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  • 8/10/2019 Project Management Mod 1 Concepts[1]

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    Krupanidhi School of Management Faculty: Rajasree Venugopal

    SECTION A6 Marks

    1. What is a Project?

    The Project Management Institute (PMI) defines a project as A temporary endeavor

    undertaken to create a unique product or service (PMI, 2000).

    Examples of Projects:

    Creation of Placement Brochure for Krupanidhi College

    Construction of a Residential Complex for employees of Mysore University

    Development & Test Firing of a new Point to point Missile by Indian Army

    Features of Project:

    SpecificThe result of a project is known

    Involves Multiple disciplines (usually)

    Part of overall programs, and can be broken down into tasks and subtasks, if desired

    SponsorProjects normally have an identified sponsor who derives a benefit out of the

    project

    Conflict - Projects normally experience conflicts of schedule, budget, specifications etc

    2. Differentiate between a Project and a Program with an example (Mysore University, December

    2011)

    Projects are part of a larger entity called Program. Example:- A Program to develop a new

    automobile has several parts like Project to develop Engine, Project to develop an Improved

    suspension system etc.

    The differences may be classified under the main headings

    i. Scope: Program is the parent under which Projects fall. Each sub division of a program

    can be a project. Thus Programs have wider scope when compared to projects

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    ii. Breakdown: - Program can be broken down into constituent projects. A Project can be

    broken down into Tasks, which can be broken down into Subtasks, which can be broken

    down further still. The purpose of these subdivisions is to allow the Project to be viewed

    at various levels of detail.

    Examples: TCS has secured a contract to manage the IT infrastructure of Oxford University. This

    is a Program

    As part of this agreement, TCS may have several projects as below

    Manage the IT infrastructure and networks

    Establish Cloud controlled Networks

    Creation of a Grants Monitoring System

    Maintenance of Salary System

    3. What are Nonprojects?How is it different from a Project.

    An activity that is routine, has no specific deliverable, and does not have a specific due date is

    not a project and is called a Nonproject.

    For example, the routine couselling given to students in a Vocational College is a Nonproject.

    Instead, a Couselling exercise to facilitate the Introduction of a New course in the current year

    targeted can be termed as a project.

    Differences between Projects and Nonprojects can be based on:-

    Uniqueness: - A unique activtivity is a project, whereas a routine one is normally a

    nonproject

    DeliverableProject always has a deliverable or a result to be submitted, whereas a

    non project does not have a deliverable

    Due dateProject has a Due date or submission date attached to it, whereas non

    project activities are continuous and have no dates attached to them

    4. What are the three goals of a Project? Is there a fourth goal?

    The three goals of a Project determine the success of a Project. These are as follows:-

    i. PerformanceThe end result or acceptable criteria are laid down by the customer. The

    project must meet the agreed upon specifications to the satisfaction of the customer.

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    ii. CostProject must be either on or under budget. It should not cross the budget laid

    down.

    iii. ScheduleThe Project must be delivered within the Time agreed upon. It should not

    extend beyond the Finishing Time laid down.

    Fourth Goal?Some authors argue that Quality is a distinct goal separate from the above three,

    but quality of deliverables is very much a part of the Performance goal.

    5. Who are the various Stakeholders in a Project (ICFAI Unvty, 2011)

    A breakdown of the definition of a stakeholder from the Guide to the Project Management Body of

    Knowledge (PMBoK) is:

    A person or organisation:

    Actively involved in the project

    Whose interests may be positively or negatively affected either by the work of the project or the

    outputs from the project OR

    Who may exert influence over the project or its deliverables

    Stakeholders can be grouped in two categories:

    1. Internal

    2. External

    Internal Stakeholdersare internal to the organization:

    Sponsor : This is the unit that spends money on the project. This is often the cost center,

    department under whose budget the project receives funds

    internal customer or client: This is the unit that derives the benefit of the project, or atleast is

    benefitted partly because of the project

    Budget Limit

    Cost

    Time

    (Schedule)

    Required PerformancePerformance

    Due Date

    Performance

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    Project team: This includes the Project manager who heads the project, Project Lead, various

    skilled staff whose skills are used in the project, support staff if any etc

    Program manager : This is the overall Head of the project and similar projects for the same

    client, or same category etc

    Portfolio manager : Portfolio Manager heads all programs falling under the Portfolio

    Management : They refer to the higher management who monitor the projects and track the

    profitability

    Others groups manager internal to organization; e.g. functional manager, operational manager,

    and admin manger etc.

