Chapter 9

Introducing Project Resource Management

CERTIFICATION OBJECTIVES

9.01   Preparing for Resource Planning

9.02   Estimating Project Activity Resources

9.03   Acquiring the Project Resources

9.04   Developing the Project Team

9.05   Managing the Project Team

9.06   Controlling Resources

Two-Minute Drill

Q&A    Self Test

Project resource management is a multifaceted task that addresses how to determine what resources are needed for the project, how to get the needed resources, and then how to control the resources throughout the project. Project resource management addresses both physical resources, such as equipment and facilities, and people on the project team. Managing project resources requires that you lead, direct, and orchestrate the project team, customers, project partners, contributors, and any other stakeholders to achieve the desired results for the project’s purpose.

Project managers cannot, and must not, do everything. They must rely on the project team to complete the project work. Have you ever worked on a project in which the project manager wanted to do all the work? Or the project manager assigned the mundane tasks to the project team and did the most important activities himself? Or the project manager completed the activities with the highest exposure? Not good. Project managers must delegate activities.

Project managers must find ways to motivate the project team to complete the work. There is a tendency in many projects for the project team to be excited about the project at the start, and then the excitement wanes as the project moves toward completion. The project manager must coach and mentor to develop the project team and ensure that the excitement, willingness, and dedication to the project work continue.

Throughout the project, the project manager will have to address project team retention, labor relations, performance appraisals, and, depending on the nature of the project work, health and safety issues. As projects are temporary, so, too, are most of the relationships between the project team members and the project manager.

Project resources management may not be completely in the hands of the project manager. The performing organization’s HR department may have control over the majority of the assignments and recruitment of the project team. It’s important for the project manager to know his responsibilities and levels of power and autonomy to comply with the organization’s policies.

Just as the project manager works to secure the needed human resources for the project, he will also have to work to secure the physical resources needed for the project. Physical resources are the things the project needs to be successful: equipment, materials, hardware, software, facilities, infrastructure, vendor-provided solutions, and anything else that’s not a person that the project needs.

Exploring Project Resource Management

In the PMBOK Guide, 6th edition, the knowledge area of human resource management was changed to project resource management. Resource management includes people and things. You need people to do the work of the project, to provide expert judgment, and to contribute to the project’s success. You also need physical resources to do the project work or complete the project on time.

There are six processes in this knowledge area:

   Plan resource management

   Estimate activity resources

   Acquire resources

   Develop team

   Manage team

   Control resources

Wherever you see “resources,” think of people and the skills you’ll need to complete the tasks required for the project. And then swap out “resources” for “things,” and think of the skills and actions you’ll need to perform the tasks with the things a project might need. A project manager will use two different types of skills to deal with people and deal with things—something to be on the lookout for in this chapter and on your PMP exam.

Reviewing Project Resource Management Foundations

There’s an old adage in project management: “When a project fails it’s the project manager’s fault. And when a project is successful, it’s everyone’s fault.” There may be a little truth to that statement, and that’s the basis of project resource management. Project team members have roles and responsibilities, but it takes all the team members working together to help with planning, identify risk, and offer their expert judgment to succeed with the project. The project manager’s role is to keep folks involved, keep the excitement going, and keep things organized to get things done.

The project manager is both the leader and the manager of the project—not just one or the other. The project manager leads people and manages things. The project team and stakeholders will look to the project manager to lead the project, to keep the synergy, and to offer guidance and direction. People will also look to the project manager to be a good communicator about the project, to make effective decisions, to balance objectives, and to act when action is needed. The project manager influences the project team and looks for influences on the team, such as these:

   Team environment and politics

   Communication demands

   Organizational change management

   Culture and organization issues

   Challenges of virtual teams and geographic concerns

The project manager makes certain the project team member have the skills they need to do the work. The project manager leads team development. The project manager works on behalf of the project team to make certain the team is protected, engaged, and feels valued in the project.

Exploring Trends in Managing Resources

Project management is becoming more and more about empowering the project team members to make decisions rather than the project manager making all the project decisions. This collaborative approach fosters trust, shared ownership, and a reliance on experts on the project team. For your PMP exam, you should be familiar with this approach and these other trends in managing resources:

   Just-in-time (JIT) manufacturing Resources are in place only as they are needed. This approach reduces waste, keeps inventory at a minimum, and helps the project manager forecast resource utilization more accurately.

   Kaizen Small changes to the organization and project team over time result in large changes overall. Kaizen posits that small changes in processes are easier to accept and incorporate than large, sweeping changes for the organization or project.

   Total productive maintenance Continuous maintenance on equipment and quality systems keeps equipment working well and efficiently. This approach aims to reduce downtime by avoiding equipment failure.

   Theory of constraints A management system is limited by its weakest components—the constraints—and works to remove those constraints. It’s an adaption of the phrase “a chain is only as strong as its weakest link.”

   Emotional intelligence A person is aware of his inbound and outbound emotions; by becoming emotionally competent, the person can better control his emotions and understand the emotions of others.

   Self-organizing teams In agile environments, the project manager may be called a scrum master or servant leader. The project team takes charge on who’ll do what tasks to accomplish the project objectives.

   Virtual teams/distributed teams These teams are non-collocated, dispersed around the globe, and rely on technology to interact, communicate, and contribute to the project. Communication becomes a central focal point in virtual teams.

Resource management is a process that can be tailored to fit your project and organization. The project manager will consider the diversity of the project team and the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) that the diverse group may bring to the project. When work is completed by virtual teams, the physical location of each team member is also evaluated for how best to manage the resources.

Your industry may have special resources considerations, such as unions or inspectors, that must be considered. All project managers, regardless of the industry, will also have to follow the organization’s policies for acquiring and managing the project team. Finally, the project life cycle can affect how you manage project team members. Specifically, you’ll consider the peaks and valleys of team utilization depending on the type of work that’s taking place in the project at any given time.

CERTIFICATION OBJECTIVE 9.01

Preparing for Resource Planning

Resource planning is the process of mapping the roles, responsibilities, and reporting relationships to the appropriate people or groups of people on the project team. Resource planning identifies the people involved with the project and determines their roles in the project, their overall influence on the project work, to whom they may report, and from whom they may receive a report. Resource planning also includes the planning for the physical resources the project will need.

Consider a project to create a community park. The project manager works for a commercial entity that will complete the project work. She identifies the roles responsible for activities within her organization—the designers, engineers, installers, management, and so on. She will also have functional managers who coordinate employees’ availability, financing to arrange procurement of resources needed for project completion, and senior management to which she must report the status of the project work. The project will also require equipment, materials, tools, and other physical resources such as plans and permits.

The project manager will also work and communicate with government officials for approval of the design, change requests, and overall schedule of the project. There’ll be safety issues, landscaping questions, and other concerns that will come up as the project progresses.

Finally, the project manager will likely communicate with stakeholders who are not internal to her organization—for example, the people who live in the community and various government officials. These stakeholders will need to be involved in the planning and design of the park to ensure that it satisfies the community’s needs.

As you can see, resource planning can involve both internal and external stakeholders. In most projects, organizational planning happens early in the project planning phase—but it should be reviewed and adjusted as the environment changes. Organizational planning is all about ensuring that the project performs properly in the working environment and ensuring that the team has the physical resources they’ll need to do the project work.

There are five inputs to plan resource management:

   Project charter for the high-level description and requirements

   Project management plan—specifically, the quality management and the scope baseline

   Project documents, specifically the schedule, requirements, risk register, and stakeholder register

   Enterprise environmental factors to consider the culture, geographical concerns, resources and competencies, and marketplace conditions

   Organizational process assets, such as human resource policies, physical resource management, safety and security consideration, templates, and historical information

Identifying the Resource Requirements

Every project needs people to complete the work, and expert judgment is a key technique to identify the resources the project will need. Resource requirements are the identified human and physical resources needed on a project to complete the assigned work. For example, a project to install a new telephone system throughout a campus would require a menagerie of workers with varying skill sets: hardware and software gurus, telephony experts, electricians, installers, and others. The identified staff would be pulled from the resource pool. Any skill gaps would need to be addressed through staff acquisition, additional training, or procurement. The resource requirements will also include the physical resources needed on the project.

Expert judgment can help identify the best resources for the project, estimate the lead time needed for the resource acquisition, and help the project manager comply with regulations that affect the project. Consideration is also given to talent management, personnel development, risk identification with acquisition and release planning, and working with sellers to ensure that procured physical resources are correct and delivered as needed in the project.

The contractual agreements between employee groups, unions, equipment providers, or other labor organizations may serve as a constraint on the project. In these instances, there may be additional reporting relationships regarding the project status, work, and performance of project team members.

