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 HRM process?

Answer 2

The 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 the project management plan

Question 4

What is the key output of the Develop Project Teams 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 the quality and communications plans; recommend changes to the project

Question 8

What are some of the 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 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 management 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 help and 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

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

Answer 17

Schedules, project priorities, resources, technical opinions, administrative procedures, cost, personality

Question 18

Name some of the conflict resolution techniques

Answer 18

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

Question 19

Define collaborating (problem solving)
Define compromising (reconciling)

Answer 19

Collaborating: openly discussing differences and incorporating multiple viewpoints to achieve consensus (a win-win solution)
Compromising: Finding an outcome that brings some degree of satisfaction to all parties involved (a lose-lose solution)

Question 20

Define withdrawal (avoidance)
Define smoothing (accommodating)
Define forcing (directing)

Answer 20

Withdrawal: postponing a decision or avoiding the problem
Smoothing: emphasizing agreement rather than differences of opinion
Forcing: pushing one viewpoint at the expense of another (a win-lose solution)

Question 21

What are project performance appraisals?

Answer 21

Evaluations of the performance of individual team members

Question 22

What is an issue log?

Answer 22

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 23

What is Maslow’s theory about needs?

Answer 23

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs states that people are motivated according to the following hierarchy of needs:
self-actualization, esteem, social, safety, physiological

Question 24

What theories of management does McGregor describe?

Answer 24

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 25

What does Herzberg’s theory describe?

Answer 25

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 26

What is McClelland’s theory of needs?

Answer 26

That each person is most motivated by one of three needs: achievement, affiliation, power

Question 27

What are the stages of team formation and development?

Answer 27

Forming, storming, norming, performing, adjourning

Question 28

What is multi-criteria decision analysis?

Answer 28

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

Question 29

What is the “halo effect”?

Answer 29

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