    External Stakeholdersare external to the organization:

    External customer or client : This is the main party for whom the project gives primary benefits,

    or solves a problem. The requirements of the project are shaped by the needs of the client

    End users of projects outcome: Some times, the client may be the front end for the real user.

    Although the primary need comes from the end user, the sign off authority for the work may be

    the customer.

    Supplier : Suppliers of various components, parts, service required during any phaase of theproject

    Sub-contractors : Parties to whom all or part of the deliverable work can be assigned

    Government : Local bodies, agencies, institutions, etc who need to sanction, approve or support

    various stages. Eg: Municipalities, Police, Revenue and Tax authorities etc

    Local communities : The resident bodies living in the area where the project is based

    Media etc.

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    6. List the factors leading to the increased use of project management (Mysore Unvty, December

    2011)

    There are several factors responsible for the increased popularity of Projects as an approach of

    handling work. Following are some of these reasons.

    (i) Increasing size of Investments: The extent of funds involved in creation of new infrastructure is

    on a higher trend. This is so because of the use of complex technology, inflation, international

    suppliers and customers etc. Investments of this large volume need specialized handling and

    management

    (ii)Need for Specialized and Industry relevant Professional Skills: Rapid technological advances and

    Practices in every industry calls for professional managers possessing those skills. Management

    of these dynamic businesses need professionals who can adapt to these changes at a fast paceand efficiently manage them. Example, industries like semi conductors, microprocessors need

    specialized professionals with experience in the same industry to fill the higher positions.

    (iii)Increasing Risk and Complexities in projects: Risk of competition, loss of revenues if higher in

    todays businesses. These can be dealt with by developing suitable Risk Mitigation and

    Minimization plans which again need a professional approach of a Project manager.

    (iv)Focus on Time Factor - Project management approaches help in handling assignments in a

    specified time frame with definite start and completion points .Example handling customer

    orders by Industries involved in production of capital goods.

    (v)Task Orientation:- Project management approaches provide task orientation to personnel in an

    Organization in handling assignments. Example: Organizations in IT sector handling software

    development assignments for clients.

    (i) New product/service: Creation of a new product or development of a new service to meet the

    unfulfilled demand of customers. This is especially true as several new sectors of existing

    industries are evolving. Examples are Real Estate (villa, gated communities etc), Hospitality

    (serviced apartments), software (SOA, Cloud, emerging verticals like aerospace, high tech etc).

    As the market gets more complex, there is a wider scope for new ideas, products and services.

    (ii)Export potential to take advantage of exchange rate differences: Projects may be required to

    exploit the export potential of a product or service. This has to do with the differences in

    exchange rates between two currencies. For example it is profitable to serve the US and

    European markets because there is significant difference between Rupee and Dollar or Rupee

    and Euro. The other reason is the popularity of a domestic product in foreign markets.

    (iii)Investments involving state-of-the-art facilities: Whenever a large scale investment is required in

    the creation or development of facilities, this is often managed as a new project, rather than

    extension to the existing facility.

    (iv)Untapped market: There are several sectors or regions that have not been explored and which

    offer potential for expansion. There exist emerging needs of existing customers. New projects

    are needed to meet the unmet demands and un-served territories.

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    (v)High profit margin: Customers or Territories that yield a high margin of profit need additional

    investment in the form of newer projects. This is comparatively less risky than new customers

    and is a definite means for the company to attain faster growth.