Completing Organizational Planning

Organizational planning calls upon the project manager to consider the requirements of the project and the stakeholders involved—and how the nature of the project will require the project manager and the project team to interact with the stakeholders. In addition, the project manager must consider the project team itself and how the team will be managed, led, and motivated to complete the project work according to plan.

The goal of organizational planning is to identify and plan for the constraints and opportunities brought about by the nature of the project work, the team’s competence, and the demands of the performing organization and stakeholders. Scores of books have been written on organizational planning, theory, and project team motivation. The goal of this conversation is to help you know the essentials to pass the PMP exam.

Charting the Project Resources

The project manager can utilize several different charts to map the hierarchy of the project and the roles and responsibilities of the project team. These are the most common charts:

   Work breakdown structure (WBS) The decomposition of the project scope into work packages can help reveal the need for resources and areas of responsibility for different project team members.

   Organizational charts These show how an organization, such as a company or large project team, is ordered, the reporting structures, and the flow of information.

   Organizational breakdown structure Although these charts are similar to the WBS, the breakdown is by department, by units, or by team.

   Resource breakdown structure This type of chart breaks down the project by types of resources utilized, no matter where the resource is being used in the project.

   Responsibility assignment matrix chart This chart type designates the roles and responsibilities of the project team.

   RACI chart This chart designates each team member against each project activity as Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, or Informed (RACI). A RACI chart is technically a type of responsibility assignment matrix chart. At least one person is responsible, and only one person is accountable. One person can be both responsible and accountable for an activity. Table 9-1 is an example of a RACI chart in which each activity is mapped to each team member with the RACI legend. Only one person is accountable per activity.

TABLE 9-1 RACI Chart

Creating the Role and Responsibility Assignments

Here are some slick definitions for roles and responsibilities:

   Role Defines the accountable person by label or function

   Authority Has the authority to assign project resources, make decisions, and sign off on project documents

   Responsibility Defines the work assigned to a project team member

   Competency Determines what skill set is needed to complete an activity

The assignment of the roles and responsibilities determines what actions the project manager, project team member, or individual contributor will have in the project. Roles and responsibilities generally support the project scope, since this is the required work for the project.

An excellent tool that the project manager should create is the responsibility assignment matrix (RAM). A RAM can be high-level—for example, mapping project groups to the high-level components of a WBS, such as architecture, network, or software creation. A RAM can also be specific to the activities within the project work. Figure 9-1 is an example of a RAM.

FIGURE 9-1   A responsibility assignment matrix (RAM) can map work to project team members.

Relying on Templates

All projects are different, but some may resemble historical projects. This resemblance to historical projects means the project manager can use proven plans as templates for current projects. Specifically, considering organizational planning, the project manager can use the roles and responsibility matrixes and the reporting structure of historical projects as models for the current project. As a rule, current projects should emulate successful historical projects.

Applying Resource Practices

The performing organization will likely have policies and procedures for the project manager to follow. Enterprise environmental factors, usually through management or a resources department, should specify the following:

   Job responsibilities

   Reporting structures

   The project manager’s role and autonomy

   Policies regarding project team member discipline

   The definition for customized organizational terms, such as coach, mentor, or champion

Relating to Organizational Theories

A project manager can rely on many different organizational theories to identify weaknesses and strengths, guide the project team, and move the project forward. The entire context of these theories is beyond the scope of this book; however, you should be familiar with several of these theories to pass the PMP exam.

See the video “Resource Theories.”

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Maslow’s hierarchy asserts that people work to take care of a “hierarchy of needs.” The pinnacle of their needs is self-actualization. People want to contribute, prove their work, and use their skills and abilities. Figure 9-2 shows the pyramid of needs that all people try to ascend by fulfilling each layer, one at a time.

FIGURE 9-2 Maslow’s hierarchy: people work for self-actualization.

Following are Maslow’s five layers of needs, from the bottom up:

   Physiological Several necessities are required for human life: air, water, food, clothing, and shelter.

   Safety People need safety and security; this can include stability in life, work, and culture.

   Social People are social creatures and need love, approval, and friends.

   Esteem People strive for the respect, appreciation, and approval of others.

   Self-actualization At the pinnacle of needs, people seek personal growth, knowledge, and fulfillment.

Herzberg’s Theory of Motivation

According to Frederick Herzberg, a psychologist and authority on the motivation of work, there are two catalysts for creating job satisfaction and success:

   Hygiene agents These elements are the expectations all workers have: job security, a paycheck, clean and safe working conditions, a sense of belonging, civil working relationships, and other basic attributes associated with employment.

   Motivating agents These elements motivate people to excel. They include responsibility, appreciation of work, recognition, the chance to excel, education, and other opportunities associated with work other than just financial rewards.

Herzberg’s theory says the presence of hygiene factors will not motivate people to perform because these are expected attributes. However, the absence of these elements will demotivate performance. For people to excel, the presence of motivating factors must exist. Figure 9-3 illustrates Herzberg’s Theory of Motivation.

FIGURE 9-3 The absence of hygiene factors causes a worker’s performance to suffer.

McGregor’s Theory of X and Y

McGregor’s theory states that management believes there are two types of workers, good and bad, as shown in Figure 9-4:

FIGURE 9-4 Management believes X people are bad and Y people are good.

   X is bad. These people need to be watched all the time, micromanaged, and distrusted. X people avoid work, shirk responsibility, and have no ability to achieve.

   Y is good. These people are self-led, motivated, and can accomplish new tasks proactively.

Ouchi’s Theory Z

William Ouchi’s Theory Z is based on the Japanese participative management style. This theory states that workers are motivated by a sense of commitment, opportunity, and advancement. Workers in an organization subscribing to Theory Z learn the business by moving up through the ranks of the company.

Ouchi’s Theory Z also credits the idea of “lifetime employment.” Workers will stay with one company until they retire because they are dedicated to the company, which is, in turn, dedicated to them.

McClelland’s Theory of Needs

David McClelland developed his acquired-needs theory based on his belief that a person’s needs are acquired and develop over time. These needs are shaped by circumstance, conditions, and life experiences for each individual. McClelland’s Theory of Needs is also known as the three needs theory because it asserts that each individual has three basic needs. Depending on the person’s experiences, the order and magnitude of each need shifts:

   Need for achievement These people need to achieve so they avoid both low-risk and high-risk situations. Achievers like to work alone or with other high achievers, and they need regular feedback to gauge their achievement and progress.

   Need for affiliation People who have a driving need for affiliation look for harmonious relationships, want to feel accepted by people, and conform to the norms of the project team.

   Need for power People who have a need for power are usually seeking either personal or institutional power. Personal power-seekers generally want to control and direct other people. Institutional power-seekers want to direct the efforts of others for the betterment of the organization.

McClelland developed the Thematic Apperception Test to determine what needs are driving individuals. The test is a series of pictures, and the test taker has to create a story about what’s happening in the picture. Through the storytelling, the test taker will reveal which need is driving his life at that time.

Vroom’s Expectancy Theory

Vroom’s Expectancy Theory states that people will behave based on what they expect as a result of their behavior. In other words, people will work in relation to the expected reward of the work. If the attractiveness of the reward is desirable to the worker, she will work to receive the reward. People expect to be rewarded for their effort.

Creating a Resource Management Plan

The resource management plan, the output of planning resources, details how project team members will be brought onto the project and excused from the project. The resource management plan addresses how physical resources, such as equipment and facilities, will be acquired for the project. This plan also defines how long the project resources will be needed—something that’s important in all organizational structures, but especially so in the matrix environment. This subsidiary plan documents the process the project manager is expected to complete to bring new project team members aboard and acquire the needed physical resources based on the conditions of the project.

For example, the third phase of a project may require an application developer. The project manager may have to complete a job description that includes the application developer’s responsibilities, how her time will be used, and how long the role is needed on the project. HR or other functional managers may have to approve the request.

Management may also want to see a resource histogram, as Figure 9-5 illustrates, so they may plan employees’ time and activities accordingly. Management may elect to hold off on the launch of a project based on the requirement for resources and the conflict with business cycles or other projects with higher priorities within the organization.

FIGURE 9-5 Resource histograms are bar charts that illustrate the utilization of labor.

Each performing organization will likely have policies and procedures that should be documented and followed to bring resources onto the project team. In addition, the organization may have similar ways to excuse project team members from a project once their contribution has been completed. This plan can also communicate when physical resources will be released from the project so other projects can utilize the resources. If a project has “reserved” a piece of equipment for six months, but needs the equipment for only three months, the reserved time is wasted and causes other projects to suffer as they wait for the equipment to be released. You may also need to address consumable resources that will be used throughout the project; consumable resources are materials that need to be replenished as they’re used (paint, wood, network cables, and the like).

