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2 - ORGANIZATIONAL INFLUENCES AND PROJECT LIFE CYCLE

2.3.1 composition of Project teams

The composition of project teams varies based on factors such as organizational culture, scope, and location.
The relationship between the project manager and the team varies depending on the authority of the project 2
manager. In some cases, a project manager may be the team’s line manager, with full authority over its members.
In other cases, a project manager may have little or no direct organizational authority over the team members and
may have been brought in to lead the project on a part-time basis or under contract. The following are examples
of basic project team compositions:
• dedicated. In a dedicated team, all or a majority of the project team members are assigned to work
full-time on the project. The project team may be colocated or virtual and usually reports directly to the
project manager. This is the simplest structure for a project manager, as the lines of authority are clear
and team members can focus on the project’s objectives.
• Part-time. Some projects are established as temporary additional work, with the project manager and
team members working on the project while remaining in their existing organizations and continuing to
carry out their normal functions. The functional managers maintain control over the team members and
the resources allocated to the project, and the project manager is likely to continue performing other
management duties. Part-time team members may also be assigned to more than one project at a time.

Dedicated and part-time project team compositions may exist in any of the organizational structures. Dedicated
project teams are often seen in projectized organizations, where most of the organization’s resources are involved
in project work and project managers have a great deal of independence and authority. Part-time project teams
are common within functional organizations, and matrix organizations use both dedicated and part-time project
teams. Other members who have limited involvement at various stages of a project can be thought of as part-time
project team members.

Project team composition may also vary based on organizational structure. An example of this is a partnership-
based project. A project may be established as a partnership, joint venture, consortium, or alliance among several
organizations through contracts or agreements. In this structure, one organization takes the lead and assigns a
project manager to coordinate the efforts among the partners. Partnership-based projects can offer flexibility at
lower cost. These advantages may be offset by the project manager’s lower degree of control over team members
and the need for strong mechanisms for communication and monitoring progress. Partnership projects may be set
up to exploit industrial synergies, to undertake ventures that one partner could not afford alone, or for other political
and strategic reasons.

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©2013 Project Management Institute. A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide) – Fifth Edition 37

Licensed To: Jorge Diego Fuentes Sanchez PMI MemberID: 2399412
This copy is a PMI Member benefit, not for distribution, sale, or reproduction.