The company that I currently work at would be considered a project-based organization considering that we conduct research on cell therapy-based products and techniques. For example the projects that we conduct focus on the processing and transplantation of stem cells, bone marrow aspirate, and white blood cells (WBCs) for immunotherapy. Although all projects share the similarity of being cell-based, they all have different end goals in treating their designated conditions. The advantages and disadvantages of a project-based organization are accurately reflected in lecture, for example, the initial start of a project can be considered to be the most frenzied stage in that team members must adjust and become acquainted with their roles and each other. This has lead to disagreements between members and management, most commonly among those who are asked to step outside of their comfort zone and undertake an unfamiliar role after having performed a specific role on a consistent basis.

One of the main disadvantages of a project-based organization, as mentioned again in lecture, is that duplicate resources exist. If a team member abruptly leaves a project, then the company must act fast to replace that member so that an upcoming role/process can be fulfilled. For example, if a stem cell project is understaffed and an outside individual specializes in both stem cells and maintenance, then the individual will be tasked into the project despite the team already having multiple members that do maintenance. This in turn deprives other projects of having equipment maintenance while one project has a surplus.

Project-based organizations are known for not having “silos” of department information, however there is limited knowledge shared between project teams. Why might communication between departments be facilitated in this type of organization, but not between project groups. Can competition between project teams be considered “human error”. If so, how can it be addressed?