Project Management Case Studies, 7th Edition

Part 4PROJECT MANAGEMENT ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURES

In the early days of project management, there existed a common belief that project management had to be accompanied by organizational restructuring. Project management practitioners argued that some organizational structures, such as matrix structures, were more conducive to good project management, while others were not quite effective. Every organizational structure comes with both advantages and disadvantages.

Today, we question whether organizational restructuring is necessary. Is it possible that project management can be implemented effectively in any organizational structure if the culture is cooperative? Restructuring is often accompanied by a shift in authority and the balance of power. Can effective project management occur at the same time that the organization undergoes restructuring?

Quasar Communications, Inc.

Quasar Communications, Inc. (QCI) is a 30‐year‐old, $350 million division of Communication Systems International, the world's largest communications company. QCI employs about 340 people, of whom more than 200 are engineers. Ever since the company was founded 30 years ago, engineers have held every major position within the company, including president and vice president. The vice president for accounting and finance, for example, has an electrical engineering degree from Purdue and a master's degree in business administration from Harvard.

Until 1996, QCI was a traditional organization where everything ...