ModuleNotFound error in Python but directory is on sys.path

Ok, so here is my directory structure

company
└── team
    └── user_utils
        ├── __init__.py
        ├── test.py
        ├── utils.py 

from the root of my project - which is at /user/user4769/development/python-utils

From the root I run :

python3.8 /user/user4769/development/python-utils/company/team/user_utils/main.py or the same with -m flag. As expected, when I print sys.path the current directory of main.py is added first - so I do see :

['/user/user4769/development/python-utils/company/team/user_utils', ....]

In my main.py I do have :

import company.team.user_utils.utils

But I do get ModuleNotFound

If I add this sys.path.append(os.getcwd()) then /user/user4769/development/python-utils/ which is my root folder gets added onto the path, and then import works.

What am I missing? This is Python3.8

The (top) module you are trying to import is company so for this to work you need to have /user/user4769/development/python-utils/ in your path, as you have also found out. And I believe there also needs to be __init__.py files in the company and team directories. If you want to treat the user_utils directory as a location to import modules from, as implied by having pointing out it is in your path, a simple import utils will do.

The dot notation is only for importing submodules and elements from a hierarchical module with submodules. So if company was the module, with (one) submodule being .team.user_utils.utils.

Note: given that your import works with .../python-utils in your path, I'd wager that company is indeed a hierarchical module. If that is the case, utils.py may utilise elements from other parts of the company module, in which case importing it directly and not as a submodule may very well not work.