9.1.1 Inputs to Organizational Planning

.1 Project interfaces. Project interfaces generally fall into one of three categories:

   Organizational interfaces—formal and informal reporting relationships among different organizational units. Organizational interfaces may be highly complex or very simple. For example, developing a complex telecommunications system may require coordinating numerous subcontractors over several years, while fixing a programming error in a system installed at a single site may require little more than notifying the user and the operations staff upon completion.

   Technical interfaces—formal and informal reporting relationships among different technical disciplines. Technical interfaces occur both within project phases (e.g., the site design developed by the civil engineers must be compatible with the superstructure developed by the structural engineers) and between project phases (e.g., when an automotive design team passes the results of its work along to the retooling team that must create the manufacturing capability for the vehicle).

   Interpersonal interfaces—formal and informal reporting relationships among different individuals working on the project.

  These interfaces often occur simultaneously, as when an architect employed by a design firm explains key design considerations to an unrelated construction contractor’s project management team.

.2 Staffing requirements. Staffing requirements define what kinds of competencies are required from what kinds of individuals or groups and in what time frames. Staffing requirements are a subset of the overall resource requirements identified during resource planning (described in Section 7.1).

.3 Contraints. Constraints are factors that limit the project team’s options. A project’s organizational options may be constrained in many ways. Common factors that may constrain how the team is organized include, but are not limited to, the following:

   Organizational structure of the performing organization—an organization whose basic structure is a strong matrix means a relatively stronger role for the project manager than one whose basic structure is a weak matrix (see Section 2.3.3 for a more detailed discussion of organizational structures).

   Collective bargaining agreements—contractual agreements with unions or other employee groups may require certain roles or reporting relationships (in essence, the employee group is a stakeholder).

   Preferences of the project management team—if members of the project management team have had success with certain structures in the past, they are likely to advocate similar structures in the future.

   Expected staff assignments—how the project is organized is often influenced by the competencies and capabilities of specific individuals.

9.1.2 Tools and Techniques for Organizational Planning

.1 Templates. Although each project is unique, most projects will resemble another project to some extent. Using the role and responsibility definitions or reporting relationships of a similar project can help expedite the process of organizational planning.

.2 Human resource practices. Many organizations have a variety of policies, guidelines, and procedures that can help the project management team with various aspects of organizational planning. For example, an organization that views managers as “coaches” is likely to have documentation on how the role of “coach” is to be performed.

.3 Organizational theory. There is a substantial body of literature describing how organizations can and should be structured. Although only a small subset of this body of literature is specifically targeted toward project organizations, the project management team should be generally familiar with the subject of organizational theory so as to be better able to respond to project requirements.

.4 Stakeholder analysis. The identification of stakeholders and the needs of the various stakeholders should be analyzed to ensure that their needs will be met. Section 10.1.2.1 discusses stakeholder analysis in more detail.

9.1.3 Outputs from Organizational Planning

.1 Role and responsibility assignments. Project roles (who does what) and responsibilities (who decides what) must be assigned to the appropriate project stakeholders. Roles and responsibilities may vary over time. Most roles and responsibilities will be assigned to stakeholders who are actively involved in the work of the project, such as the project manager, other members of the project management team, and the individual contributors.
  The roles and responsibilities of the project manager are generally critical on most projects, but vary significantly by application area.
  Project roles and responsibilities should be closely linked to the project scope definition. A Responsibility Assignment Matrix (or RAM, see Figure 9–2) is often used for this purpose. On larger projects, RAMs may be developed at various levels. For example, a high-level RAM may define which group or unit is responsible for each component of the work breakdown structure, while lower-level RAMs are used within the group to assign roles and responsibilities for specific activities to particular individuals.

.2 Staffing management plan. The staffing management plan describes when and how human resources will be brought onto and taken off the project team. The staffing plan may be formal or informal, highly detailed or broadly framed, based on the needs of the project. It is a subsidiary element of the overall project plan (see Section 4.1, Project Plan Development).
  The staffing management plan often includes resource histograms, as illustrated in Figure 9–3.
  Particular attention should be paid to how project team members (individuals or groups) will be released when they are no longer needed on the project. Appropriate reassignment procedures may:

   Reduce costs by reducing or eliminating the tendency to “make work” to fill the time between this assignment and the next.

   Improve morale by reducing or eliminating uncertainty about future employment opportunities.

.3 Organization chart. An organization chart is any graphic display of project reporting relationships. It may be formal or informal, highly detailed or broadly framed, based on the needs of the project. For example, the organization chart for a three- to four-person internal service project is unlikely to have the rigor and detail of the organization chart for a 3,000-person disaster response team.
  An Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) is a specific type of organization chart that shows which organizational units are responsible for which work items.

.4 Supporting detail. Supporting detail for organizational planning varies by application area and project size. Information frequently supplied as supporting detail includes, but is not limited to:

   Organizational impact—what alternatives are precluded by organizing in this manner.

   Job descriptions—written outlines by job title of the competencies, responsibilities, authority, physical environment, and other characteristics involved in performing a given job. Also called position descriptions.

   Training needs—if the staff to be assigned is not expected to have the competencies needed by the project, those competencies will need to be developed as part of the project.