    (vi)Developing an underdeveloped area: This applies to new Geographies and smaller markets. New

    projects are started to serve an underdeveloped region in a better manner. These projects

    involve entire development of the region and not just the setting up of a plant or office.

    (vii)Influence of Industrial Policy: Industrial policy has several aspects that keep changing according

    to the dynamics of changing business conditions. For example industrial policy change can be

    change of Export ceiling, setting up of Special economic zones (SEZs), industrial parks, tax

    holidays, Permitted and Exempted Lists etc.

    (viii)Dissatisfied customers with the existing product/service: Existing Product/ service may be

    suffering from defects or deviations from acceptable standards. A new project may be

    undertaken to correct, modify or improve the existing product.

    7. What is a Matrix Structure Organization? What are the various classification available under a

    Matrix structure. (ICFAI Unvty 2011)

    In order to capture the advantages of both the pure project and the functionally organized

    project as well as to avoid the problems associated with each type, a new type of project

    organizationmore accurately, a combination of the twowas developed. To form a matrix

    organized project; a pure project is superimposed on a functionally organized system.

    In a matrix project, there is a Program manager who has many projects under him. Each project

    is headed by a Project manager who reports to the Program manager. The Program manager

    has to coordinate and monitor the activities of several or all of the projects.

    These projects may or may not be related, but they all demand the parents resources, that is

    they share the resources of Functional departments like Manufacturing, R&D, Finance,

    Personnel etc. The use of resources must be coordinated, if not the projects themselves. This

    method of organizing the interface between projects and the parent organization succeeds in

    capturing the major advantages of both pure and functional projects.

    The figure below shows the number of resources or the number of resource hours of each

    functional department being used in the project

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    Classification of Matrix Project

    Matrix projects can be classified in different ways using the different combinations of pureprojects and functional projects.

    1. Strong matrix or a Project matrix: - If the matrix project closely resembles the pure

    project with many individuals assigned full-time to the project, it is referred to as a

    strong matrix or a project matrix.

    2. Weak matrix or a Functional matrix:- If functional departments assign resource capacity

    to the project rather than people, the matrix is referred to as a weak matrix or a

    functional matrix.

    3. Balanced matrix:- If the project has some people and some capacity assigned to it, it is

    referred to as a balanced matrix.

    Example of Matrix project - A firm manufacturing household oven cleaners might borrow chemists

    from the R&D department to develop cleaning compounds that could dissolve baked-on grease. The

    project might also test whether such products were toxic to humans by using the capacity of the firms

    Toxicity Laboratory rather than having individual toxicity testers assigned to the project team.

    The project organizations appropriate for different types of projects are summarized below.

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    SECTION B10 marks

    1. Do projects have a Life Cycle. Give some examples.

    A Projects lifecycle measures Project completion as a function of either time (schedule) or

    Resources (Budget). This life cycle must be understood because the managerial focus

    required by the PM shifts or varies at different stages of the cycle.

    There are two different paths (Life Cycles) along which projects progress from start to finish.

    One is S- shaped and the other is J-shaped. It is an important distinction because

    identifying the different life cycles helps the PM to focus attention on appropriate matters

    to ensure successful project completion.

    S shaped project life cycle curve:

    We can explain this with an example. Take the example of a Residential complex

    construction.

    i. Planning Phase - This is characterised by a slow start with a lot of discussion and

    planning.

    ii. Construction Phase - Then construction begins and the progress is rapid.

    iii. End Phase - When the house is built, but not finished inside, the progress is slowed

    down, the next set of activities like the painting, plumbing, interior finishes etc.

    happen in a slow pace.

    So the progress can be inferred to be in a patternSlowFastSlow. i.e, Slow Start, Quick momentum,

    slow finish.This approach is the traditional pattern for most projects and is called the SCurve.

