#9 PMP - Project Human Resource Management

#9 Project Human Resource Management

Project Human Resource Management includes the processes that organize, manage, and lead the project team. The project team is comprised of the people with assigned roles and responsibilities for completing the project.

Managing and leading the project team includes, but is not limited to:

-          Influencing the project team. The project manager needs to be aware of and influence, when possible, human resource factors that may impact the project.

-          Professional and ethical behavior. The project management team should be aware of, subscribe to, and ensure that all team members follow professional and ethical behavior.

Human Resource Management Processes

The knowledge area of Project Human Resource Management consists of the following processes -

Process	Project Phase	Key Deliverables
Plan Human Resource Management	Planning	Human Resource Plan
Acquire Project Team	Execution	Project Staff assignments
Develop Project Team	Execution	Team performance assessments
Manage Project Team	Execution	Change requests

Plan Human Resource Management

Plan Human Resource Management is the process of identifying and documenting project roles, responsibilities, required skills, reporting relationships, and creating a staffing management plan. The key benefit of this process is that it establishes project roles and responsibilities, project organization charts, and the staffing management plan including the timetable for staff acquisition and release. The table below gives the inputs, tools and techniques, and Outputs for the Plan Human Resource Management process -

Inputs	Tools and Techniques	Outputs
Project management plan	Organization charts and position descriptions	Human resource plan
Activity resource requirements	Networking
Enterprise environmental factors	Organizational Theory
Organizational process assets	Expert judgment
	Meetings

Project Management Plan. The information used for the development of the human resource management plan includes, but is not limited to:

-          The project life cycle and the processes that will be applied to each phase,

-          How work will be executed to accomplish the project objectives,

-          A change management plan that documents how changes will be monitored and controlled,

-          A configuration management plan that documents how configuration management will be performed,

-          How integrity of the project baselines will be maintained, and

-          Needs and methods of communication among stakeholders.

Organization Charts and Position Descriptions. Various formats exist to document team member roles and responsibilities. Most of the formats fall into one of three types: hierarchical, matrix, and text-oriented.

-          Hierarchical-type charts. The traditional organization chart structure can be used to show positions and relationships in a graphical, top-down format.

-          Matrix-based charts. A responsibility assignment matrix (RAM) is a grid that shows the project resources assigned to each work package. It is used to illustrate the connections between work packages or activities and project team members. One example of a RAM is a RACI (responsible, accountable, consult, and inform) chart. A RACI chart is a useful tool to use when the team consists of internal and external resources in order to ensure clear divisions of roles and expectations.

-          

       Text-oriented formats. Team member responsibilities that require detailed descriptions can be specified in text-oriented formats.

Networking is the formal and informal interaction with others in an organization, industry, or professional environment. It is a constructive way to understand political and interpersonal factors that will impact the effectiveness of various staffing management options.

Organizational theory provides information regarding the way in which people, teams, and organizational units behave.

Human Resource Management Plan includes, but is not limited to, the following:

-          Roles and responsibilities. The following should be addressed when listing the roles and responsibilities needed to complete a project:

o   Role. The function assumed by or assigned to a person in the project.

o   Authority. The right to apply project resources, make decisions, sign approvals, accept deliverables, and influence others to carry out the work of the project.

o   Responsibility. The assigned duties and work

o   Competency. The skill and capacity required to complete assigned activities within the project constraints.

-          Project organization charts. A project organization chart is a graphic display of project team members and their reporting relationships.

-          Staffing management plan. The staffing management plan is a component of the human resource management plan that describes when and how project team members will be acquired and how long they will be needed. Information in the staffing management plan varies by application area and project size, but items to consider include:

o   Staff acquisition.

o   Resource calendars. Calendars that identify the working days and shifts on which each specific resource is available.

o   Staff release plan. Determining the method and timing of releasing team members benefits both the project and team members.

o   Training needs.

o   Recognition and rewards.

o   Compliance.

o   Safety.

There are many organizational theories. Some of the main ones are - Expectancy Theory, McGregory Theory, Herzberg Theory, Maslow's Hierarchy of needs.

Expectancy Theory - People accept to be rewarded for their efforts. This is a motivation factor. People put in more efforts because they accept to be rewarded for their efforts.

McGregory Theory of X and Y - There are two type of employees. Employees of type X need to be always watched. They cannot be trusted and need to be micro managed. Employees of type Y, on the other hand, are self-motivated. They can work independently.

Herzberg Theory - Hygiene factors (salary, cleanliness etc.) if not present can destroy motivation. However good hygiene alone does not improve motivation. What motivates people is the work itself. The motivation factors for employees include responsibility, self-actualization, growth, recognition etc.

Maslow's Hierarchy of needs - there are various levels of needs for an employee. When a lower level is met, employee attempts to reach the next higher level. The maximum satisfaction is achieved when the employee reaches the highest level of satisfaction - self-fulfillment. These level of needs from the highest to lowest are: Self-fulfillment - Esteem -Social - Safety - Physiology

Acquire project team

Acquire Project Team is the process of confirming human resource availability and obtaining the team necessary to complete project activities. The table below gives the inputs, tools and techniques, and Outputs for the Acquire project team process -

Inputs	Tools and Techniques	Outputs
Human resource management plan	Pre-assignment	Project staff assignments
Enterprise environmental factors	Negotiation	Resource calendars
Organizational process assets	Acquisition	Project management plan updates
	Virtual teams
	Multi-criteria decision analysis

Acquisition. When the performing organization is unable to provide the staff needed to complete a project, the required services may be acquired from outside sources. This can involve hiring individual consultants or subcontracting work to another organization.

