How can conflicts arise between research and development project managers and department managers?

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network diagram for the Critical Path Method problem — research and development Network diagram for the Critical Path Method problem.

Conflicts between research and development (R&D) project managers and functional department managers—such as those in marketing or production—often stem from the inherent structure of project-based work. Because R&D projects are temporary, "one-shot" endeavors, they require a specialized organizational approach that can create friction in the following ways:

Authority Struggles: There is an inherent conflict of authority between project managers, who hold autonomy over specific project resources, and department managers, who oversee ongoing functional operations.1
Resource Competition: R&D team members are frequently assigned to multiple projects simultaneously. This forces them to divide their time among competing demands, leading to potential tension when project managers and department managers prioritize different tasks.1
Operational Balancing: Project managers must ensure that development efforts align with available human and financial resources. Conversely, production managers must ensure that these projects do not overload their capacity or leave their resources underutilized.1

Effectively managing these relationships is critical, as the coordination between these groups is a primary factor in achieving commercial success and maintaining a balanced production system.1