    The other types of projects are those that require a lot preparation in terms of the constituents and

    components, and once the components are ready, the mixing or assembling of these components to get

    Percentage Project completion

    Time

    Slow

    start

    Slow

    Finish

    Quick

    Momentum

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    the final product happens at a faster rate. In J type cycle path the progress in beginning is slow and as

    the time moves on the progress of the project improves at fast rate.

    Example, in a developing an energy plantation. In this the land preparation progresses slowly and as

    soon as the land and seedling are ready, transplantation is under taken. Other examples are Computer

    Software creation, chemical engineering projects etc.

    The various stages in a J curved project are as follows:

    (i) Initiation:- In these types of projects, the PMs job begins with great attention to having all the

    correct resources at hand, and readily available when needed.

    (ii) Integration:- Once the Assembling or Production is underway, it involves the integration of

    various sets of codes or chemicals, as the case may be. At this stage one cannot add the missing

    ingredients, if any.

    (iii)Wind Up:- The crucial stage is to determine when the finished product is ready. At what point is

    the project complete?. In the case of the chemical, it is the final compound that is according to

    the specifications, and for the software, it is the fully defect free software.

    Project managers Role:-

    i. Planning phase - The objective of the project manager is to ensure that the project plan reflects

    the needs of the client as well as the abilities of the project team and is designed to be

    consistent with the goals and objectives of the parent firm.

    ii. Construction/ Implementation phaseAs the project goes into the implementation stage of itslife cycle, the PMs attention turns to the job of keeping the project on budget and schedule and

    to negotiate appropriate tradeoffs to ensure the progress of the project.

    iii. End Phase/ Wind up phasePM has to ensure that the delivered project meets the client

    requirements, to close out the financial aspects of the project, and adherence to quality by

    closing out all defects and open issues.

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    2. Explain in detail the various phases of a project life cycle with reference to a civil

    construction project. (Mysore Unvty, December 2011)

    --- Explain the S Curve as given in the previous question --

    Consider the construction of a football stadium or a shopping mall. Following are the detailed

    steps that fall in the sequence of the projects life cycle.

    (i) Land acquisition as per Draft plan and the design approval from the requisite authorities

    (ii) A competitive bid to find a contractor

    (iii)Assigning a project manager and a team of construction specialists to the project

    (iv)Development of a set of plans for each specialty area like main structure, electrical systems,

    mechanicals, parking and landscaping etc, by each specialist architect

    (v) Procurement and timely delivery of external infrastructure like arranging of cranes, earth

    movers, excavation equipment, lumber, cement, brick, and other materials

    (vi)Hiring a suitable number of local construction workers with the appropriate skills

    (vii)Construction

    (viii) Finishing

    (ix)Comparison with design and modification for changes required

    (x) Signoff by customer

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    3. Explain the benefits of project portfolio Management. (Mysore Unvty, December 2011)

    Project Portfolio Management (PPM) is the centralized management of processes, methods,

    and technologies used by project managers andproject management offices(PMOs) to

    analyze and collectively manage a group of current or proposed projects based on

    numerous key characteristics. The objectives of PPM are to determine the optimal resource

    mix for delivery and to schedule activities to best achieve an organizations operational and

    financial goals while honouring constraints imposed by customers, strategic objectives, or

    external real-world factors.The steps in this process generally follow those described in Longman, Sandahl, and Speir

    (1999) and Englund and Graham (2000).