The resource management plan should do the following:

   Identify human resources and physical resources for the project

   Define how physical resources will be acquired for the project

   Detail how project team members are brought onto and released from the project

   Account for employees’ time on the project

   Use employees as needed and when needed

   Define timetables outlining when project team members are needed

   Provide resource calendars

   Define the training needs and plans for the project team

   Remove or reduce worries about employment by communicating the expected need for resources

   Define the project’s reward and recognition system

   Define the project’s compliance with government regulations, union contracts, and policies and procedures

   Provide a resource control mechanism to plan for when physical resources are needed, the processes for acquiring the physical resources, consideration of lead time for procurement activities, vendor fulfillment, and the work to ensure that the team has the needed physical resources at the right time to prevent project delays

Creating a Team Charter

A team charter is a document typically created by the project team to define their values, agreements, and ground rules for the project. In some organizations, the team charter may be developed for the project team, though the charter works best when the project team creates the document—or at least has a part in creating it. The team charter includes the following:

   Team values

   Communication guidelines

   Decision-making process

   Conflict resolution process

   Meeting guidelines

   Team agreements

When ground rules are created and agreed upon, it’s up to all project team members to enforce them. The team charter helps to establish the values and agreement as to how the project team will operate and abide by the ground rules.

CERTIFICATION OBJECTIVE 9.02

Estimating Project Activity Resources

Way back in Chapters 6 and 7, I discussed project schedules and costs. Now consider what you are actually scheduling and paying for: resources. You’ll need human resources to do the project work and you need physical resources such as materials, equipment, software, and hardware for the project. This process of estimating activity resources is directly related to your project’s schedule and cost activities. In fact, you’ll see that many of the activities are very similar to what’s already been discussed in the sections on schedule management and cost management.

Estimating the activity resources is a prediction of what you believe you’ll need to complete the project. You’ll rely on your project team, experts, and historical information to help you make the best decisions.

Let’s be practical for a moment: When you’re managing a project, you don’t just think about the activities and the costs of the project; you think about the activities and the role or individual who’ll perform those activities in the project. A project is not segmented into knowledge areas—it comprises people, materials, schedules, costs, and the actual work of the project. However, when you’re studying to pass the PMP, you need to segment things into knowledge areas that sometimes seem disconnected from the actual application of the knowledge area.

For your exam, you should know that schedule, cost, and resource management are different knowledge areas that are closely related. You need resources, of course, and the activities take time to complete, and you’ll need to pay for the resources. And this is a great example of project integration management.

Preparing to Estimate Activity Resources

Estimating the activity resources is something that you’ll do throughout the project. There are four inputs for this process:

   Project management plan Resource management plan and scope baseline

   Project documents Activity attributes, activity list, assumptions, cost estimates, resource calendars, and risk register

   Enterprise environmental factors Location of resources, skills, published estimating data, and marketplace conditions

   Organizational process assets Policies for acquiring and scheduling resources and historical information from similar projects

Estimating the Resources for Activities

Once you have defined the activities, you’ll need to think through what resources you’ll need to do the activities. You’ll have to think about roles and responsibilities, materials, equipment, and other physical resources. Don’t forget to include facilities, too, such as rental space, and consider shipping costs, airfare, and other related expenses and needs.

You’ll can use seven tools and techniques for estimating activity resources (all of which you have seen in the schedule and cost knowledge areas):

   Expert judgment Experts, such as the project team and consultants, can help identify what resources you’ll need.

   Bottom-up estimating This approach starts at the work package and works its way up through the WBS to create a definitive estimate.

   Analogous estimating Estimates are based on a similar project to predict the cost and/or duration of the current project activities.

   Parametric estimating Costs and time are based on parameters, such as historical data, $200 per square foot of construction, or four hours per fixture to install.

   Data analysis Alternatives identification enables you to determine whether there are alternative resources for the activities. This can help with scheduling conflicts, costs, and physical resource availability from different vendors.

   Project management information system Your PMIS can help identify where resources haven’t been assigned to find skills gaps or needed resources, costs of resources, tradeoffs, reporting, and other project management tasks.

   Meetings Of course, you’ll need to meet with the project team, vendors, functional managers, and other stakeholders.

Reviewing the Results of Estimating Activity Resources

The primary output of estimating activity resources are the resource requirements. Based on the work packages identified in the WBS and the associated activities, this process will help the project manager define what resources are needed. This process also includes documentation on how the estimates were created, assumptions used, constraints, any range of variances included with the estimates, documentation of any associated risks, and what your confidence level is with the estimates provided.

On some projects, especially larger projects, you may create a resource breakdown structure. The resource breakdown structure visualizes the resources needed throughout the project. It can follow the same structure as the WBS, or you can arrange the RBS by types of resources, such as roles, equipment, facilities, and materials. The RBS can help you define what resources you need to acquire, procure, and what roles are needed in the project work.

The estimating activity resources process will also mean you’ll need to update three project documents as needed:

   Activity attributes The activities will be updated to reflect the resource requirements you’ve identified with this process.

   Assumption log Any assumptions about the resource type, quantity, constraints, and other related information is recorded.

   Lessons learned register If any lessons were learned during the process, such as the effectiveness of how the estimates were created, they should be documented.

CERTIFICATION OBJECTIVE 9.03

Acquiring the Project Resources

Have you ever managed a project in which the resources you want on the project are not available? Or have you managed a project in which the resources you’ve been assigned aren’t the best resources to complete the project work? Staff acquisition is the process of getting the needed human resources on the project team to complete the project work. Staff acquisition focuses on working within the policies and procedures of the performing organization to obtain the needed human resources to complete the project work. Negotiation, communication, and political savvy are the keys to getting the desired resources on the project team. Resource acquisition also includes getting the needed physical resources for your project.

First, a project needs a project team. A project needs a good, qualified, and competent project team. Their competency, experience, and availability will directly influence the success of the project. Armed with this notion, the project manager may rely on a few different tools and techniques to obtain the needed project team resources.

Second, almost all projects need some physical resources: equipment, materials, tools, and access to meeting rooms and other facilities. After identifying the resources you’ll need, you’ll work through the environmental factors of your organization to acquire the physical resources for your project. Internal resources, such as facilities and team members, are often assigned to the project. External resources, such as special equipment or consultants, follow the procurement process for your organization.

Preparing to Acquire Project Resources

The project manager will rely on the project management plan as an input to acquiring project team members. The resource management plan details how project team members will be brought on to the project and excused from the project as conditions within the project demand. The project management plan also includes the needed procurement management plan for how the project manager may go about procuring resources. I’ll talk about creating and using this plan in Chapter 12. You’ll also rely on the cost baseline as an input to acquiring the needed resources, as resources cost money.

You’ll use four inputs to begin this process:

   Project management plan Resource management plan, procurement management plan, and the cost baseline

   Project documents Project schedule, resource calendars, resource requirements, and the stakeholder register

   Enterprise environmental factors Your organization’s information on resource availability, skill sets, experience, and resource costing, along with marketplace conditions, your organization structure (such as weak matrix or functional), and the location of the resources

   Organizational process assets Policies, procedures, historical information from similar projects, and lessons learned repository

Acquiring the Resources

In some organizations, the project manager has little or no say regarding project team assignments. Not fun. In other organizations, project managers have the ability to recruit, or at least influence, the project team assignments and should ask questions about the following:

   Availability Will the project team members desired for the project be available? Project managers should confer with functional managers on the availability of the potential team members.

   Costs How much will each individual team member cost the project?

   Ability What is the competency and proficiency of the available project team members?

   Experience What is the experience of the project team members? Have they done similar work in the past—and have they done it well?

   Knowledge and skills Does a prospective project team member have the right knowledge and skills to do the work?

   Attitude Are the project team members interested in working on this project? Can they work well the project team?

   International factors Does the project span countries, and if so, how will the local culture, time zones, and languages affect the project?

Negotiating for Resources

Project managers need negotiating skills to acquire the best resources for the project’s success. Most projects require that the project manager negotiate for resources. The project manager will likely have to negotiate with functional managers to obtain the needed resources to complete the project work. The functional managers and the project manager may struggle over an employee’s time due to demands in ongoing operations, other projects, and the effective utilization of resources. In other instances, functional managers may want to assign underutilized resources on projects to account for their employees’ time.

Project managers may also have to negotiate with other project managers to share needed resources among projects. Scheduling the needed resources between the project teams will need to be coordinated so that both projects may complete successfully. Project managers may also have to negotiate with vendors when acquiring physical resources or subcontractors to be part of the project team.

Organizational politics certainly come into play with staff acquisitions. Functional managers may want project managers to carry extra resources on the project in exchange for key personnel, added deliverables to the project, or other “favors” for the manager. In all instances, the project manager should follow the PMI Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct. We’ll discuss this infamous code of conduct in Chapter 13.

Recruiting Project Team Members

The project manager has to follow the rules of the organizations involved in the project. For example, an organization may forbid a project manager from approaching a worker directly to discuss her availability and desire to work on a project. The project manager may instead have to speak with the employee’s functional manager to obtain the resource.

