Real Web Project Management: Case Studies and Best Practices from the Trenches

Common Organizational Structures

There are many different ways to structure the relationship between a project manager and the rest of the organization.

Functional Organizations

The “silo” model segregates staff according to functional specialty (typically sales, design, editorial, marketing, production, technology, and QA). Functional, or “line,” managers absorb project tasks into their normal departmental workflow. The project is divided into segments that are doled out to the departments. Each piece of the project is coordinated by its respective functional owner. The project manager is a member of whatever department is sponsoring the project. The project manager's primary loyalty is to her line manager. For example, a junior editorial producer ...