Chapter 9 Flashcards
What is Project Human Resource Management?
- includes the processes that organize, manage and lead the project team
what is the project team?
- people with assigned roles and responsibilities for completing the project.
- type and number of team members can change as the project progresses
- also known as project’s staff
what is the benefit of involving team members early on in the project?
- add their expertise during the planning process and strengthens their commitment to hte project
what are the processes in Project Human Resource Management?
- 1 develop human resource plan
- 2 acquire project team
- 3 develop project team
- 4 manage project team
what is the project management team?
- a subset of the project team that is responsible for the project management and leadership activities like initiating, planning, executing, monitoring, controlling and closing
- also known as the core, executive, or leadership team
- project sponsor works with the project management team to help with matters on project funding, clarifying scope, monitoring progress and influencing others
what is involved with managing the project team?
- influencing the project team –> being aware and influencing HR factors that may impact the project
- making sure the team is following professional and ethical behaviour
what HR factors may impact the project?
- team environment, geographical location of team members, communications among stakeholders, internal and external politics, cultural issues, organizational uniqueness, etc.
what are examples of interactions that require additional planning?
- additional team members may be needed after team members create the WBS
- new team members may have less experience and increase the project risk
- activity duration estimates could change due to the team members and competency levels
what is the Develop Human Resource Plan process?
- identifying and documenting project roles, responsibilities, required skills, reporting relationships and creating a staffing management plan
what goes in the human resource plan?
- documents project roles and responsibilities, project organization charts
what goes in the staffing management plan?
- timetable for staff acquisition and release
- can also identify training needs, team building strategies, plan for recognition and rewards, compliance considerations, safety issues, etc.
what are the inputs into the Develop Human Resource Plan process?
- activity resource requirements
- enterprise environmental factors
- organizational process assets
what are the tools & techniques of the Develop Human Resource Plan process?
- organization charts and position descriptions
- networking
- organizational theory
what are the outputs of the Develop Human Resource Plan process?
- human resource plan
how are activity resource requirements used in the Develop Human Resource Plan process?
- activity resource requirements from the schedule is used to determine human resource needs for the project
- required people and competencies for team members are progressively elaborated as part of the HR planning process
what enterprise environmental factors influence the Develop Human Resource Plan process?
- organizational culture and structure
- existing human resources
- personnel administration policies
- marketplace conditions
what organizational process assets can influence the Develop Human Resource Plan process?
- organizational standard processes and policies and standardized role descriptions
- templates for org charts and position descriptions
- historical information on org structures that have worked in previous projects
what are organization charts and position descriptions?
3 types of formats to document team member roles and responsibilities
- hierarchical
- matrix
- text oriented
- each work package should have an unambiguous owner and all team members should have a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities
what are hierarchical-type charts?
- traditional org chart to show positions and relationships in a graphic, top-down format
- the organizational breakdown structure (OBS) is arranged according to the org’s existing departments, units or team with project activities or work activities listed under each dept
what are organization charts and position descriptions?
3 types of formats to document team member roles and responsibilities
- hierarchical
- matrix
- text oriented
- each work package should have an unambiguous owner and all team members should have a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities
what are hierarchical-type charts?
- traditional org chart to show positions and relationships in a graphic, top-down format
- the organizational breakdown structure (OBS) is arranged according to the org’s existing departments, units or team with project activities or work activities listed under each dept
what is a resource breakdown structure
- hierarchical chart used to break down the project by types of resources
- helpful in tracking project costs and can be aligned with the org’s accounting system
what are matrix-based charts?
- responsibility assignment matrix (RAM) used to illustrate connections between work packages/activities and project members
- shows all activities associated with one person and all people associated with one activity
- ensures only 1 person is accountable for any 1 task to avoid confusion
ex. a RACI (responsible, accountable, consult and inform) chart is important when the team has internal and external resources to ensure clear divisions of roles and expectations
what are text-oriented formats?
- useful for team member responsibilities that require detailed descriptions
- provides information like responsibilities, authority, competencies and qualifications
- known as position descriptions and role-responsibility-authority forms
- can be used as templates for future projects
what parts of the project management plan contribute to the org charts and position descriptions?
- risk register lists risk owners
- communication plan lists team members responsible for communication activities
- quality plan designates those responsible for carrying out QA and QC activities
what is networking?
- formal and informal interactions with others in an org, industry or professional environment
- constructive way to understand political and interpersonal factors that will impact the effectiveness of staffing management options
- useful at the beginning of a project
- effective way to enhance project management professional development
what does HR networking activities include?