Working with Preassigned Staff

Team members and physical resources are often preassigned to a project for several reasons, such as the following:

   The resource was preassigned as part of the project charter or planning processes.

   The individual is available.

   He was promised as part of a competitive contract.

   She was required as part of the project charter of an internal project.

   The staff member has an opportunity to complete on-the-job training.

Whatever the reasoning behind the assignment of the resource to the project, the project manager should evaluate the project team for skills gaps, the availability to complete the project work, and the expectations of the project team members. The project manager must address any discrepancies between the requirements of the project work and the project team members’ ability to complete the work.

Acquiring Human Resources

In some instances, the project manager may have no alternative but to procure the project team or individuals to complete the project work. Procurement will be discussed in detail in Chapter 12. In regard to project team procurement, reasons why the project manager can use this alternative include, but are not limited to, the following:

   The performing organization lacks the internal resources with the needed skills to complete the project work.

   The work is more cost-effective to procure.

   The project team members are present within the organization, but they are not available for the current project because of their workload in their current job.

   The project team members are present within the organization, but they cannot complete the needed work due to other project assignments.

Working with Virtual Teams

Virtual teams are project teams that share a common goal—to complete the project work—but they are not collocated and may rarely, if ever, meet face-to-face with other project team members. The virtual team relies on e-mail, video conferences, and teleconferences to communicate about the project. Virtual teams involve the following:

   Teams composed of geographically dispersed individuals

   The ability to add experts to the project team who may not be in the same geographical area

   The inclusion of workers from home offices

   The ability to create project teams of individuals with varying working hours

   The inclusion of people with mobility issues

   The deletion or reduction of travel expenses

Reviewing the Outputs of Acquiring Resources

Congratulations! The project team has been recruited or assigned to the project. With the project team assembled, the project manager can continue planning, assigning activities, and managing the project’s progression. Project team members can be assigned to the project on a full- or part-time basis, depending on the project conditions.

Once the project team is built, a project team directory should be assembled that includes the following:

   Team members’ names

   Phone numbers

   E-mail addresses

   Assignments

   Mailing addresses if not collocated

   Contact information for key stakeholders

   Any other relevant contact information for each team member, such as photos, web addresses, and so on

The acquire project resources process creates or updates eight things:

   Assignments for the physical resources

   Assignments for the project team members

   Change requests

   Updates to the resource calendars

   Project management plan updates

   Project document updates

   Enterprise environmental factors updates

   Organizational process assets updates

CERTIFICATION OBJECTIVE 9.04

Developing the Project Team

Throughout the project, the project manager will need to develop the project team. The project manager may have to develop the abilities of the individual team members so that each member can complete his assignment. The project manager will also be required to develop the project team so that the team can work together to complete the project.

In matrix organizations, the project team members are accountable to the project manager and their functional managers. The development of the project team can prove challenging, because the project team members may feel pulled between multiple bosses. The project manager must strive to involve and develop the project team members as individuals completing project work—and as team members completing the project objectives together.

Preparing to Develop the Project Team

The project manager will rely on several pieces of information to prepare for team development, such as the following:

   Project management plan The resource management plan, part of the project management plan, defines the training needs, the reward and recognition systems, and the process for disciplinary actions. The assignments of the project team members define their skills, their need for development, and their ability to complete the project work as individuals and as part of the collective team.

   Lessons learned register Lessons learned from earlier in the current project can help the project manager better manage the team.

   Project schedule The schedule will help the project manager identify opportunities and requirements for training and team development.

   Project team assignment Assignments identify who will do what in the project.

   Resource calendars Project managers will use the resource calendar to determine when resources are needed and when they’re available to participate in team development activities.

   Team charter The charter defines the values and ground rules to serve as guidelines for the project team.

   Enterprise environmental factors The project manager will need to follow the organizational rules for hiring and terminating project team members, performance reviews, training, and rewards and recognition policies.

   Organizational process assets Historical information can help the project manager better manage the current project team based on what did, or did not, work well in the past.

Dealing with Team Locales

Collocated teams work in the same physical location to improve team dynamics and team relations. On large projects, it may be particularly valuable to bring all the project team members together to a central location to work collectively on the project. A project headquarters or war room may be ideal.

When collocation is not feasible, the project manager must make attempts to bring the project team together for team interaction, face-to-face meetings, and other avenues of communication to bolster relations. Communication is paramount in all of project management; when dealing with virtual teams, consider communication technologies for effective communication:

   Shared portal Use a web site or repository for sharing information for easy access for the project team.

   Videoconferencing Help virtual teams communicate via web-based technology for video calls and chats.

   Audioconferencing Like video conferencing, conference calls can bring everyone together to communicate in a forum-like environment.

   E-mail and chat E-mail and chat sessions are common communication tools that project teams can utilize to communicate and share information quickly.

Creating Team-Building Activities

Team-building activities are approaches to develop the team through facilitated events. Events can include the following:

   Training the project team

   Team involvement during the planning processes

   Defining rules for handling team disagreements

   Offsite activities

   Quick team-involvement activities

   Activities to improve interpersonal skills and form relationships

Naturally Developing Project Teams

There’s a general belief that project teams go through their own natural development processes. These processes can shift, linger, stall, and even regress based on the dynamics of the project team. This theory of team development was created by educational psychologist Bruce Tuckman in 1965. Here are the five phases of team development that project managers may face:

   Forming The project team meets and learns about their roles and responsibilities on the project. Little interaction among the project team members happens in this stage, because they are learning about the project and the project manager.

   Storming The project team struggles for project positions, leadership, and project direction. The project team can become hostile toward the project leader, challenge ideas, and try to establish and claim positions about the project work. The amount of debate and fury varies depending on whether the project team is willing to work together, the nature of the project, and the control of the project manager.

   Norming Project team members go about getting the project work done, begin to rely on one another, and generally complete their project assignments.

   Performing If a project team can reach the performing stage of team development, they trust one another and work well together, and issues and problems are resolved quickly and effectively.

   Adjourning Once the project is done, the team moves on to other assignments as a unit, or the project team is disbanded and individual team members go on to other work.

Face-to-face communication is vital to effective communications. Collocation, the concept of project team members being physically close together, is also known as a tight matrix. You might know this concept as a war room, the project meeting room, or the project headquarters. Remember that collocation helps project team members communicate quickly and through ad hoc conversations.

Relying on General Management Skills

A chunk of project management relies on general management skills. Specifically, the project manager relies on the following:

   Leading Leading is the art of establishing direction, aligning people, and motivating the project team to complete the project work.

   Communicating Good project managers are good communicators. Remember that half of communicating is listening.

   Negotiating Project managers will likely negotiate for scope, cost, terms, assignment, and resources.

   Problem-solving Project managers must have the ability to confront and solve problems.

   Influencing Project managers use their influence to get things done.

Rewarding the Project Team

A reward and recognition system encourages, emphasizes, and promotes good performance and behavior by the project team. The reward and recognition system should be a formal, achievable approach for the project team to perform and be rewarded for their outstanding performance.

The relationship between the requirements for the reward and the power to achieve should not be limited. In other words, if the project manager is rewarded for completing a project by a given date, she needs the autonomy to schedule resources and make decisions so the goal is achievable.

The project team should be rewarded for good work only. For example, a project team should not be rewarded for completing a crucial assignment on schedule if the work is unacceptable because of quality issues.

Finally, the culture in which the project is taking place should also be considered. It may be inappropriate to reward individual team members over an entire group, or vice versa. The project manager should be aware of the cultural environment and operate within the customs and practices of the environment to reward the project team without causing offense.

Training the Project Team

The project team may require training to complete the project work, function as a project team, or participate in management skills such as finance or formal communications. Training can include the following:

   Formal education

   Classroom training

   On-the-job training

   Cross-training (shadowing)

Completing Project Performance Appraisals

Project team members need feedback. They need to know when they’re doing a good job and when they’re doing a not-so-good job. But before the project manager can begin offering appraisals, organizational policies and procedures must determine the type of appraisals the project manager provides. The project manager should understand the organizational policies, labor contracting requirements, and whether the project even qualifies for formal appraisals. Smaller, lower priority projects may not need appraisals at all.

One popular approach for completing project team member appraisals is the 360-degree feedback approach. This method offers appraisals from more than just the project manager. They can also come from peers, supervisors, managers, and even project team members’ subordinates.

Examining the Results of Team Development

Team development is an ongoing process. Optimum team performance doesn’t happen on the first day of the project, but hopefully it does kick in well before the final day of the project. The primary goal of team development is to improve project team performance. Improvements can include the following:

   Individuals Improvements to individual skill sets may enable the individual to complete his assigned work better, faster, or with more confidence.

