Comments on: Functional Managers, Project Managers, Matrix Managers

By: Dave C

Dave C — Mon, 21 Feb 2005 22:46:38 +0000

Having actually been in this situation a few times, I like the way you’ve got it broken down.
The one wildcard is when the team memeber is having a personality conflict with the PM, and you as Func. Manager, need to get involved. You sometimes wind up having to manage the PM as well as the engineer.
So I’d say that’s its pretty important to be involved in the project at least as an observer, if not an active voice.

By: Debbie Reynolds

Debbie Reynolds — Tue, 15 Feb 2005 21:28:36 +0000

I have seen many comments on project management but not many on program management. You seem to teach class on both disciplines. Do you have any comparitive analysis on the disiplines that you would like to share?

By: Rich Stone

Rich Stone — Sun, 13 Feb 2005 03:59:10 +0000

I am a functional manager at the moment. Up until October, I was the manager of a Product support and development team of 5. We had a product suite consisting of 7 integrated applications serving a internal customer base of about 1000 users. Now we have re-organized into a functional structure – I am directly managing 12 employees and 14 contractors doing application support and maintenance for something like 12 or 15 software products. I have most of my old team, and 6 other teams.
I have been asked to develop a plan to cross train these individuals to build out a mega-support team.
What is conspicuously missing are product leaders to “own” the maintenance queue for each product. Unfortunately, all of the folks who were doing this before (like myself) were moved into a development team or to management roles.
Most of my staff are the “do-ers” hard-working salt-of-the-earth analysts but not interested in or obviously capable of leadership.
Suggestions??

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 10 Feb 2005 22:13:39 +0000

Where exactly did you learn about management; at the McDonald’s counter?
Fucking posers.

By: Adam Jacobson

Adam Jacobson — Tue, 08 Feb 2005 23:53:28 +0000

I once set up a matrix management structure for a consulting company. The functional manager didn’t really need to know project status. They did need to know how the person was doing and when that person would be free.
What made this work well was that we set up a compensation system based on customer satisfaction. So – if customers were happy and work was being performed within budget then by definition the consultant was doing his job.
I imagine that in an in house setting things may be more difficult as the standards for success are not as clearly defined.