3 Project organisation forms for a successful project
The project organisation: What is it all about? What benefits can you bring to your company?
Companies are showing a growing interest in project management. In a competitive environment, the effective implementation of projects and optimisation of work processes is increasingly becoming a competitive advantage. There are 3 forms of project organisation that guarantee the continuity of the company
In this article you will find basic information on the organisation of projects. You will also discover a brief comparison of management tools for projects. You can improve your performance along the entire work process and enable effective quality management for your project.
What is project organisation? Definition
The term project organisation refers to a
System of competence for the fulfilment of temporary, complex tasks (projects).
Gabler Wirtschaftslexikon
In contrast to the ongoing organisation of a company or department, the project organisation has some special features. A project is limited in time. It is a one-off action, has a specific goal and a clear financial and personnel framework.
The organisational structure of a project depends on the scope of the project, the planned project phases, the company's capacities and the duration of the project. This can be summarised in the work breakdown structure.
What forms of project organisation exist?
There are three different forms of project organisation:
- Pure project organisation;
- Staff project organisation;
- matrix project organisation.
Pure project organisation
The pure project organisation, also known as an autonomous project organisation, is primarily used for large projects. In this type of organisation, the project manager (PMO) has full responsibility for objectives as well as disciplinary and technical authority. Employees from different areas of the company are outsourced from their original department specifically for this project. The project is a department or a separate company for a limited period of time, i.e. a project-orientated company.
This type of organisation can be represented schematically as follows:
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
| High identification of the project participants with the project | Effort required to reintegrate the project teams into the line organisation |
| Simple authorisations and responsibilities | Exchange of expertise between departments often difficult |
| Direct communication channels | Reintegration of employees in the former department often problematic |
Staff line project organisation
The staff line organisation - also known as the influence project organisation - is particularly suitable for small projects. Instead of picking members from the departments, individual tasks are assigned to the respective department. The project manager only has a coordinating and advisory function and can refer to the company management. The name "staff line" refers to the link between company management and department management. The two elements of the company organise and negotiate the project.
The staff line organisation can be illustrated using the following diagram:
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
| Structure of the core organisation is not changed | No direct authority for the project manager |
| Very flexible in the allocation of resources | Coordination effort |
| Simple exchange of expertise between departments | Measures are difficult to implement |
Matrix project organisation
In the matrix organisation, the powers of department management and project management overlap. Department heads retain the upper hand over their employees, who also remain in the departments during the project. In this organisational structure, however, the project managers also have disciplinary authority within the project. They can assign tasks to project staff.
As the name suggests, this organisational form can be represented as a matrix:
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
| Reintegration after the end of the project is easier as employees remain in their departments | Possible conflicts with different departmental and project objectives |
| Flexible allocation of resources | Risk of employee overload (due to dual role in parent and matrix organisation) |
| Exchange of know-how between project and core organisation possible |
Tips: How to organise a project?
In order to work efficiently in project mode and ensure successful project management, you should consider a few aspects to increase the overall performance of your project teams:
- Agile methods: organise your tasks according to "pending", "in progress" and "completed" to simplify your project management. The Kanban Board follows exactly this pattern. It fits around 80% of all projects in the company (IT projects, marketing, communication, etc.)
- Efficient communication for better collaboration: Some solutions include a messenger or are linked to your email account. The number of tools you use can be reduced and everything can be integrated into a standardised environment.
- Centralise information: Manage all of your project's files and data in the same application. This means you don't forget anything and can quickly find all the data you need.
- Analyse your project and progress using indicators on a dashboard. You can carry out budgeting and easily determine whether deadlines are being met or which resources may be missing.
Which project organisation is suitable for my company?
Choosing the type of project organisation can be difficult, because projects are as individual as you are: it all depends on your company!
Defining the perfect organisation for a project is no easy task. This is because every idea, every project team and every company has specific characteristics, needs, restrictions and structures .
General standardisation is only possible to a very limited extent. An awareness of these individual aspects is essential for successful project organisation and the feasibility of project work.
The planning, elaboration and development of an idea can be facilitated with the help of supporting management software for project administration.
Your project managers and all other employees involved in the project will thank you for it! Try it out for yourself!
Overview: Software for project organisation
Wrike
The Wrike management software is a simple and user-friendly platform for project management. It offers a suitable environment for developers, marketing departments, creatives and designers.
Wrike
monday.com
monday.com is a cloud-based project and team management software that easily adapts to your industry-specific needs. With its appealing design, the tool is very intuitive and offers different views for your tasks, such as Kanban, Gantt chart or timeline view.
monday.com
Meistertask
Meistertask is a comprehensive application for project management and organisation. You can visualise your projects in a wide variety of views such as Kanban or as a task list.
MeisterTask
Taskworld
Enjoy a good overview of your projects thanks to the Taskworld timeline. It allows you to track the progress of your tasks in the project schedule. Various dashboards and colourful tags help you to keep an eye on everything.
Taskworld
Teamleader
Teamleader facilitates the administrative work of entrepreneurs and enables the coordination of a wide range of work processes. In addition to the CRM, contact management, time recording and lead management modules, it also offers a task and project planner.
Article translated from German