    Following are some of the benefits of PPM

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_management_officehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_management_officehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_management_officehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_management_office
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    i. Prioritize the right projects and programs: PPM can guide decision-makers to strategically

    prioritize, plan, and control enterprise portfolios. It also ensures the organization continues to

    increase productivity and on-time delivery - adding value, strengthening performance, and

    ultimately improving bottom-line results.

    ii. Eliminates surprises: Formal portfolio project oversight provides managers and executives with a

    process to identify potential problems earlier in the project lifecycle, and the visibility to take

    corrective action before they impact financial results.

    iii. Build contingencies into the overall portfolio: Flexibility often exists within individual projects

    but, by integrating contingency planning across the entire portfolio of investments,

    organizations can have greater flexibility around how, where, and when they need to allocate

    resources, alongside the flexibility to adjust those resources in response to a crisis.

    iv. Maintain response flexibility: with in-depth visibility into resource allocation, organizations can

    quickly respond to escalating emergencies by maneuvering resources from other activities,

    while calculating the impact this will have on the wider business.

    v. Do more with less: For organisations to systematically review project management processes

    while cutting out inefficiencies and automating those workflows and to ensure a consistent

    approach to all projects, programs, and portfolios while reducing costs.

    vi. Ensure informed decisions and governance: By bringing together all project collaborators, datapoints, and processes in a single, integrated solution, a unified view of project, program, and

    portfolio status can be achieved within a framework of rigorous control and governance to

    ensure all projects consistently adhere to business objectives.

    vii. Extend best practice enterprise-wide: organizations can continuously vet project management

    processes and capture best practices, providing exponential degrees of efficiency as a result.

    viii. Understand future resource needs: by aligning the right resources to the right projects at the

    right time, organizations can ensure individual resources are fully leveraged and requirements

    are clearly understood. PPM also allows an organization to establish complete project capacity

    at any point in time.

    4. What are the measures taken by an organization to align its projects with the overall

    organizational strategy?

    OR

    How do you align Project structures to suit organizational structure and mode of

    functioning? (ICFAI Unvty 2011)

    The project organization structure defines the relationships between team members and organization

    members. Often the organization structure is communicated as a visual structure (organization chart).

    The objective in designing a project structure is to provide a formal environment that the project

    manager can use to influence team members to do their best in completing their assignments and

    duties.

    Tools to align Project Structure to Organizational Strategy

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    i. Create a Vision Statement: Vision is the foundation of aligning projects to organizational

    needs. This is one of the first things you should do in your project. A vision and vision statement

    that is understood by the entire team is essential to aligning project work to the needs of your

    organization. Every project leader should have a clear, powerful vision and vision statement

    that communicates the purpose and values of the organization.

    ii. Create a Project Charter

    The project charter should include the project goal, high-level budget requirements, and project

    scope. The project goal should align with the organizational needs and referred to through all

    phases of the project to ensure the alignment with the original business needs. The charter must

    be reviewed and signed by all stakeholders

    iii. Create a Project Organization Structure

    The project organization structure defines the relationships between team members and organizationmembers. Often the organization structure is communicated as a visual structure (organization chart).

    The objective in designing a project structure is to provide a formal environment that the project

    manager can use to influence team members to do their best in completing their assignments and

    duties.

    Different types of organization

    Traditional organizations: These are built in a vertical setting providing more for up and

    down pattern of authority and communications. These organizations are slow to respond to changes in

    organizational environment. On the other hand projects are characterized by horizontalness providing

    for direct communication cutting across lines of authority. This structure for projects provide for faster

    response to external changes. Project organizations incorporate horizontal relations into the formal

    structure.

    Divisional Organization: Here a separate division is set up to implement the projects. The

    project manager who heads the project is provided with the required personnel over whom the project

    manager has full line authority. He has total control to co-ordinate the various functions and activities.

    Divisional project organization facilitate planning and control and integration of efforts by all groups.

    However this form of Organization has a draw back in the sense that it may lead to duplication of

    specialists in a company handling multiple projects. The set up may lead to inefficient use of resources.

    Matrix Organization: A matrix is represented by rows and columns where the line functions

    or departments are shown in rows and projects in columns. Employees in the organization belong to arow or a line function or department and move to the column when they are required for a project.

    When the team members work is completed in the project the project manager returns the person to

    the line function.

    In a matrix organization the personnel working in the project report to the functional head as

    well as the project manager. This form of organization involves that the authority is shared between the

    functional head and the project manager. Matrix organizations facilitate effective utilization of

    resources. Matrix organizations may also involve inherent conflict situations.

