Project Management: Operations and Supply Chain Management - Essay Example

In this regard, parent organizations can use three techniques to fit in the project, namely, functional organization, pure project organization, and matrix organization (Yağiz, 2006).

While the matrix project recognizes and values the authority of the project manager, the case is different with functional projects where there are multiple projects managers with each reporting to a higher authority, therefore, making the project cycle more complex. In the functional organization structures, communication tends to be lengthy as information requests have to pass through the hierarchy as opposed to the matrix organization structures where communication goes directly to the project manager. Lastly, but more importantly, the matrix project is divided into weak, medium, and strong depending on the authority of the project manager, while the functional organization structures do not have any subdivisions (Yağiz, 2006).

Although the matrix project structure is more preferable, it has certain disadvantages despite its numerous advantages. The main advantages of the matrix project structure include the ability to retain the benefits of the functional organization and project team structures, a better coordination of resources for the efficiency in the resource use, and the ability of staff to retain their membership teams. However, the matrix project structure suffers certain disadvantages such as the presence of internal complexities, sometimes conflicts arise between the functional and project groups. Additionally, the matrix project structure has high maintenance costs due to increased managerial and administrative overheads (Yağiz, 2006).

“You don’t inspect quality into a product; you have to build it in.” This statement has significant implications especially as far as project management is concerned. Quality is very important at all the levels of project management as all the project managers undertake various projects in order to come up with tangible and quality results. If a project turns out to be successful in terms of results and quality, both the project managers and their team will feel motivated to continue perfecting their work. Under normal circumstances, the inspection of quality comes after the project is complete so that the audit team can write a comprehensive audit report (Aubry et al., 2012).

However, it is the duty of the project managers and all the staff involved in such projects to ensure that they perform quality work in order to have a project whose quality is impeccable. This means that whatever product that has to have quality must first undergo quality processes that from the onset include quality manufacturing and control (Aubry et al., 2012). The inspection merely comes after quality work has been done, and, therefore, the process of building of quality into a particular product determines the results of the inspection. This insight informs project managers to be diligent and meticulous as they coordinate project stages with their team members in order to produce quality products within their organizations. Although quality inspections for products are essential in quality control, they should not form the basis of determining the credibility and authenticity of the means used, but rather a confirmation of the due process. Instead, the process of planning, controlling, and directing resources should be geared towards the production of quality products (Boyer & Verma, 2010). 

 “Before you build quality in, you must think it in.” The implications of this statement differ from the statement quoted in the previous paragraph in a number of ways. From the context of the statement, it is evident that the conception of an idea based on quality precedes the building of the quality itself. In operations and supply chain management, the conceptualization of quality in all aspects is imperative, as it is the driving force in all projects (Aubry et al., 2012). This statement is different from the one in the previous paragraph in that not only the thought of quality comes before the actual building of quality, but it also forms the basis of the motivating factors of coming up with a viable project. Undoubtedly, only those project managers who are ready to think beyond the usual ways of doing things emerge with creative ideas that may improve the quality of products and services. In this regard, one has to be ready to think beyond the box to change the various processes, as change is what makes the difference between the usual and the extraordinary. For an idea to culminate into a quality product, the parties involved in managing the project must be ready to accept change and embrace new technologies as envisioned by the originator of the thought. Therefore, as much as thinking in quality and building quality are interdependent, there is a considerable difference in their manifestation, thinking alone cannot change the quality of the product, while building quality can lead to improvements. It is for this reason that project managers ought to embrace the two systems in order to manage successful projects that will lead to good quality products (Boyer & Verma, 2010).