Jennifer DiTomasso Jacobsen
U63594427
AD643 BG, Project Leadership and Communications
Professor Star Dargin

Homework One
Questions one through five from the Gray and Larson text, chapter 3, page 82

1. What are the relative advantages and disadvantages of the functional, matrix, virtual and dedicated team approaches to managing project?

Functional approach - advantages “Projects are completed within the basic functional structure of the parent organization. There is no radical alteration in the design and operation of the parent organization.” [i]

“There is maximum flexibility in the use of staff.” [ii]

Individual employees have a permanent home within the organization, with a permanent boss. This allows them stability, knowing where they will work and for whom they will work, as projects come and projects go.

Individual employees have an established career track within their functional discipline.

Individual employees can develop expertise in their functional area.

Functional approach - disadvantages “Projects often lack focus.” [iii]

Collaboration on project team efforts can be difficult. Functional employees typically work in close proximity with each other, rather than in close proximity with members of other disciplines within the organization. Functional employees may only communicate well with each other, and might not be aware of who the employees in other functional disciplines are, how to communicate with them, or what their contributions or constraints are with regard to mutual projects. The term for this is “stovepiping.”

In addition, different functional groups within an organization may regard projects with different levels of priority. Project A may be a top priority for the marketing department, for example, while the manufacturing department may consider several other projects as