Organization, Structure, Culture, and Project Planning

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering organizational structures, organizational culture, project definition tools (WBS, OBS, PBS), and cost/time estimation methods from Chapters 3, 4, and 5.

Functional Organization

A structure where a project is managed within existing departments like marketing, engineering, or IT, requiring no major organizational change.

Dedicated Project Team

A separate unit created to work primarily or fully on a project, created when the project is urgent, complex, or requires independence.

Projectitis

A condition where a project team becomes too isolated or overly loyal to the project instead of the parent organization.

Matrix Structure

A hybrid organizational form where employees report to both a functional manager and a project manager simultaneously.

Weak Matrix

A matrix structure type where the functional manager has more authority and the project manager acts primarily as a coordinator.

Balanced Matrix

A matrix structure type where authority is shared equally between the project manager and the functional manager.

Strong Matrix

A matrix structure type where the project manager has more authority than the functional manager.

Project Management Office (PMO)

A centralized unit that supports project execution and helps improve project performance across an organization.

Weather Station PMO

A type of PMO that primarily tracks and reports on project performance.

Control Tower PMO

A type of PMO focused on setting standards and establishing best practices for project management.

Resource Pool PMO

A type of PMO that provides the organization with trained project managers.

Command and Control Center PMO

A type of PMO with the authority to approve, change, or stop projects.

Organizational Culture

The shared values, beliefs, habits, and "rules of the game" that represent the "real behavior" within an organization.

Counterculture

A subculture within an organization that rejects or challenges the dominant main culture.

Conflict Tolerance

The degree to which an organization allows and encourages disagreement or open debate regarding issues.

Team Emphasis

The degree to which work within the organization is structured around teams rather than individuals.

Project Scope Statement

A document defining what the project will deliver, serving as a foundation for planning, budgeting, and control.

Scope Creep

The tendency for project requirements to grow or change, often caused by a weak or poorly defined scope statement.

Project Priority Matrix

A tool used to manage trade-offs between scope/performance, time, and cost to determine what must be protected.

Constrain

A priority category in the priority matrix meaning a specific requirement must be met.

Enhance

A priority category in the priority matrix meaning the project manager should try to optimize that specific factor.

Accept

A priority category in the priority matrix meaning some level of change or deviation in that factor is tolerable.

Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)

A deliverable-oriented breakdown that separates the project into major deliverables, sub-deliverables, and work packages.

Work Package

The smallest unit of work in a WBS, used for assigning responsibility, improving estimates, and supporting control.

Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS)

A tool that identifies which department or organizational unit owns specific work components.

Responsibility Matrix

A tool that clarifies accountability by showing who is responsible, supports, approves, or is consulted on project tasks.

Process Breakdown Structure (PBS)

An alternative to the WBS that breaks project work down by phases or processes.

Communication Plan

A plan defining what information is shared, with whom, how it is shared, and the frequency of sharing.

Planning Horizon

The factor in estimate quality stating that tasks further in the future are less accurate to estimate than near-term tasks.

Padding Estimates

The practice of adding extra time or cost to an estimate to protect oneself against uncertainty.

Top-Down Estimating

An approach that estimates the whole project first using analogy or rough data, usually during early strategic stages.

Bottom-Up Estimating

An approach that estimates each work package individually and sums them up for a detailed and reliable final cost.

Ratio Method

An estimating technique that uses a ratio from similar past projects to determine current project costs.

Apportionment

A top-down method that allocates costs by percentage across the various sections of a project.

Delphi Method

A method where expert judgments are collected anonymously and refined until a consensus is reached.

Function Points

A technique used to estimate software project size and cost based on inputs, outputs, files, and complexity.

Learning Curve

The assumption that repeated work becomes faster and cheaper as people gain experience, often used in estimating repetitive tasks.

Template Method

An estimating approach that uses a similar past project as a model for the current one.

Range Estimating

A technique using three estimates: optimistic ($1$), most likely ($2$), and pessimistic ($3$), to account for uncertainty.

Phase Estimating

A method using detailed estimates for the immediate next phase and rough estimates for all future phases.

Direct Costs

Costs that are clearly tied to specific work packages, such as labor, materials, and equipment.

Direct Project Overhead

Project-specific costs that are not tied to a single work package, such as the project manager's salary or office space.

G&A Overhead

General and administrative company expenses, such as accounting or senior management, that are not directly controlled by the project manager.

Parametric Estimating

A formula-based estimation method using statistical relationships, such as cost per unit or cost per square meter.

Fixed Cost

A cost that does not change based on the level of project activity, such as an equipment rental or setup fee.

Project Complexity

The difficulty level of a project determined by elements like size, uncertainty, technology, or stakeholder interdependence.