- proactive correspondence, luncheon meetings, information conversions like meetings and events, trade conferences and symposia
what is organizational theory?
- provides information about the way in which people, teams and organizational units behave
what is the benefit of organizational theory?
- effective use of this info shortens the amount of time, cost and effort to create HR planning outputs and improves the likelihood that planning will be effective
- different org structures have different individual response, individual performance and personal relationship characteristics
what is a human resource plan?
- provides guidance on how project HR should be defined, staffed, managed, controlled and eventually released
what does the human resource plan include?
- roles and responsibilities
- project organization charts
- staffing management plan
what items need to be addressed when listing roles and responsibilities needed to complete a project?
- role: label describing the part of a project for which a person is accountable. should clarify authority, responsibilities and boundaries
- authority: the right to apply project resources, make decisions and sign approvals
- responsibility: work that a project member is expected to perform to complete the project’s activities
- competency: skill & capacity needed to complete project activities. training, hiring, schedule changes or scope changes are responses to mismatches in competency
what is a project organization chart?
- graphic display of team members and their reporting relationships
what is a staffing management plan?-
- part of the HR plan which is part of the project management plan
- describes when and how HR requirements will be met
- updated continually during the project to direct ongoing team member acquisition and development actions
what information is included in a staffing management plan?
- staff acquisition
- resource calendars: necessary time frames for team members and when acquisition activities like recruiting should start
- staff release plan: determines method and timing of releasing team members
- training needs
- recognition and awards
- compliance: strategies for complying with government regulations, union contracts, etc.
- safety: policies and procedures protecting team members from safety hazards
how does a resource histogram help with HR?
- bar chart that illustrates the number of hours a person/dept/team will need each week/month over the course of the project.
- horizontal line represents max number of hours available, anything beyond identifies a need for a resource leveling strategy
what are the benefits of a staff release plan?
- cost associated with resources are no longer charged to the project
- planned transitions improves morale
- mitigates HR risks
what are the benefits of recognition and rewards?
- helps promote and reinforce desired behaviours
- must be based on activities and performance under a person’s control
what is the Acquire Project Team process?
- confirm HR availability and obtain the team necessary to complete project assignments
what are some factors to consider during the process of acquiring the project team?
- PM or PM team should effectively negotiate and influence others who are in a position to provide required HR for the project
- failure to acquire the necessary resources may affect schedules, budgets, customer satisfaction, quality and risks
- PM/team may be required to assign alternative resources
- impact of unavailability of required resources needs to be reflected in schedule, budget, risks, quality, training plans etc.
what are the inputs to Acquire Project Team?
- project management plan
- enterprise environmental factors
- organizational process assets
what are the tools and techniques to Acquire Project Team?
- pre-assignment
- negotiation
- acquisition
- virtual teams
what are the outputs of Acquire Project Team process?
- project staff assignments
- resource calendars
- project management plan updates
what part of the project management plan serves as an input into the Acquire Project Team process?
- the human resource plan, which is part of the project management plan, provides guidances on how project HR should be identified, staffed, managed, controlled and released
includes
- roles and responsibilities that define the positions, skills and competencies the project demands
- project org charts that indicate # of people needed for the project
- staffing management plan delineating time periods each team member will be needed
what enterprise environmental factors can influence the Acquire Project Team process?
- existing info for HR including who’s available, their competency levels, prior experience, interest in the project, cost rate
- personnel administration policies (ex. outsourcing?)
- org structure
- location or multiple locations
what organizational process assets can influence the Acquire Project Team process?
- org standard policies, processes and procedures
what is pre-assignment?
- team members selected in advanced
- can be specific people promised as part of the proposal, with particular expertise, or assigned in the project charter
how is negotiation a tool & technique of the Acquire Project Team process?
- need to negotiate for resources
ex. negotiate with functional manager to ensure project receives enough competent staff in the required time frame and they can work on the project
ex. negotiate with other teams to assign scarce/specialized human resources
ex. external groups for appropriate scarce, specialized, qualified, certified and other specified HR
how is acquisition a tool & technique of the Acquire Project Team process?
- need to acquire services from outside sources when inhouse staff don’t have what’s needed to complete the project
what are virtual teams?
- groups of people with a shared goal who fulfill their rolls with little time spent face-to-face
- can form teams of people not in the same geographic area, different hours/shifts, home offices, mobility limitations/disabilities
- communication planning is even more important in a virtual team environment
what are project staff assignments?
- output of Acquire Project Team
- documentation of these assignments can include a project team directory, memos to team members, names inserted into project management plan
how are resource calendars an output of Acquire Project Team?
