project Coalition 17© Graham M Winch

The OBS

• responsibility analysis– X axis - resource bases– Y axis - WBS– level of responsibility

• DECA– Decide– Execute– Consult– Advise

Leading the Project Coalition 18© Graham M Winch

Basic Module of a Responsibility Chartresource base

dimension

task dimension

E

DecideExecuteConsultAdvise

Leading the Project Coalition 19© Graham M Winch

Project Teamworking

• most appropriate size: 5- 7• complementary skills

– leader; generator; evaluator; finisher

• clear goals• appropriate incentives• the manageable zone• the team development cycle

Leading the Project Coalition 20© Graham M Winch

The Manageable Zone in Teamworking

groupthink unmanageable conflict

manageable zone

low teamdiversity

high teamdiversity

21© Graham M Winch

The Team Development Cycle

workinggroup

pseudoteam

potentialteam

real team

per

form

an

ce im

pac

t

team effectiveness

forming norming

storming

performing