PRINCE2F People: organizations, teams, and leadership Practice Question
A project has a strong matrix structure. The project manager finds that team members are more loyal to their functional managers than to the project. What is the best PRINCE2 practice to improve team commitment?
⚠ Common exam trap
Watch out — candidates often confuse operational management techniques (like stand-ups or performance reviews) with PRINCE2's structural governance practice of defining roles and responsibilities to resolve organizational conflicts.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Clearly define project roles and responsibilities in the Project Initiation Documentation
In a strong matrix structure, team members report to both functional and project managers, which can create loyalty conflicts. PRINCE2's 'defined roles and responsibilities' practice, documented in the Project Initiation Documentation (PID), clarifies each team member's authority, accountability, and reporting lines. This formal definition reduces ambiguity and reinforces commitment to the project by making project responsibilities explicit.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Conduct regular performance reviews tied to project deliverables
Why it's wrong here
Performance reviews tied to deliverables still sit with functional managers in a strong matrix, so they reinforce the existing loyalty split rather than resolving it. They would be appropriate where line managers already own appraisal and the project merely supplies input.
- ✗
Implement daily stand-up meetings to reinforce project goals
Why it's wrong here
Daily stand-ups are an agile ceremony, not a PRINCE2 practice, and they do not alter the reporting line that pulls team members toward functional managers. They would suit a co-located agile team needing rapid progress synchronisation, not a strong matrix loyalty conflict.
- ✗
Change the organizational structure to a functional organization
Why it's wrong here
Restructuring to a functional organisation removes the project manager's authority entirely, worsening the loyalty problem rather than improving commitment. A functional structure is the right choice for routine operational work delivered within one department, not cross-functional project delivery.
- ✓
Clearly define project roles and responsibilities in the Project Initiation Documentation
Why this is correct
Documenting roles and responsibilities in the Project Initiation Documentation clarifies each team member's project accountability, countering the pull of functional loyalty in a strong matrix. This applies the PRINCE2 organisation practice, giving people a defined project role to commit to.
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