08) Human Resource Management

Question 1

What is the process of human resource management?

Answer 1

• Plan Human Resource Management
• Acquire Project Team
• Develop Project Team
• Manage Project Team

Question 2

What is the key output of the Plan Human Resource Management Process?

Answer 2

Human resource management plan

Question 3

What are the key outputs of the Acquire Project Team process?

Answer 3

• Project staff assignments
• Resource calendars
• Updates to project management plan

Question 4

What is a key output of the Develop Project Team process?

Answer 4

Team performance assessments (evaluating team effectiveness)

Question 5

What is a key output of the Manage Project Team process?

Answer 5

Change requests

Question 6

What are some key responsibilities of the sponsor on a project?

Answer 6

• Provide information regarding the initial scope of the project
• Issue the charter
• Provide funding
• May dictate dates
• Approve the final project management plan
• Approve or reject changes or authorize a change control board
• Be involved in risk management

Question 7

What are some key responsibilities of the team on a project?

Answer 7

• Identify requirements, constraints, and assumptions
• Create the work breakdown structure and help with project planning
• Estimate activities
• Participate in risk management
• Complete activities
• Comply with quality and communications plans
• Recommend changes to the project

Question 8

What are some key responsibilities of the stakeholders on a project?

Answer 8

Stakeholders may help:

• Identify requirements and constraints
• Plan the project
• Approve changes
• Perform the risk management process

Question 9

What are some key responsibilities of functional managers on a project?

Answer 9

• Participate in planning
• Approve the final project management plan
• Approve the final schedule
• Assist with problems related to team member performance
• Manage activities that happen within their functional area

Question 10

What are the key elements of a human resource management plan?

Answer 10

• When and how human resource requirements will be met
• Roles and responsibilities
• Project organization charts
• Staffing management plan

Question 11

What is included in a staffing management plan?

Answer 11

• Staff acquisition plan
• Resource calendars
• Staff release plan
• Staff training needs
• Recognition and rewards
• Compliance
• Safety

Question 12

What are some of the different types of project teams?

Answer 12

• Dedicated
• Part-time
• Partnership
• Virtual

Question 13

What are some of the key activities involved in developing the project team?

Answer 13

• Hold team-building activities throughout the project
• Use personnel assessment tools to learn about the team members
• Obtain and provide training where needed
• Establish ground rules
• Give recognition and rewards
• Conduct team performance assessments

Question 14

What are some key activities involved in managing a project team?

Answer 14

• Use negotiation and leadership skills
• Observe what is happening
• Use an issue log
• Keep in touch
• Conduct project performance appraisals
• Be a leader
• Actively look for and help resolve conflicts that the team members cannot resolve on their own

Question 15

What is a team performance assessment?

Answer 15

An assessment by the project manager meant to evaluate and enhance the effectiveness of the project team

Question 16

What are the different types of power?

Answer 16

• Formal (legitimate)
• Reward
• Penalty (coercive)
• Expert
• Referent

Question 17

What are some of the different types of leadership and management styles?

Answer 17

• Directing
• Facilitating
• Coaching
• Supporting
• Autocratic
• Consultative
• Consultative-Autocratic
• Consensus
• Delegating
• Bureaucratic
• Charismatic
• Democratic (participative)
• Laissez-faire
• Analytical
• Driver
• Influencing

Question 18

List the most common sources of conflict on projects, in order of most to least common.

Answer 18

1. Schedules
2. Project priorities
3. Resources
4. Techinical opinions
5. Administrative procedures
6. Cost
7. Personality

Question 19

Name some conflict resolution techniques.

Answer 19

• Collaborating (problem solving)
• Compromising (reconciling)
• Withdrawal (avoidance)
• Smoothing (accommodating)
• Forcing (directing)

Question 20

Define collaborating (problem solving).

Answer 20

Collaborating:

Openly discussing differences and incorporating multiple viewpoints to achieve consensus (a win-win solution)

Question 21

Define compromising (reconciling).

Answer 21

Compromising:

Finding an outcome that brings some degree of satisfaction to all parties involved (a lose-lose solution)

Question 22

Define withdrawal (avoidance).

Answer 22

Withdrawal:

Postponing a decision or avoiding the problem

Question 23

Define smoothing (accommodating).

Answer 23

Smoothing:

Emphasizing agreement rather than differences of opinion

Question 24

Define forcing (directing).

Answer 24

Forcing:

Pushing one viewpoint at the expense of another (a win-lose solution)

Question 25

What are some of the project manager’s human resource responsibilities?

Answer 25

• Determine needed resources
• Negotiate for optimal available resources
• Create a project team directory
• Create project-related job descriptions for team members
• Make sure roles and responsibilities are clear
• Ensure team members obtain needed training
• Create recognition and reward systems
• Create a human resource management plan

Question 26

What are project performance appraisals?

Answer 26

Evaluations of the performance of individual team members

Question 27

What is an issue log?

Answer 27

A record that lists the project issues, their causes and impacts on the project, the person(s) responsible for resolving each issue, the issue status, and target resolution dates

Question 28

What is Maslow’s theory about needs?

Answer 28

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs states that people are motivated according to the following hierarchy of needs:

• Self-actualization
• Esteem
• Social
• Safety
• Physiological

Question 29

What theories of management does McGregor describe?

Answer 29

Theory X:

Managers who accept this theory believe that people need to be constantly watched and micromanaged.

Theory Y:

Managers who accept this theory believe that people want to achieve and can direct their own efforts without supervision.

Question 30

What does Herzberg’s theory describe?

Answer 30

• The effects of hygiene factors and motivating agents on motivation
• Hygiene factors: working conditions, salary, personal life, work relationships, security, status, etc.
• Motivating agents: responsibility, self-actualization, professional growth, recognition, etc.

Question 31

What is McClelland’s theory of needs?

Answer 31

McClelland says that each person is most motivated by one of three needs:

• Achievement
• Affiliation
• Power

Question 32

What are the stages of team formation and development?

Answer 32

• Forming
• Storming
• Norming
• Performing
• Adjourning

Question 33

What is multi-criteria decision analysis?

Answer 33

Using a set of criteria (such as availability, cost, experience, location, skill set, knowledge, or training) to evaluate potential team members

Question 34

What is the “halo effect”?

Answer 34

The tendency to rate people high or low on all factors because of a high or low rating on a specific factor (for example, the tendency to assume that a team member will be a great project manager because she completes all her assigned activities on time)