Analyses: Organization Charts Designed to Fail

a series of analyses of common organization charts that will fail, by design -- is your org chart on the list?

by N. Dean Meyer

Analysis: groups dedicated to customers
this approach to aligning with one's customers comes at a high cost

Analysis: Groups Dedicated to Customers

Analysis: groups dedicated to clients' business processes
an ineffective way to get staff to think about delivering value to the business

Analysis: Groups Dedicated to Clients' Business Processes

Analysis: groups dedicated to your internal processes
optimize your processes while undermining your effectiveness

Analysis: Groups Dedicated to Your Internal Processes

Analysis: process owners
giving one person power over another's processes is doomed to fail

Analysis: Process Owners

Analysis: The "Infrastructure" (or "Operations") Group

Analysis: combining client liaisons and delivery functions
assigning the client-liaison function to delivery groups fails at one mission or the other

Analysis: Combining Client Liaisons and Delivery Functions

Analysis: combining client liaisons and planning functions
mixing the client-liaison function with planning functions builds in inappropriate biases

Analysis: Combining Client Liaisons and Planning Functions

Analysis: combining client liaisons and governance functions
giving the client-liaison function responsibility for governance is a conflict of interests

Analysis: Combining Client Liaisons and Governance Functions

Analysis: safety group accountable for safety
holding a safety function accountable for safety is expensive and dangerous

Analysis: Safety Group Accountable for Safety

Analysis: Chief Compliance Officer accountable for compliance
making a compliance officer accountable for compliance (or cyber-security for security) introduces big risks

Analysis: Chief Compliance Officer Accountable for Compliance

Analysis: a PMO that manages projects
when a Project Management Office (PMO) actually manages projects, the collateral damage is severe

Analysis: A PMO that Manages Projects

Analysis: plan-build-run
an organization designed to quell innovation

Analysis: Plan-Build-Run

Analysis: new versus old
the dark side of splitting development and maintenance

Analysis: New Versus Old

Analysis: quick versus slow (bi-modal)
treating unresponsiveness with a quick-response group creates all kinds of chaos

Analysis: Quick Versus Slow (Bi-modal)

Analysis: organizing engineers by product lines
structuring all your engineers by product lines leaves out some essential specialists

Analysis: Organizing Engineers by Product Lines

Analysis: the "pool"
putting staff in a pool available to any project is a very expensive way to be flexible

Analysis: The "Pool"

Analysis: the "silo" organization
giving up on the synergies of being one organization

Analysis: The "Silo" Organization

Analysis: Holacracy
an organizational fad is destined to fail because it ignores fundamental principles

Analysis: Holacracy

Analysis: a few words in a box
announcing an organization chart with just a few words in each box is bound to create confusion

Analysis: A Few Words in a Box