In organizations, members of a project team often report to managers in different business units. This often creates problems in some projects.
If a project team member that reports to a manager in a department that is different from yours has a schedule conflict that will impact the project that you are managing adversely, and the team member’s manager has informed you that this team member will not be available to work on your project for three months, if you do not control any budget that will allow you to hire a replacement, what would you do to resolve this situation?
If you are unable to add a new team member (replacement) what other options do you have?
What are some of the difficulties that are associated with managing team's members that do not report directly to a project manager?
Describe a cross-matrix organization and discuss techniques for managing project team members that share competing operational priorities.
ANSWER
WEEK 1
There are a few choices to think about if a project team member has a scheduling issue that would negatively affect the project and hiring a substitute is not possible because of financial limitations. Speak with the manager of the team member to see if the member can be made available for specific important duties or if the scheduling issue can be resolved. To lessen
the effect of the team member's absence, try to rearrange the project tasks. To balance the burden without adding another team member, think about reassigning duties to other team members or shifting workloads.
WEEK 2
It might be difficult to manage team members who don't directly report to a project manager because their priorities, goals, and workloads may differ. Among the challenges of leading such team members are poor communication, priorities that don't align, a lack of accountability and ownership, and trouble handling and resolving disputes. In a cross-matrix organization, project managers and functional managers are the two sets of people who report to the team members. Team members in these kinds of companies frequently work on several projects at once and may have conflicting operational agendas.
Some strategies to think about when managing project team members in a cross-matrix organization are as follows: putting in place explicit routes and procedures for information exchange, updates, and feedback. Establishing a common understanding of the goals and priorities of the project in order to prevent conflicts and guarantee alignment. Fostering cross-
functional teamwork and collaboration by providing opportunities for them to collaborate on projects. To make sure that team members are held accountable for their work, tasks and deliverables should have clear ownership and accountability established. May all of you have a blessed weekend.