- documents time periods each team member can work on the project
what project management plan updates may be updated after the Acquire Project Team process?
- updates to the human resources plan
what is the Develop Project Team process?
- process of improving the competencies, team interaction and overall team environment to enhance project performance
how can a PM develop effective project teams?
- create an environment that facilitates team work
- motivate the team by providing challenges and opportunities, providing timely feedback & support, and recognizing & rewarding good performance
how can high team performance be achieved?
- using open & effective communication, developing trust among team members, managing conflicts construcively, and encouraging collaborative problem-solving and decision making
what are the objectives of developing a project team?
- improve knowledge & skills of team members to increase their ability to complete project deliverables while lowering costs, reducing schedules adn improving quality
- improve feelings of trust & agreement among team members to raise morale, lower conflict and increase team work
- create a dynamic and cohesive team culture to improve productivity, team spirit, cooperation, and allow for cross-training and mentoring between team members
what are the inputs to Develop Project Team?
- project staff assignments
- project management plan
- resource calendars
what are the tools & techniques of Develop Project Team?
- interpersonal skills
- training
- team-building activities
- ground rules
- co-location
- recognition and rewards
what are the outputs of Develop project Team?
- team performance assessments
2. enterprise envrionmental factors updates
how are project staff assignments an input of Develop Project Team?
- project staff assignment document identify who’s on the team
how is hte project management plan an input of Develop Project Team?
- contains the human resource plan which identifies training strategies and plans for developing the project team
- rewards, feedback, training and disciplinary actions can also be part of the plan
how are resource calendars an input of Develop Project Team?
- identify times when team members can participate in team development activities
how are interpersonal skills a tool & technique of Develop Project Team?
- “soft skills” that greatly reduce problems and increase cooperation
- understanding team members, anticipating actions, acknowledging concerns and following up on issues
- empathy, influence, creativity and group facilitate are valuable assets
how is training a tool & technique of Develop Project Team?
- includes all activities designed to enhance competencies of project team members
- scheduled training takes place as stated in the HR plan. unplanned training takes place as a result of observation, conversation and project performance appraisals conducted during the controlling process
how are team building activities a a tool & technique of Develop Project Team?
- helps team members work together effectively by building trust and establishing good working relationships
- especially beneficial when team members operate without face-to-face
what is needed to build effective project teams?
- work collaboratively to resolve issues
- obtain top management support
- obtain commitment of team members
- introduce appropriate rewards & recognition
- create team identify
- manage conflicts effectively
- promote trust and open communication
- provide good team leadership
what are the 5 stages of team development?
- forming
- storming
- norming
- performing
- adjourning
what is forming?
- team development phase where team meets and learn about the project and their roles
- team members are more independent and not as open
what is storming?
- team development phase where team begins to address project work, technical decisions and project management approach
- teams not open to different ideas & perspectives can become destructive
what is norming?
- team members begin to work together and adjust work habits and behaviors that support the team. team starts to trust each other
what is performing?
- team operates as a well-organized unit that is interdependent and work through issues smoothly and effectively
what is adjourning?
- team finishes work and moves on from the project
what are ground rules and how are they a tool & technique of Develop Project Team?
- establish clear expectations regarding acceptable behavior by team members
- decreases misunderstandings and increases productivity
what is co-location and how is it a tool & technique of Develop Project Team?
- placing many/all of the most active team members in the same physical location to enhance their ability to perform as a team.
- can be temporary or for the whole project
how is recognition and rewards a tool & technique of Develop Project Team?
- recognizing and rewarding desirable behaviour
- a reward will only be effective if it satisfies a need valued by that individual
when are award decisions made?
- during the process of managing th eteam through project performance appraisals
win-lose (zero sum) rewards vs. behaviour everyone can achieve
win-lose rewards can hurt team cohesiveness
how are people motivated?
- motivated if they feel they are valued in the org and that value is demonstrated by the rewards given to them
- money
- opportunity to grow, accomplish and apply professional skills
- public recognition
what are team performance assessments?
- assessments of the team’s effectiveness
- criteria should be determined by appaopriate parties and incorporated in the Develop project Inputs
what is a successful team in terms of technical success?
- done according to agreed-upon objectives, ontline and on budget
what are some indicators of a team’s effectiveness?
- improvements in skills that allow individuals to perform assignments more effectively
- improvements in competencies that help the team perform better as a team
- reduced turnover
- increased team cohesiveness
what are the results of team performance assessments?