   Team Improvements to the project team may enable the team to perform with a focus on technical requirements, project work, and working together (in harmony) to complete the project work.

   Individuals and team Improvements either to team members or to the project team may lead to the better good of the project by finding better ways of completing the project work.

Another result of team development is the input to performance reviews of the project team members. Hopefully, all goes well and the project manager can report successful, willing, and cooperative team members. Honesty is paramount in reporting the performance of project team members. Team development can also result in change requests, updates to the project management plan, project documents, enterprise environmental factors, and organizational process assets.

CERTIFICATION OBJECTIVE 9.05

Managing the Project Team

Wouldn’t it be great if the project team just did what was assigned to them and did it well? And the project manager could then just organize, document, and plan for future phases of the project? Sure, it would—but then project management would be way, way too easy. One of the trickiest parts of project management is managing the project team, which involves the following (and then some):

   Tracking each project team member’s performance

   Providing feedback to the project team members about their performance and project work

   Finding solutions and facilitating conversations to find solutions for project issues

   Managing changes to the project and project processes to improve overall project performance

   Providing communications among the project team, project stakeholders, and in a matrix structure, communicating with functional managers

There are six inputs to the manage team process:

   Project management plan The resource management plan, part of the project management plan, will help guide the activities of this process.

   Project documents The issue log, lessons learned register, project team assignments, and the team charter will be used throughout this process.

   Work performance reports Work performance data is analyzed and then made into work performance information. Work performance information is then communicated through work performance reports to offer insight into how the team is performing.

   Team performance assessments Feedback on how the different team members are performing in the project is needed for effect management of the team.

   Enterprise environmental factors Your organization’s human resources policies are needed for this process.

   Organizational process assets Certificates of appreciation, coffee mugs and corporate apparel, and other rewards for the project team are well received and part of managing the team.

Dealing with Team Disagreements

In most projects, there will be instances when the project team, management, and other stakeholders disagree on the progress, decisions, and proposed solutions within the project. It’s essential for the project manager to keep calm, lead, and direct the parties to a sensible solution that’s best for the project. Following are seven reasons for conflict:

   Schedules

   Priorities

   Resources

   Technical beliefs

   Administrative policies and procedures

   Project costs

   Personalities

So, what’s a project manager to do with all the potential for strife in a project? A project manager can take five different approaches to conflict resolution:

   Collaborate/problem-solving This approach confronts the problem head-on and is the preferred method of conflict resolution. You may see this approach as “confronting” rather than problem-solving, however. Problem-solving calls for additional research to find the best solution for the problem and should be a win-win solution. It should be used if there is time to work through and resolve the issue. It also serves to build relationships and trust.

   Forcing/directing The person with the power makes the decision; the person with the power “forces” their way onto the other parties. The decision made may not be the best decision for the project, but it’s fast. As expected, this autocratic approach does little for team development and is a win-lose solution. It’s used when the stakes are high and time is of the essence, or if relationships are not important.

   Compromising/reconcile This approach requires that both parties give up something. The decision made is a blend of both sides of the argument. Because neither party really wins, it can result in a lose-lose solution. The project manager can thus use this approach when the relationships are equal and no one can truly “win.” This approach can also be used to avoid a fight.

   Smoothing/accommodating This approach smooths out the conflict by minimizing the perceived size of the problem to keep harmony in the team relationship. It is a temporary solution but can calm team relations and boisterous discussions. Smoothing may be acceptable when time is of the essence or when none of the proposed solutions will settle the problem. This can be considered a lose-lose situation because no one really wins in the long term. The project manager can use smoothing to emphasize areas of agreement between disagreeing stakeholders, thus minimizing areas of conflict. It’s typically used to maintain relationships and when the issue is not critical.

   Withdrawing/avoiding This is the worst conflict resolution approach, because one side of the argument essentially walks away from the problem, usually in disgust. The conflict is not resolved and it is considered a yield-lose solution, because the “loser” in the argument yields to the other person’s point of view. The approach can be used, however, as a cooling-off period or when the issue is not critical. Withdrawing can also be a tactic to delay the issue to be better prepared for the discussion or to allow the issue to be resolved by others.

TABLE 9-2 Powers of the Project Manager

TABLE 9-3 Conflict Resolution Methods

CERTIFICATION OBJECTIVE 9.06

Controlling Resources

Controlling resources sounds like a process to prevent your project team from running wild. It’s really a process to control the physical resources your project team will need to do the work. You want to ensure that the project team has the right physical resources at the right time to do the project activities. Delayed physical resources can introduce all sorts of problems for the project: delays in the work, issues and risks, ripple effects into new resource conflicts, frustration among the stakeholders, and a decrease in confidence in the project manager.

Controlling resources is about monitoring and controlling resource allocation for the project, tracking the cost and utilization of resources, communicating any problems with resources, and managing changes when they may occur in the project. Changes to resources can result from vendor issues; conflicts with other people utilizing the resource, such as equipment or facilities; and issues that happen because of defects in the project work. When defects happen, you’ll likely need to do a change request to order more materials, and this means the cost of the project increases.

Preparing to Control Resources

To control resources you’ll rely on five inputs to this straightforward process:

   Project management plan The subsidiary resource management plan

   Project documents The issue log, lessons learned register, physical resource assignments, schedule, resource breakdown structure, resource requirements, and the risk register.

   Work performance data Raw data gathered on project status and resource utilization

   Agreements Contracts and agreements with vendors and groups regarding the project resources

   Organizational process assets Policies for resource control, resource assignment, escalation processes, and lessons learned from similar projects

Reviewing the Tools and Techniques to Control Resources

Data analysis is used with controlling resources to examine alternatives analysis. When a resource is not available—perhaps a vendor can’t deliver the physical resource as promised—alternative analysis is used to determine whether another resource could work or a different vendor could deliver the solution. Analysis can also involve an examination of what the late delivery would mean to the project schedule and whether the project team can work on other tasks while waiting for the delivery for the resource from the vendor.

Performance reviews are also part of controlling resources. The project manager can compare the actual performance of physical resources to the planned performance of the resources. If the performance of a planned resource is not meeting expectations, the project manager can use cost-benefits analysis to determine whether changing vendors, materials, or both is cost efficient.

The final data analysis technique you can use to control resources is trend analysis. Trend analysis will enable you to examine how well physical resources have performed and identify trend lines in the analysis to plan for future work. For some materials or equipment, the trend line may reflect the learning curve of using the resource. If the project team members have never used a material before, for example, it will likely take some time for the team to learn the best application of the material, develop an approach to doing the work, and master the use of the material. A trend line can track this progress over time.

Resolving issues concerning materials is a common activity of the project manager or experts on the project team. When materials aren’t working as expected, you’ll need to create a solution to keep the project moving forward. Problems can come from inside the organization, such as equipment damaged by a team member, or from outside the organization, such as vendor that can’t deliver, weather, or other external issues. When problem-solving, use methodical, logical steps to find a solution:

   Identify the problem, not the evidence of the problem.

   Break the problem down into manageable chunks.

   Investigate the problem, collect data, experience the problem.

   Analyze the problem to discover the root causes.

   Find a solution that’s time and cost efficient.

   Confirm the solution is working.

Reviewing the Results of Controlling Resources

Controlling resources is an ongoing activity throughout the project. The first output of the process is work performance information. Work performance information is useable data about the performance of the physical resources in the project. This information can help the project manager determine whether a change request is needed for the materials. Change requests are the second output of this process; all change requests must be submitted to the project’s integrated change control process.

The project management plan could need to be updated as a result of controlling resources. When the project management plan is updated, a change request should be submitted as well. Project management plan changes as a result of controlling resources can include the following:

   Resource management plan Results of resources should be compared to what was planned for the resources.

   Schedule baseline Any changes to the project schedule resulting from controlling resources should be reflected in the schedule baseline.

   Cost baseline Defects, change in the price of materials, and other changes to the costs of the resources must be updated and reflected in the cost baseline.

The process of controlling resources can also cause several project documents to be updated:

   Assumption log Any assumptions about the physical resources that could affect the project should be logged.

   Issue log Issues are risks that have happened; issues with physical resources must be documented, tracked, and monitored.

   Lessons learned register What was learned about the physical resources is documented.

   Physical resource assignments Should the assignments for the physical resources change, the change needs to be documented and updated.

   Resource breakdown structure Where the resources are utilized in the project can be reflected in the resource breakdown structure.

   Risk register Any risks that are introduced or changed as a result of physical resources must be updated in the risk register.

CERTIFICATION SUMMARY

Project resource management requires that the project manager lead and direct the project team, customers, and other stakeholders in unison to complete the project scope. Resource management isn’t just about managing people, but also the physical resources of the project. It requires working within the confines of the organizational policies, as well as the ability to relate to the concerns and expectations of the stakeholders. Perhaps most importantly, it is tightly integrated with project communications management.

