Project Management Mid-Term Study Guide
Chapter 2 -
Culture – unwritten rules of behavior, or norms that are used to shape and guide behavior, that are shared by some subset of organizational members
Escalation of commitment – Occurs when, in spite of evidence identifying a project as failing, no longer necessary, or beset by huge technical or other difficulties, organizations continue to support it past the point an objective viewpoint would suggest that it should be terminated.
External environment - consists of all forces or groups outside the organization that have the potential to affect the organization. Some elements in a company’s external environment that can play a significant role in a firm’s activities are competitors, customers in the marketplace, the government and other legal or regulatory bodies, general economic conditions, pools of available human or financial resources, suppliers, technological trends and so forth.
Functional structure – Most common organizational type used in business today. The logic of the functional structure is to group people and departments performing similar activities into units. It is common to create departments such as accounting, marketing or research and development. Division of labor in the functional structure is not based on the type of product or project supported, but rather according to the type of work performed. In an organization having a functional structure, members routinely work on multiple projects or support multiple product lines simultaneously
Heavyweight project organization – refers to the belief that organizations can sometimes gain tremendous benefits from creating a fully dedicated project organization. The concept is based on the notion that successful project organizations do not happen by chance or luck. Measured steps in design and operating philosophy are needed to get to the top and remain there.
Intervenor groups – Defined as groups external to the project but possessing the power to effectively intervene
Culture – unwritten rules of behavior, or norms that are used to shape and guide behavior, that are shared by some subset of organizational members
Escalation of commitment – Occurs when, in spite of evidence identifying a project as failing, no longer necessary, or beset by huge technical or other difficulties, organizations continue to support it past the point an objective viewpoint would suggest that it should be terminated.
External environment - consists of all forces or groups outside the organization that have the potential to affect the organization. Some elements in a company’s external environment that can play a significant role in a firm’s activities are competitors, customers in the marketplace, the government and other legal or regulatory bodies, general economic conditions, pools of available human or financial resources, suppliers, technological trends and so forth.
Functional structure – Most common organizational type used in business today. The logic of the functional structure is to group people and departments performing similar activities into units. It is common to create departments such as accounting, marketing or research and development. Division of labor in the functional structure is not based on the type of product or project supported, but rather according to the type of work performed. In an organization having a functional structure, members routinely work on multiple projects or support multiple product lines simultaneously
Heavyweight project organization – refers to the belief that organizations can sometimes gain tremendous benefits from creating a fully dedicated project organization. The concept is based on the notion that successful project organizations do not happen by chance or luck. Measured steps in design and operating philosophy are needed to get to the top and remain there.
Intervenor groups – Defined as groups external to the project but possessing the power to effectively intervene