Virtual teams can be defined as groups of people with a shared goal who fulfill their roles with little or no time spent meeting face to face. The virtual team model makes it possible to:

-          Form teams of people from the same organization who live in widespread geographic areas;

-          Add special expertise to a project team even though the expert is not in the same geographic area;

-          Incorporate employees who work from home offices;

-          Form teams of people who work different shifts, hours, or days;

-          Include people with mobility limitations or disabilities; and

-          Move forward with projects that would have been ignored due to travel expenses.

There are some disadvantages related to virtual teams, such as possibility for misunderstandings, feeling of isolation, difficulties in sharing knowledge and experience between team members, and cost of appropriate technology. Communication planning becomes increasingly important in a virtual team environment.

Develop project team

Develop Project Team is the process of improving competencies, team member interaction, and overall team environment to enhance project performance. The key benefit of this process is that it results in improved teamwork, enhanced people skills and competencies, motivated employees, reduced staff turnover rates, and improved overall project performance. The inputs, tools and techniques, and outputs of this process are:

Inputs	Tools and Techniques	Outputs
Project management plan	Interpersonal skills	Team performance assessments
Project staff assignment	Training	Enterprise environmental factors updates
Resource calendars	Team-building activities
	Ground rules
	Collocation
	Recognition and rewards
	Personal assessment tools

Interpersonal skills, sometimes known as “soft skills,” are behavioral competencies that include proficiencies such as communication skills, emotional intelligence, conflict resolution, negotiation, influence, team building, and group facilitation. These soft skills are valuable assets when developing the project team. F

Team-Building Activities One of the models used to describe team development is the Tuckman ladder (Tuckman, 1965; Tuckman & Jensen, 1977), which includes five stages of development that teams may go through.

-          Forming. This phase is where the team meets and learns about the project and their formal roles and responsibilities. Team members tend to be independent and not as open in this phase.

-          Storming. During this phase, the team begins to address the project work, technical decisions, and the project management approach. If team members are not collaborative and open to differing ideas and perspectives, the environment can become counterproductive.

-          Norming. In the norming phase, team members begin to work together and adjust their work habits and behaviors to support the team. The team learns to trust each other.

-          Performing. Teams that reach the performing stage function as a well-organized unit. They are interdependent and work through issues smoothly and effectively.

-          Adjourning. In the adjourning phase, the team completes the work and moves on from the project. This typically occurs when staff is released from the project as deliverables are completed or as part of carrying out the Close Project or Phase process.

Colocation, also referred to as “tight matrix,” involves placing many or all of the most active project team members in the same physical location to enhance their ability to perform as a team. Colocation strategies can include a team meeting room (sometimes called “war room”), places to post schedules, and other conveniences that enhance communication and a sense of community.

Manage project team process

Manage Project Team is the process of tracking team member performance, providing feedback, resolving issues, and managing team changes to optimize project performance. The key benefit of this process is that it influences team behavior, manages conflict, resolves issues, and appraises team member performance. The inputs, tools and techniques, and outputs of this process are

Inputs	Tools and Techniques	Outputs
Human resource management plan	Observation and conversation	Change requests
Project staff assignments	Project performance appraisals	Project management plan updates
Team performance assets	Conflict management	Project documents updates
Issue log	Interpersonal skills	Enterprise environmental factors updates
Work performance reports		Organizational process assets updates
Organizational process assets

Work Performance Reports provide documentation about the current project status compared to project forecasts.

Conflict Management. Conflict is inevitable in a project environment. Sources of conflict include scarce resources, scheduling priorities, and personal work styles. Team ground rules, group norms, and solid project management practices, like communication planning and role definition, reduce the amount of conflict.

Different project managers may utilize different conflict resolution methods. Factors that influence conflict resolution methods include:

-          Relative importance and intensity of the conflict,

-          Time pressure for resolving the conflict,

-          Position taken by persons involved, and

-          Motivation to resolve conflict on a long-term or a short-term basis.

There are five general techniques for resolving conflict. As each one has its place and use, these are not given in any particular order:

-          Withdraw/Avoid. Retreating from an actual or potential conflict situation; postponing the issue to be better prepared or to be resolved by others.

-          Smooth/Accommodate. Emphasizing areas of agreement rather than areas of difference; conceding one’s position to the needs of others to maintain harmony and relationships.

-          Compromise/Reconcile. Searching for solutions that bring some degree of satisfaction to all parties in order to temporarily or partially resolve the conflict.

-          Force/Direct. Pushing one’s viewpoint at the expense of others; offering only win-lose solutions, usually enforced through a power position to resolve an emergency.

-          Collaborate/Problem Solve. Incorporating multiple viewpoints and insights from differing perspectives; requires a cooperative attitude and open dialogue that typically leads to consensus and commitment.

Interpersonal Skills. Examples of interpersonal skills that a project manager uses most often include:

-          Leadership. Successful projects require strong leadership skills. Leadership is important through all phases of the project life cycle. There are multiple leadership theories defining leadership styles that should be used as needed for each situation or team. It is especially important to communicate the vision and inspire the project team to achieve high performance.

-          Influencing. Because project managers often have little or no direct authority over team members in a matrix environment, their ability to influence stakeholders on a timely basis is critical to project success. Key influencing skills include:

o   Ability to be persuasive and clearly articulate points and positions;

o   High levels of active and effective listening skills;

o   Awareness of, and consideration for, the various perspectives in any situation; and

o   Gathering relevant and critical information to address important issues and reach agreements while maintaining mutual trust.

-          Effective decision making. This involves the ability to negotiate and influence the organization and the project management team. Some guidelines for decision making include:

o   Focus on goals to be served,

o   Follow a decision-making process,

o   Study the environmental factors,

o   Analyze available information,

o   Develop personal qualities of the team members,

o   Stimulate team creativity, and

o   Manage risk.