The PMP candidate should be familiar with several resource theories to pass the PMP examination successfully. Here’s a quick listing of these theories and their core beliefs:

   Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs People work for self-actualization.

   Herzberg’s Theory of Motivation Hygiene agents are expected by workers and can demotivate only if they aren’t present. Motivating agents include the opportunity both to exceed and advance, and to acquire rewards other than mere financial gain.

   McGregor’s Theory of X and Y This management theory posits that X people must be micromanaged and should be distrusted and Y people are self-led and motivated.

   Ouchi’s Theory Z Workers are motivated by a sense of commitment, opportunity, and advancement. This theory centers on lifetime employment.

   McClelland’s Theory of Needs People have three needs: achievement, affiliation, and power. One of the needs drives the person’s actions.

   Vroom’s Expectancy Theory People expect to be rewarded for their behavior.

Within a project are roles and responsibilities. A role can be defined as “who does what,” and a responsibility can be defined as “who decides what.” A responsibility assignment matrix (RAM) can map project work to specific project team members. This matrix clarifies which project team member is responsible for what actions within the project.

The RAM can help the project manager determine which resources are needed for which activities, but it can also ensure that the adequate amount of resources is assigned to the project work. The project manager must work to ensure that extra resources are not assigned to project activities. It is wasteful to add unneeded resources to project work.

The resource management plan dictates how resources are brought on to the project—and taken off the project. Should a functional manager want to add unneeded team members, the resource management plan can restrict the functional manager. The plan should work with the operational policies of the performing organization.

KEY TERMS

If you’re serious about passing the PMP exams, memorize these terms and their definitions. For maximum value, create your own flashcards based on these definitions and review them daily. You can find additional information on these terms in the book’s glossary.

360-degree appraisal   A performance review completed by a person’s peers, managers, and subordinates. It’s called a 360-degree appraisal because it’s a circle of reviews by people at different levels of an organization.

adjourning   The final stage of team development; once the project is done, the team moves on to other assignments, or the project team is disbanded and individual team members go on to other work.

autocratic   The project manager or some other authority makes all of the decisions.

coercive power   The project manager or some other authority uses fear and threats to manage the project team.

collective bargaining agreements   Contractual agreements initiated by employee groups, unions, or other labor organizations; they may act as a constraint on the project.

compromising   A conflict resolution approach that requires both parties to give up something. The decision ultimately made is a blend of both sides of the argument. Because neither party completely wins, it often results in a lose-lose solution.

emotional intelligence   A person is aware of his inbound and outbound emotions; by becoming emotionally intelligent, the person can better control his emotions and understand the emotions of others.

expert power   A type of power in which the authority of the project manager comes from experience with the area that the project focuses on.

forcing   A conflict resolution method whereby one person dominates or forces his point of view or solution to a conflict.

formal power   The type of power with which the project manager or other person has been assigned by her position.

forming   The initial stage of team development; the project team meets and learns about their roles and responsibilities on the project.

halo effect   When one attribute of a person influences a decision.

Herzberg’s Theory of Motivation   Posits that there are two catalysts for workers: hygiene agents and motivating agents. Hygiene agents do nothing to motivate, but their absence demotivates workers. Hygiene agents are the expectations all workers have: job security, paychecks, clean and safe working conditions, a sense of belonging, civil working relationships, and other basic attributes associated with employment. Motivating agents are components such as reward, recognition, promotion, and other values that encourage individuals to succeed.

Just-in-time (JIT) manufacturing   Resources are in place only as they are needed. This approach reduces waste, keeps inventory at a minimum, and helps the project manager forecast resource utilization more accurately.

Kaizen   Posits that small changes in processes are easier to accept and incorporate than large, sweeping changes for the organization or project; implementing small changes to the organization and project team over time will result in large changes overall.

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs   A theory that states that all humans have five layers of needs: physiological, safety, social, esteem, and the crowning jewel, self-actualization.

McClelland’s Theory of Needs   A theory that states that all humans have three needs: achievement, affiliation, and power. One of the needs drives the person’s actions.

McGregor’s Theory of X and Y   A theory that states that X people are lazy, don’t want to work, and need to be micromanaged. Y people are self-led, motivated, and strive to accomplish.

norming   Project team members go about getting the project work done, begin to rely on one another, and generally complete their project assignments.

organizational breakdown structure   Though these charts are similar to the WBS, the breakdown is by department, unit, or team.

organizational charts   Show how an organization, such as a company or large project team, is ordered, its reporting structures, and the flow of information.

Ouchi’s Theory Z   Theory that posits that workers are motivated by a sense of commitment, opportunity, and advancement. Workers will work if they are challenged and motivated.

performing   If a project team can reach the performing stage of team development, they trust one another, they work well together, and issues and problems are resolved quickly and effectively.

problem-solving   The ability to determine the best solution for a problem in a quick and efficient manner.

RACI chart   A chart that designates each team member against each project activity as responsible, accountable, consulted, or informed (RACI). It is technically a type of responsibility assignment matrix chart.

referent power   Power that is present when the project team is attracted to or wants to work on the project or with the project manager. Referent power also exists when the project manager references another, more powerful person, such as the CEO.

resource breakdown structure   A chart that breaks down the project by types of resources utilized on the project no matter where a resource is being used in the project.

resource histogram   A bar chart reflecting when physical resources, individual employees, groups, or communities are involved in a project. It’s often used by management to see when employees or items are most or least active in a project.

resource management plan   A subsidiary project management plan that documents how project team members and physical resources will be included in the project and excused from the project. This plan is included in the resources plan.

responsibility   The person who performs the duties of the assignment.

responsibility assignment matrix chart   A chart type designating the roles and responsibilities of the project team.

reward power   The project manager’s or other party’s authority to reward the project team.

role   Designates the type of activities a person performs in a project.

smoothing   A conflict resolution method that smooths out the conflict by minimizing the perceived size of the problem. It is a temporary solution, but it can calm team relations and reduce boisterousness of discussions. Smoothing may be acceptable when time is of the essence or when any of the proposed solutions would work.

storming   The second stage of team development; the project team struggles for project positions, leadership, and project direction.

Theory of constraints   A management system is limited by its weakest components or bottlenecks, the constraint. Adapts the phrase “a chain is only as strong as its weakest link.”

virtual teams   Project teams that are not collocated and that may rarely, if ever, meet face-to-face with other project team members. The virtual team relies on e-mail, video conferences, and teleconferences to communicate on the project.

Vroom’s Expectancy Theory   A theory that claims people will behave based on what they expect as a result of their behavior. In other words, people will work in relation to the expected reward of the work.

war room   A centralized office or locale for the project manager and the project team to work on the project. It can house information on the project, including documentation and support materials. It enables the project team to work in close proximity.

withdrawal   A conflict resolution method that is used when the issue is not important or the project manager is outranked. The project manager pushes the issue aside for later resolution or resolution by someone else. It can also be used as a method for cooling down. The conflict is not resolved, and it is considered a yield-lose solution.

TWO-MINUTE DRILL

Preparing for Resource Planning

   Project resources management focuses on utilizing the people and physical resources involved in the project in the most effective way. These people include more than just the project team members, although they’re the most obvious resources.

   The project manager must involve other stakeholders: customers, management, individual contributors, the project sponsor, and any other stakeholder unique to the project.

   Organizational planning calls on the project manager to identify the roles and responsibilities of the project and the reporting relationship within the organization.

Completing Organizational Planning

   Because projects are often similar, the project manager can rely on templates to re-create the success of historical projects. Reporting structures, role and responsibility matrixes, and other resource models can be replicated and adjusted between projects.

   Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs says that people work for five needs: physiological, safety, social, esteem, and self-actualization.

   Herzberg’s Theory of Motivation says that hygiene agents do not promote performance, but their absence can lower performance. Motivating agents, such as rewards and recognition, can improve performance.

   McClelland’s Theory of Needs states that people are driven primarily by one of three needs: achievement, affiliation, or power.

   McGregor’s Theory of X and Y states that management believes there are two types of workers. X workers are lazy, unproductive, and need to be micromanaged. Y workers are self-led, productive, and want the organization to succeed.

   Vroom’s Expectancy theory states that people will behave based on what they expect as a result of their behavior.

   William Ouchi’s Theory Z is based on the Japanese participative management style. This theory states that workers are motivated by a sense of commitment, opportunity, and advancement.

Preparing for Project Team Management

   The resource management plan describes the process that the project manager must follow to bring resources on to a project or to dismiss them from a project when the resources are no longer needed.

   The policies and procedures of the performing organization should be documented within the resource management plan to ensure that the guidelines are followed as management intends.

   The resource management plan also details the policies regarding how the project manager can recruit project team members. In addition, the plan may detail the procedure to procure resources for the project from vendors or consultants.