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    5. Explain the following as related to project management with a suitable example for each.

    i. Bread and butter projects.

    ii. Pearls

    iii. Oysters

    iv. White Elephant (Mysore Unvty, December 2011)

    These are all various categories of projects as used in the Portfolio Mapping technique. Various graphing

    and charting techniques generally used to portray the "balance"of a portfolio ofprojects by displaying

    how the various projects perform on two or more dimensions orcriteria.The most popular portfolio

    mapping diagram displays project risk and rewardthe y-axis is labeled probability of success and the x-

    axis is labeled payoff or reward. Projects are plotted on the diagram according to their estimated

    success probabilities and payoffs (if successful).

    Abubble diagramis a popular variant of portfolio mapping that uses a circle or ellipse to identify each

    project instead of a single point. The size, shape, color or shading of the circle is varied to provide

    additional information about the corresponding project like funding and resources. For example, the sizeof the circle may represent the initial cost of the project. Given fixed funding or resources for all the

    projects, the combined areas of the bubbles must remain constant. (If a project is added or increased in

    size, then others must be dropped or decreased.)

    In one popular version of the risk-reward portfolio mapping, projects are categorized according the

    quadrant that they fall into. The 4 quadrants of the diagram are labeled "pearls," "oysters," "bread &

    butter," and "white elephants."

    (i) Pearls have a high probability of success and yield high payoffsThese are the projects that

    every company wantshigh likelihood of success and high rewards.

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    (ii) Oysters have a lower success likelihood because of technical or other difficulties, but are worth

    pursuing because of the high potential reward. These are long shots, but with high payoffs.

    (iii)Bread & butter are low-risk projects with low rewardThese are the most common types of

    projects. Benefits are low to moderate, but the success is high, usually because of the ease of

    implementation. Too many bread and butter projects however distract resources from other

    profitable projects.

    (iv)White elephants are projects with low likelihood of success and low payoff. It is not the best bet

    for a company to invest resources in such projects. Mostly it is because already there has been

    some effort and money invested in the project. At times of resource crunch, white elephants are

    culled off from the project portfolio.

    6. A major Indian NGO is running a program in Central Africa in collaboration with human rights

    association to provide basic amenities such as food and shelter to the starving natives

    Explain the phases of program management life cycle of this project (ICFAI Unvty 2011)

    7. Write short notes on the following (JNTU Hyderabad, February 2012)

    a) Suitable Organisation Structure for Projects

    b) Stakeholder Management

    ---Refer Question number 4 (Section B) and Question number 5 (Section A)----

    8. What are the approaches in Project Screening & Selection? (JNTU Hyderabad, February

    2012)

    SECTION C15 marks

    (ICFAI Unvty, 2011)

    Syngenta is a world-leading plant science business. Syngenta was formed in 2000 from the merger of

    the agricultural divisions of Novartis and Zeneca. The company has a wide range of product lines

    both in crop protection (selective herbicides, non- selective herbicides, fungicides, insecticides) and

    professional products (including lawn and turf products) and seeds ifield crops, vegetables) and garden

    plants. It is committed* to promoting sustainable agriculture through innovative research and

    technology. Its purpose is to bring plant potential to life. Syngenta currently employs more than24,000 people in over 90 countries. Its customers range from farmers to governments Well-qualified

    innovative scientists are core strength of the business. A strong focus on recruiting and developing

    its employees helps Syngenta remain a major player in a highly competitive market. The business

    prides itself on attracting motivated, talented and involved employees. Once people are recruited, it

    fully utilizes the breadth and depth of their available talent

    To fulfill its mission effectively, Syngenta needs to operate within a structure best suited to itspurposes. Traditionally large businesses divide the organization up into functional areas.

