Org chart
Read from the CEO down. The delivery branch is shown in full because it carries most of the staff; sales, engineering, HR and finance are drawn one level deep to keep the chart readable.
Levels and designations
| Level | Typical designations | Span of control |
|---|---|---|
| L1 Leadership | CEO, Managing Director | 5 to 7 function heads |
| L2 Function heads | Delivery Head, Engineering Head, Sales Head, HR Head, Finance Head | 3 to 6 managers |
| L3 Managers | Project Manager, Delivery Manager, Solution Architect | 4 to 8 reports |
| L4 Leads | Team Lead, QA Lead, DevOps Lead | 5 to 10 engineers |
| L5 Engineers | Software Engineer, QA Engineer, Business Analyst | no direct reports |
Approval chains
| Request | Approval chain |
|---|---|
| Leave | Software Engineer → Team Lead → HR Business Partner |
| Attendance correction | QA Engineer → Team Lead → HR Business Partner |
| Overtime | Software Engineer → Delivery Manager → HR Business Partner |
| Reimbursement | Software Engineer → Project Manager → Finance Manager |
| Hiring | Project Manager → Delivery Head → HR Head |
How the structure works
Work flows through projects, not departments. When the company wins a client account, a project manager is given a team drawn from the delivery practices. A team lead runs the day to day, checks code and unblocks people. The project manager owns scope, timeline and the client relationship, and reports to a delivery head who carries a portfolio of accounts. Engineering keeps the architects and DevOps who set standards across projects. Because one engineer can move between projects in a year, the reporting manager on record is usually the team lead of the current project.
How it changes with size
At 50 people the founder often doubles as delivery head, and two or three team leads cover every client. HR is one generalist. At 500 people you see clear practices, a project management office, and a delivery head for each major client group. HR splits into recruitment and operations. At 5,000 people the company runs business units by industry or geography, each with its own delivery, pre-sales and support, while shared engineering, HR and finance run as central functions with business partners embedded in the units.
Common problems
The usual pain is dual reporting. An engineer on two projects gets leave and appraisal signals from two managers, and neither owns the person. Bench management is another: when a project ends, people sit idle until the next account starts, and no one is clearly accountable for them. Titles inflate fast in IT, so a team lead at one firm may manage more people than a manager at another. Fixing this needs a single reporting manager of record for each person, and a clear rule for who approves leave when someone is shared.
- One reporting manager of record per employee, even when work is shared
- A named owner for bench staff between projects
- Grades kept separate from titles so pay bands stay consistent
- A stated rule for leave approval on shared allocations
Set up this structure in ZeniaHR
- Create departments for Delivery, Engineering, Sales, HR and Finance, then add designations like Software Engineer, Team Lead, Project Manager and Delivery Head under Organization masters.
- Set up grades separate from designations so pay bands stay stable even when titles differ across projects and practices.
- Give every employee one reporting manager, usually the current team lead, and an HR partner, so leave and corrections route to the right person.
- Use the org chart to check for broken reporting lines when people move between projects, and fix any employee left without a manager.
- Set attendance rules per shift, then map overtime to comp-off for delivery staff who work weekends near a release.
- Add project managers and finance managers as approvers for reimbursement and hiring, keeping leave and attendance on the reporting manager then HR route.
See it on your own data
A 30-minute demo on a video call. We set up your departments, shifts and leave rules and show attendance, leave and payroll running for your team. Free for your first 50 employees.
Book a free demoSee pricingFrequently asked questions
What is the org structure of an IT company?
Most Indian IT services companies use a project based structure on top of functions. The CEO leads a few function heads. Delivery holds the bulk of staff, split into practices and then into client project teams. Each engineer reports to a team lead, who reports to a project manager and delivery head. Sales, engineering, HR and finance support delivery.
Who approves leave in an IT company?
In practice, and in ZeniaHR, leave goes to the employee's reporting manager first, which is usually the team lead on the current project, and then to HR. The project manager may be consulted when the request clashes with a release, but the recorded approval follows the reporting manager then HR route. The company head can decide any step when needed.
How many levels does an IT company have?
A mid-sized IT company usually runs four to five levels: engineers, team leads, project or delivery managers, function heads, and the CEO. Small firms collapse this to three. Large firms add a business unit head between delivery heads and the CEO. Titles vary between companies, so compare the grade and span of control rather than the label.