- can identify specific training, coaching, mentoring assistance or changes required to improve performance
what enterprise environmental factors updates may be made as a result of the Develop Project Team process?
- updates to personnel administration, including employee training records and skill assessments
what is the Manage Project Team process?
- process of tracking team member performance, providing feedback, resolving issues, and managing changes to optimize project performance
what does the PM do during the Manage Project Team process?
- observes team behavior, manages conflict, resolves issues and appraises team member performance
what are the results of the Manage Project Team process?
- change requests are submitted, HR plan is updated, issues are resolved, input is provided for performance appraisals and lessons learned are added to org database
what kind of skills are needed for the Manage Project Team process?
- communication, conflict management, negotiation and leadership
what are the inputs to the Manage Project Team process
- project staff assignments
- project management plan
- team performance assessments
- performance reports
- organizational process assets
what are the tools and techniques to the Manage Project Team process
- observation and conversation
- project performance appraisals
- conflict management
- issue log
- interpersonal skills
what are the outputs to the Manage Project Team process?
- enterprise environmental factors updates
- organizational process assets updates
- change requests
- project management plan updates
how are team performance assessments an input of the Manage Project Team process
- formal/informal assessments of team performance. where action can be taken afterwards to resolve issues, modify communication, address conflict and improve team interaction
how are performance reports an input to the Manage Project Team process
- provide documentation about current project status compared to project forecasts
- results help determine future HR requirements, recognition and rewards and updates to the staffing management plan
what organizational process assets influence the Manage Project Team process
- certificates of appreciation
- newsletters
- websites
- bonus structures
- corporate apparel
- other org perquisites
how are observation and conversation tools & techniques in the Manage Project Team process?
- used to stay in touch with the work and attitudes of team members
how are project performance appraisals tools & techniques in the Manage Project Team process
- can clarify roles and responsibilities, provide constructive veedback, discover unknown/unresolved issues, develop individual raining plans, establish future goals
how is conflict management tools & techniques in the Manage Project Team process
- results in greater productivity and positive working relatinoships
- differences in opinion can lead to more creativity and better decision making
what reduces conflict?
- team ground rules, group norms, solid PM practices
what are some characteristics of conflict and the conflict management process?
- conflict is natural and forces a search for alternatives
- conflict is a team issue
- openness resolves conflict
- conflict resolution should focus on issues not personalities
- conflict resolution should focus on the present, not the past
what are some factors that influence conflict resolution methods?
- relative importance & intensity of the conflict
- time pressure for resolving the conflict
- position taken by players involved
- motivation to resolve conflict on a long term or short term basis
what are 6 general techniques for resolving conflict?
- withdrawing/avoiding
- smoothing/accommodating
- compromising
- forcing
- collaborating
- confronting/problem solving
what is withdrawing/avoiding
- retreating from an actual or potential conflict situation
what is smoothing/accommodating
- emphasizing areas of agreement rather than areas of difference
what is compromising
- searching for solutions that bring some degree of satisfaction to all parties
what is forcing
- pushing one’s viewpoint at the expense of others; offers only win-lose solutions
what is collaborating
- incorporating multiple viewpoints and insights from differing perspectives; leads to consensus and commitment
what is confronting/problem solving?
- treating conflict as a problem to be solved by examining alternatives; requires a give-and-take attitude and open dialogue
what is an issue log?
- written log that documents and helps monitor who is responsible for resolving specific issues by a target date
what interpersonal skills are tools & techniques of the Manage Project Team process?
- leadership: important through all phases of the project life cycle, especially important to communicate vision and inspire team
- influencing: ability to influence stakeholders is critical to project success by being persuasive, having high levels of active and effective listening skills, consideration of different perspectives in any situation, and gathering relevant & critical information to address issues and reach agreements
- effective decision making: focus on goals to be served, follow a decision-making process, study the environmental factors, develop personal qualities of the team members, stimulate team creativity, manage opportunity & risk
what enterprise environmental factors may require updates after the Manage Project Team process?
- inputs to organizational performance appraisals
- personnel skill updates
what organizational process assets updates are made after the Manage Project Team process?
updates to
- historical information & lessons learned documentation
- templates
- organizational standard processes
what change requests results from the Manage Project Team process?
- when staffing issues disrupt the project plan a change request can be processed through the Perform Integrated Change Control process
how can preventive actions help in the Manage Project Team process/
- preventive actions reduce probability and/or impact of problems
ex. cross-training and additional role clarification
what project management plan updates might be made after the Manage Project Team process?
- updates to the staffing management plan