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    The'functions of Syngenta include Research and Development (R & D), global supply (includingmanufacturing), Human Resources (HR), sales and marketing, finance, and Information Systems (IS).Within any organization there are likely to be several layers of authority. The number of levelsdepends upon whether the business has a hierarchical or flat structure. Syngenta is committed toempowering its staff and a hierarchical structure is not suited to its innovative style. Like many largebusinesses working in both national and international markets, Syngenta has adopted a matrix

    structure. A matrix structure is often referred to as Project team structure. In this approach, teamleaders manage specific tasks, and projects. Each team will consist of members from differentdepartments, each with their own specialisms and expertise related to the project. It takesemployees out of their usual functional areas to work with other employees with different expertiseand specialisms. This ensures the project has all the skills it needs to achieve its target. It also meansthe employees may benefit from each others abilities. Some teams are only formed for a shortperiod of time. They disband when their projects have been completed and the team members areredeployed on other projects. Other teams have a longer or sometimes permanent remit. Tbe matrixstructure is not an alternative to functional management but works alongside it. Syngenta's projectteams support one or more of its business strategies.

    Syngenta has a culture of empowering its workers. This enables them to be in control of their work.To fulfill Syngenta's aims and objectives, employees must aiso demonstrate specific skills andcompetencies. Dr Kathryn Brocklehurst explains what this means for her:As a manager and scientist,time management, planning and communication are key skills. I manage a research team and it is vital that

    our work meets deadlines in order to get products developed for our customers.Kathryns planning skills are essential as delays could mean that competitors bring out new products

    first. As a result, Syngenta could lose business. Investment costs are high in the research area. Largeresearch projects can run for 10 years, costing up to 100 million per project. Clear leadership isessential to make this product development work as efficiently as possible. Leadership skills at thislevel'take time to develop. Kathryns career has taken her through many different areas of thebusiness. This experience has helped her develop her understanding of good practice throughout thebusiness. It has allowed her to appreciate what other departments have to offer, enabling her toselect the right people for her projects.

    Syngenta is a forward-looking company. It wants its people and leaders to be very much passionateabout achieving the company's goals. To reach the goals the employees of Syngenta are expectedto be very much focused on the essential areas such as developing new products to deadlines,developing new skills and expertise to ensure that the highest standards are maintained. Theemployees are also expected to be recognized and celebrated for their achievements and creativeand innovative in the work they accomplish. Syngenta's HR team provides training anddevelopment opportunities for all staff. Balancing risk and reward is an important aspect ofSyngenta's management approach. It is committed to research and development to keep ahead ofthe competition. It is not afraid of mistakes but expects employees and managers to learn fromthem and use them to motivate people The company presents annual awards to employees whoseachievements have helped drive the business forwards. These awards have inspired furtherinnovations and helped employees focus on generating new ideas to help the company perform even

    better.Syngenta is a global business operating in a competitive market. It relies heavily on its scientists to

    research and develop new products. These products enable countries throughout the world to grow

    sufficient food to feed the ever-increasing world population. With over 24,000 staff working in 90

    countries, Syngenta must organize its resources and use the talents of its people effectively It uses

    a matrix management structure, as this is best suited to bringing together people with diverse skills

    into project teams. This works better than having a tall hierarchical structure with many layers. Team

    leaders in charge of project teams are trained and supported to help their teams perform to the

    highest standards.

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    Krupanidhi School of Management Faculty: Rajasree Venugopal

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    Syngenta has a commitment to recruiting people with skills and abilities which the business candevelop long-term This benefits employees by providing more challenging role opportunities and itbenefits the company by ensuring it has the right talent resources in place for future growth.

    Questions

    1. To fulfill its mission effectively, Sygenta needs to operate within a structure that best suits itspurpose. In this context, analyze the organizational structure of Sygenta.

    2. According to Dr. Kathryn Brocklehurst, a manager and scientist - time management, planning andcommunication are key skills. Evaluate the extent to which employee empowerment is essential

    for Syngenta. Also explain how this has been accomplished by Syngenta.