Resource Planning and Management Flashcards
Functional Organization
A hierarchal organizational structure type where staff is organized along departmental lines
The most common organizational structure
Project managers have little to no authority
Managers are responsible for assigning work to employees and rating the performance of the employees
Matrix Organization
Organizational structure that is organized along departmental lines, similar to a functional organization, but resources assigned to a project are accountable to the project manager for all work associated with the project
Strong Matrix
Emphasizes project work over functional duties
The project manager has the majority of power in this type of matrix
Weak Matrix
Emphasizes functional work over project work and operates more like a functional hierarchy
Functional managers have the majority of power in this type of matrix
Balanced Matrix
Shares equal emphasis between projects and functional work
Both the project manager and the functional manager share power in this type of matrix
Projecticized Organizational Structure
Focuses on projects rather than functional work units where project manager has full authority to manage the project and resources
Far less common than the functional or matrix structure
Interproject Dependencies
when you need the completed deliverables from one project to work on the current project
Resource Life Cycle
acquisition, maintenance, hardware decommissioning, end-of-life software, and successor planning
Core Team Members
team members that are involved from the beginning to the end of the project and are critical to the success of the project
core to the project because of their expertise and knowledge of the business process, technology associated with the project, and/or the skills needed to perform the work on the project, so their expertise is required throughout the project
Functional Team Members
team members who join and then leave when their work is done
They may have skills or expertise needed for a specific task, but not the entire project life cycle
may also include stakeholders, advisors, or subject matter experts (SMEs)
Gap analysis
determines the difference between where you are now and where you want to be in the future (compares the resources you have to the resources you need)
can be used to compare performance capability, financial assessments, resource assignments, goal planning, etc.
Project Organization Chart
documents names, positions, supervisors, etc.
hierarchal in nature, similar to a WBS
Organization Breakdown Structure (OBS)
organizational chart that shows the departments, work units, or teams within an organization and their respective work packages
Resource Breakdown Structure (RBS)
hierarchal chart that breaks down the work of the project according to the types of resources needed
Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)
a matrix-based chart that maps your WBS elements to the required resources
RACI chart
show the types of resources and the responsibility they each have on the project
usually depicted as a chart with resource names listed in each column and work elements such as milestones or work packages listed in a row
Five Stages of Team Development
Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, and Adjourning
Team Building
a set of activities or exercises designed to get a diverse group of people to work together in an efficient manner
most effective in the Forming and Storming stages, especially when they don’t know each other that well
Conflict
the incompatibility of desires, needs, or goals between two parties or individuals
Smoothing
the areas of agreement are emphasized over the areas of difference, so the real issue stays buried
a temporary way to resolve conflict; does NOT lead to a permanent solution
example of a lose-lose resolution technique because neither side wins
Forcing
where one person forces a solution on other parties
a permanent solution, but not necessarily the best since the other parties were not in agreement
example of a win-lose resolution technique because the forcing party wins when the other lose
Compromising
achieved when each of the parties involved in the conflict gives up something to reach a solution
a give-and-take; neither side wins or loses
Collaberating
easily the best way to resolve conflict, this involves working together with other team members to derive a solution
a permanent resolution technique that project managers most often use as it is a win-win scenario
Avoiding
also known as withdrawal, this occurs when one of the parties leaves and refuses to discuss the conflict. This is the worst of all the techniques because nothing gets resolved and is an example of a lose-lose resolution technique
Procurement planning
the process of identifying the goods and services required for your project that will be purchased from outside the organization
Make or buy analysis
determines whether its more cost-effective to produce the needed resources in-house or to procure them from outside the organization
Statement of Work (SOW)
details the goods or services you want to procure
Solicitation
the process of obtaining responses from vendors to complete the project work and documented in the SOW
Request for Information (RFI)
used when you have to father more information about the goods or services you need to procure
Request for Proposal (RFP)
submitted when you are ready to procure and begin the work
Request for Quote (RFQ)
often used when you know what you want to buy, typically a commodity of some sort like a fleet of trucks or piece of equiptment
Request for Bid (RFB)
used when the items or services you are procuring are readily available in the marketplace
Competitive analysis
a vendor analysis technique that involves comparing the bids you receive to each other by comparing elements such as costs, resource experience and skills, warranty periods, features/functionality, and more
Contract
a legal, mutually binding document that describes the goods or services that will be provided, the costs of the foods or services, and any penalties for noncompliance
Fixed-price contract
states a fixed fee or price for the goods or services provided
works best when the product is very well-defined and the statement of work is clear and concise
Cost-reimbursable contract
reimburses the seller for all the allowable costs associated with producing the foods or services outlined in the contract
riskier for the buyer because the total costs are unknown until the project is completed
the advantage is that the buyer can easily change the scope
Time and materials contract (T&M)
a cross between fixed-prices and cost-reimbursable contracts where the buyer and seller agree on a unite rate, but the total cost is unknown and will depend on the amount of time spent to produce the product or service
Unit price contract
is priced according to the units of work that make up the project or materials needed to complete the work, or both
RACI
Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed
