As part of a restructuring effort, a company has transitioned from a projectized to a functional organization. The project manager is concerned that the team members will become disengaged from their work on the current project because they are now reporting to a functional manager. What should the project manager do?

In a functional organization, the functional manager controls resources, performance evaluations, and reporting lines, leaving the project manager with little to no formal authority. To prevent team disengagement following the transition from a projectized structure, the project manager must rely on influencing and negotiating skills. By collaborating with the functional manager to integrate project-specific goals into the team members' formal performance evaluations, the project manager ensures that project work remains a recognized and rewarded priority. This alignment of project objectives with the new functional reporting structure maintains team motivation and accountability, directly addressing the risk of disengagement caused by the loss of direct project manager authority.

B. Requesting additional resources does not address the root cause of the current team's potential disengagement or lack of motivation due to the new reporting structure.
C. While updating the resource management plan is a necessary administrative task, it is a passive documentation update that does not proactively solve the human resource engagement issue.
D. Claiming the changes are transparent (unnoticeable) is factually incorrect and dismissive; the shift to a functional structure significantly impacts the team's reporting and evaluation processes.

1. Project Management Institute (PMI). A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) – Sixth Edition. Section 2.4.4 "Organizational Structure Types" and Table 2-1 (Influence of Organizational Structures on Projects), pp. 47-48. (Details the shift in PM authority and resource control from Projectized to Functional structures).

2. Project Management Institute (PMI). A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) – Sixth Edition. Section 9.5.2.2 "Project Performance Appraisals", p. 348. (Highlights the necessity of the PM communicating with functional managers to ensure proper feedback and goal alignment for team members).

3. Project Management Institute (PMI). A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) – Seventh Edition. Section 2.2 "Team Performance Domain", pp. 16-19. (Emphasizes the importance of shared ownership, motivation, and aligning individual goals with project outcomes).