Acquiring the Project Resources

   The resource management plan, part of the project management plan, defines how members and physical resources will be brought on to the project team and how the team members and physical resources will be released from the project once their work has been completed. It’s not cost-effective to keep project team members on the project once their work has been completed. This plan is based on the project’s resource requirements.

   Virtual teams are project teams that are not collocated and may rarely, if ever, meet face-to-face with other project team members. The virtual team relies on e-mail, video conferences, and teleconferences to communicate on the project. Communication demands increase when working with virtual teams.

Developing the Project Team

   Ideally, the project is collocated and has access to a war room in which to refer to project information, research, and schedules, and to meet with other project team members.

   The goal of team development is outstanding performance for the good of the project. Through training, the project team may increase their ability to work together and individually, with a higher level of confidence, performance, and teamwork.

   A reward and recognition system can help the project manager motivate the project team to perform as required.

   The project manager must be certain to involve the entire project team when team members are scattered geographically. The project manager can rely on face-to-face meetings, videoconferences, or teleconferences to promote non-collocated teams.

   The result of team development is project performance improvements. The improvements should be noted in an honest appraisal of the project team members’ efforts and contributions to the project.

Managing the Project Team

   Communication is an important factor in managing the project team. The project manager must communicate the expectations, responsibilities, and performance of the project team members so they can work accordingly.

   Problem-solving is a conflict resolution method by which both parties work together to find a solution. This approach is also known as confronting.

   Forcing is a conflict resolution approach whereby the person with the power forces her decision.

   Compromising requires that both parties give up something they want to reach a resolution.

   Smoothing solves the issue by minimizing the perceived size of the problem. It is a temporary solution but can calm team relations and boisterous discussions. Smoothing may be acceptable when time is of the essence or when none of the proposed solutions will settle the problem.

   Withdrawal happens when one party retreats from the conflict and avoids a resolution.

SELF TEST

1.   You are the project manager for the JHG Project. This project requires coordination with the directors of manufacturing, resources, the IT department, and the CIO. You will be acquiring resources for the project only as the resources are needed. The goal is to reduce waste, minimize inventory, and forecast resource utilization. What type of approach is this?

A.   Just-in-time manufacturing

B.   Schedule ALAP

C.   Schedule ASAP

D.   Resource recurring factoring

2.   You are the project manager of the GHY Project. This project will remove old lights throughout your building and replace the fixtures with new, cost-saving lights. In this project, you’ll work with internal and external vendors. Your project requires an electrician at month eight. This is an example of which of the following?

A.   Organizational interfaces

B.   Resource requirements

C.   Contractor requirements

D.   Resource constraints

3.   You are the project manager of the PUY Project. This project requires a chemical engineer for seven months of the project, but there are no available chemical engineers within your department. This is an example of which of the following?

A.   Organizational interfaces

B.   Resource requirements

C.   Contractor requirements

D.   Resource constraints

4.   As a PMP, you need to recognize the different organizational structures and the expected amount of authority a project manager will have in these environments. For example, suppose you are the project manager in an organization with a weak matrix. Who will have the authority on your project?

A.   The project manager

B.   The customer

C.   Functional management

D.   The team leader

5.   You are the project manager for the LMG Project. Your project will have several resource issues that must be coordinated and approved by the union. Which of the following statements is correct about this scenario?

A.   The union is considered a resource constraint.

B.   The union is considered a management constraint.

C.   The union is considered a project stakeholder.

D.   The union is considered a project team member.

6.   You are the project manager of the PLY Project. This project is like the ACT Project you completed earlier. What method can you use to expedite the process of organization planning?

A.   Use the project plan of the ACT Project on the PLY Project.

B.   Use the roles and responsibilities definitions of the ACT Project on the PLY Project.

C.   Use the project team reward structure of the ACT Project on the PLY Project.

D.   Use the project team of the ACT Project on the PLY Project.

7.   In your organization, management is referred to as coaches. As a project manager, you are referred to as a project coach. A resource document should be created to handle this scenario. What should it cover?

A.   How coaches are separate from managers

B.   How coaches are the same as managers

C.   How a coach is to complete his job

D.   How the project team is to work for a coach

8.   You are the project manager of the JQA Project. This project will last for eight months, and you have 12 project team members. Management has requested that you create a chart depicting all the project resource needs and the associated activities. Management is looking for which type of chart?

A.   A roles chart

B.   A roles matrix

C.   A roles and responsibilities matrix

D.   A Gantt chart

9.   Many theories and philosophies can affect the approach a manager uses to lead and manage the project team. Based on your knowledge of the different management theories, which of the following is an example of the X in Theory of X and Y?

A.   Self-led project teams

B.   Micromanagement

C.   Team members able to work on their own accord

D.   EVM

10.   You are the project manager of the PLN Project. Management has asked you to identify the weakest link in the project chain. What approach is management likely using in your organization?

A.   Formal power

B.   Theory of constraints

C.   Critical path networking

D.   Referent power

11.   Beth is a great application developer and has been in that role for 12 years. Because of her experience, she would make a great project manager of an application development project. What does this scenario best describe?

A.   Halo effect

B.   Coercive power

C.   Expert power

D.   Halo power

12.   Management has approached Tyler, one of your project team members. Tyler is a database administrator and developer whose work is always on time, accurate, and of quality. He also has a reputation of being a “good guy” and is well liked. Because of this, management has decided to move Tyler into the role of a project manager for a new database administration project. This is an example of which of the following?

A.   Management by exception

B.   The halo effect

C.   Management by objectives

D.   McGregor’s Theory of X and Y

13.   Susan is the project manager for the PMG Project. She makes all the decisions on the project team, regardless of the project team’s objections. This is an example of which of the following management styles?

A.   Forcing

B.   Democratic

C.   Laissez faire

D.   Exceptional

14.   You are a new project manager in your company. Many of the project team members do not know you, haven’t worked with you before, and don’t seem interested in working on the project goal now. Some problems have come up in the project and need to be addressed immediately for the project to be successful. Which problem-solving technique is the best for most project management situations?

A.   Confronting

B.   Compromising

C.   Forcing

D.   Avoidance

15.   Harold is an outspoken project team member. All the project team members respect Harold for his experience with the technology, but things usually have to be done as Harold sees fit; otherwise, things don’t go well. During a discussion on a solution, a project team member throws up her arms and says, “Fine, Harold, do it your way.” This is an example of which of the following?

A.   A win-win solution

B.   A leave-lose solution

C.   A lose-lose solution

D.   A yield-lose solution

16.   You are the project manager for the GBK Project. This project affects a line of business, and the customer is anxious about the success of the project. Which of the following is likely not a top concern for the customer?

A.   Project priorities

B.   Schedule

C.   Cost

D.   Personality conflicts

17.   As a project manager in your organization, you believe that projects operate better when the project team is involved in the management processes. You like to include the project team in decisions, listen to their input, and create a familial environment. Which theory believes that workers need to be involved with the management process?

A.   McGregor’s Theory of X and Y

B.   Ouchi’s Theory Z

C.   Herzberg’s Theory of Motivation

D.   Vroom’s Expectancy Theory

18.   Employees and employers enter the employment contract with certain obligations. The employee is obligated to work and perform according to requirements. The employer is obligated to abide by the employment offer and pay the worker accordingly. Which of the following states that if workers are rewarded they will remain productive?

A.   McGregor’s Theory of X and Y

B.   Ouchi’s Theory Z

C.   Herzberg’s Theory of Motivation

D.   Vroom’s Expectancy Theory

19.   Mary has created a RACI chart for her project team. What does the C in RACI mean?

A.   Continue

B.   Coercive

C.   Consulted

D.   Character

20.   You are the project manager for the GHB Project. You have served as a project manager for your organization for the past ten years. Practically all your projects are completed on time and on budget. The project team has worked with you in the past, and they consider you to be an expert project manager. They also like working with you. Given all of this, you likely have what type of power on this project?

A.   Formal power

B.   Coercive power

C.   Expert power

D.   Referent power

21.   Several types of power can be used in project management. Some of the powers are based on the project manager’s experience, knowledge, perception, or even relationship. Which of the following scenarios is an example of coercive power?

A.   A project manager who has lunch with the project team every Thursday

B.   A project manager who will openly punish any team member who is late with an activity

C.   A project manager who has worked with the technology on the project for several years

D.   A project manager who is friends with all the project team members

22.   Charles is the project manager for the WAC Project. The customer and a project team member are in conflict over the level of quality needed on a sampling. Charles decides to split the difference between what the two stakeholders want. This is an example of which of the following?

A.   A win-win solution

B.   A win-lose solution

C.   A lose-lose solution

D.   A leave-lose solution

23.   Mike is the project manager for a project with a very tight schedule. The project is running late, and Mike thinks that he does not have time to consider all the possible solutions that two team members are in disagreement over. Mike quickly decides to go with the team member with the largest amount of seniority. This is an example of which of the following?

A.   Problem-solving

B.   Compromising

C.   Forcing

D.   Withdrawal

24.   You are a project manager in a project-oriented organization. Your job as a project manager can be described best by which of the following?

A.   Full-time

B.   Part-time

C.   Expeditor

D.   Coordinator

25.   You are the project manager of the NHH Project for your organization. This project will span three countries and utilize four languages: English, Flemish, French, and Spanish. In this project, you’ll rely heavily on a virtual project. Of the following, which one is a benefit of using a collocated team?

A.   The project team is dispersed, so the team is self-led.

B.   The project team is dispersed, so communication increases.

C.   The project team is in the same physical location, so their ability to work as a team is enhanced.

D.   The project team is in the same physical location, so project costs are greatly reduced.

SELF TEST ANSWERS

1.   You are the project manager for the JHG Project. This project requires coordination with the directors of manufacturing, resources, the IT department, and the CIO. You will be acquiring resources for the project only as the resources are needed. The goal is to reduce waste, minimize inventory, and forecast resource utilization. What type of approach is this?

A.   Just-in-time manufacturing

B.   Schedule ALAP

C.   Schedule ASAP

D.   Resource recurring factoring

2.   You are the project manager of the GHY Project. This project will remove old lights throughout your building and replace the fixtures with new, cost-saving lights. In this project, you’ll work with internal and external vendors. Your project requires an electrician at month eight. This is an example of which of the following?

A.   Organizational interfaces

B.   Resource requirements

C.   Contractor requirements

D.   Resource constraints

3.   You are the project manager of the PUY Project. This project requires a chemical engineer for seven months of the project, but there are no available chemical engineers within your department. This is an example of which of the following?

A.   Organizational interfaces

B.   Resource requirements

C.   Contractor requirements

D.   Resource constraints

4.   As a PMP, you need to recognize the different organizational structures and the expected amount of authority a project manager will have in these environments. For example, suppose you are the project manager in an organization with a weak matrix. Who will have the authority on your project?

A.   The project manager

B.   The customer

C.   Functional management

D.   The team leader

5.   You are the project manager for the LMG Project. Your project will have several resource issues that must be coordinated and approved by the union. Which of the following statements is correct about this scenario?

A.   The union is considered a resource constraint.

B.   The union is considered a management constraint.

C.   The union is considered a project stakeholder.

D.   The union is considered a project team member.

6.   You are the project manager of the PLY Project. This project is like the ACT Project you completed earlier. What method can you use to expedite the process of organization planning?

A.   Use the project plan of the ACT Project on the PLY Project.

B.   Use the roles and responsibilities definitions of the ACT Project on the PLY Project.

C.   Use the project team reward structure of the ACT Project on the PLY Project.

D.   Use the project team of the ACT Project on the PLY Project.

7.   In your organization, management is referred to as coaches. As a project manager, you are referred to as a project coach. A resource document should be created to handle this scenario. What should it cover?

A.   How coaches are separate from managers

B.   How coaches are the same as managers

C.   How a coach is to complete his job

D.   How the project team is to work for a coach

8.   You are the project manager of the JQA Project. This project will last for eight months, and you have 12 project team members. Management has requested that you create a chart depicting all the project resource needs and the associated activities. Management is looking for which type of chart?

A.   A roles chart

B.   A roles matrix

C.   A roles and responsibilities matrix

D.   A Gantt chart

9.   Many theories and philosophies can affect the approach a manager uses to lead and manage the project team. Based on your knowledge of the different management theories, which of the following is an example of the X in Theory of X and Y?

A.   Self-led project teams

B.   Micromanagement

C.   Team members able to work on their own accord

D.   EVM

   10.   You are the project manager of the PLN Project. Management has asked you to identify the weakest link in the project chain. What approach is management likely using in your organization?

A.   Formal power

B.   Theory of constraints

C.   Critical path networking

D.   Referent power

   11.   Beth is a great application developer and has been in that role for 12 years. Because of her experience, she would make a great project manager of an application development project. What does this scenario best describe?

A.   Halo effect

B.   Coercive power

C.   Expert power

D.   Halo power

   12.   Management has approached Tyler, one of your project team members. Tyler is a database administrator and developer whose work is always on time, accurate, and of quality. He also has a reputation of being a “good guy” and is well liked. Because of this, management has decided to move Tyler into the role of a project manager for a new database administration project. This is an example of which of the following?

A.   Management by exception

B.   The halo effect

C.   Management by objectives

D.   McGregor’s Theory of X and Y

   13.   Susan is the project manager for the PMG Project. She makes all the decisions on the project team, regardless of the project team’s objections. This is an example of which of the following management styles?

A.   Forcing

B.   Democratic

C.   Laissez faire

D.   Exceptional

   14.   You are a new project manager in your company. Many of the project team members do not know you, haven’t worked with you before, and don’t seem interested in working on the project goal now. Some problems have come up in the project and need to be addressed immediately for the project to be successful. Which problem-solving technique is the best for most project management situations?

A.   Confronting

B.   Compromising

C.   Forcing

D.   Avoidance

   15.   Harold is an outspoken project team member. All the project team members respect Harold for his experience with the technology, but things usually have to be done as Harold sees fit; otherwise, things don’t go well. During a discussion on a solution, a project team member throws up her arms and says, “Fine, Harold, do it your way.” This is an example of which of the following?

A.   A win-win solution

B.   A leave-lose solution

C.   A lose-lose solution

D.   A yield-lose solution

   16.   You are the project manager for the GBK Project. This project affects a line of business, and the customer is anxious about the success of the project. Which of the following is likely not a top concern for the customer?

A.   Project priorities

B.   Schedule

C.   Cost

D.   Personality conflicts

   17.   As a project manager in your organization, you believe that projects operate better when the project team is involved in the management processes. You like to include the project team in decisions, listen to their input, and create a familial environment. Which theory believes that workers need to be involved with the management process?

A.   McGregor’s Theory of X and Y

B.   Ouchi’s Theory Z

C.   Herzberg’s Theory of Motivation

D.   Vroom’s Expectancy Theory

   18.   Employees and employers enter the employment contract with certain obligations. The employee is obligated to work and perform according to requirements. The employer is obligated to abide by the employment offer and pay the worker accordingly. Which of the following states that if workers are rewarded they will remain productive?

A.   McGregor’s Theory of X and Y

B.   Ouchi’s Theory Z

C.   Herzberg’s Theory of Motivation

D.   Vroom’s Expectancy Theory

   19.   Mary has created a RACI chart for her project team. What does the C in RACI mean?

A.   Continue

B.   Coercive

C.   Consulted

D.   Character

   20.   You are the project manager for the GHB Project. You have served as a project manager for your organization for the past ten years. Practically all your projects are completed on time and on budget. The project team has worked with you in the past, and they consider you to be an expert project manager. They also like working with you. Given all of this, you likely have what type of power on this project?

A.   Formal power

B.   Coercive power

C.   Expert power

D.   Referent power

   21.   Several types of power can be used in project management. Some of the powers are based on the project manager’s experience, knowledge, perception, or even relationship. Which of the following scenarios is an example of coercive power?

A.   A project manager who has lunch with the project team every Thursday

B.   A project manager who will openly punish any team member who is late with an activity

C.   A project manager who has worked with the technology on the project for several years

D.   A project manager who is friends with all the project team members

   22.   Charles is the project manager for the WAC Project. The customer and a project team member are in conflict over the level of quality needed on a sampling. Charles decides to split the difference between what the two stakeholders want. This is an example of which of the following?

A.   A win-win solution

B.   A win-lose solution

C.   A lose-lose solution

D.   A leave-lose solution

   23.   Mike is the project manager for a project with a very tight schedule. The project is running late, and Mike thinks that he does not have time to consider all the possible solutions that two team members are in disagreement over. Mike quickly decides to go with the team member with the largest amount of seniority. This is an example of which of the following?

A.   Problem-solving

B.   Compromising

C.   Forcing

D.   Withdrawal

   24.   You are a project manager in a project-oriented organization. Your job as a project manager can be described best by which of the following?

A.   Full-time

B.   Part-time

C.   Expeditor

D.   Coordinator

   25.   You are the project manager of the NHH Project for your organization. This project will span three countries and utilize four languages: English, Flemish, French, and Spanish. In this project, you’ll rely heavily on a virtual project. Of the following, which one is a benefit of using a collocated team?

A.   The project team is dispersed, so the team is self-led.

B.   The project team is dispersed, so communication increases.

C.   The project team is in the same physical location, so their ability to work as a team is enhanced.

D.   The project team is in the same physical location, so project costs are greatly reduced.