Chapter 7: Project Human Resource Management IT Project Management, Third Edition Chapter 9 1

The Importance of Human Resource Management People are the most important asset. People determine the success and failure of organizations and projects. Managing human resources effectively is one of the toughest challenges, the project managers face. IT Project Management, Third Edition Chapter 9 2

What is Project Human Resource Management? Project human resource management includes the processes required to make the most effective use of the people involved with a project. Processes include  Organizational planning  Staff acquisition  Team development IT Project Management, Third Edition Chapter 9 3

What is Project Human Resource Management? Processes include  Organizational planning involves identifying, assigning and documenting project roles, responsibilities and reporting relationship. Key outputs of this process includes roles and responsibility assignment shown in a matrix form and an organizational chart.  Staff acquisition involves getting the needed personnel assigned to and working on the project.  Team development involves building individual and group skills to enhance project performance. IT Project Management, Third Edition Chapter 9 4

Organizational Planning Organizational planning involves identifying, documenting, and assigning project roles, responsibilities, and reporting relationships Outputs from the above processes include  project organizational charts  work definition and assignment process  responsibility assignment matrixes (RAM) IT Project Management, Third Edition Chapter 9 5

Figure 9-2. Sample Organizational Chart for a Large IT Project IT Project Management, Third Edition Chapter 9 6

Staff Acquisition Staff acquisition means assigning the appropriate type and number of resources to work on projects at the appropriate time. Staff acquisition is divided into three phases  Resource assignment  Resource loading  Resource leveling The main outputs are project staff assignments and project team directory IT Project Management, Third Edition Chapter 9 7

Resource Loading Once people are assigned to projects, there are two techniques available to project managers that help them use project staff most effectively.  Resource loading  Resource leveling IT Project Management, Third Edition Chapter 9 8

Resource Loading Resource loading refers to the amount of individual resources an existing project schedule requires during specific time periods Resource loading helps project managers develop a general understanding of the demands. Resource histograms show period by period variations in resource loading A histogram can be very helpful in determining staffing needs or in identifying staffing problems. IT Project Management, Third Edition Chapter 9 9

Resource Loading A histogram can also show when work is being over-allocated to a certain person or group. Over-allocation means more resources than are available, are assigned to perform work at a given time IT Project Management, Third Edition Chapter 9 10

Figure 9-7. Sample Histogram Showing an Over-allocated Individual IT Project Management, Third Edition Chapter 9 11

Resource Leveling Resource leveling is a technique for resolving resource conflicts by delaying tasks The main purpose of resource leveling is to create a smoother distribution of resource usage and reduce over-allocation. IT Project Management, Third Edition Chapter 9 12

Team Development The main goal of team development is to help people work together more effectively to improve project performance It takes teamwork to successfully complete most projects Following are the few tools and techniques for team development  Training  Team building activities  Reward and recognition system  General advice on effective use of teams IT Project Management, Third Edition Chapter 9 13

Team Development Organizations provide in-house team building training activities or use services provided by external training companies. IT Project Management, Third Edition Chapter 9 14

Reward and Recognition Systems Google employee Another important tool for promoting team development is the use of team-based reward and recognition systems. Focus on rewarding teamwork for achieving specific goals, which will promote or reinforce people to work more effectively in teams. Allow time for team members to mentor and help each other to meet project goals and develop human resources. Offer bonuses, trips or other rewards to worker who meet or exceed company or project goals. Recognize or reward people who willingly work overtime to meet an aggressive schedule objective. IT Project Management, Third Edition Chapter 9 15

General Advice on Teams Be patient and kind with your team Focus on meeting project objectives and producing positive results Fix the problem instead of blaming people Establish regular, effective meetings Don’t expect teams to work at the highest performance level right from the beginning. Nurture team members and encourage them to help each other Acknowledge individual and group accomplishments Plan some social activities to help the team members and other stakeholders get to know each other better. Limit the size of work teams from three to seven members. IT Project Management, Third Edition Chapter 9 16

Keys to Managing People Psychologists and management theorists have devoted much research and thought to the field of managing people at work Psychosocial issues that affect how people work and how well they work include  motivation (intrinsic and extrinsic)  influence and power  effectiveness IT Project Management, Third Edition Chapter 9 17

Motivation Intrinsic Motivation causes people to participate in an activity for their own enjoyment e.g. some people love to read, write or play an instrument because it makes them feel good. Extrinsic motivation causes people to do something for a reward or to avoid a penalty e.g. some young children don’t like to study, but they do because they receive a reward or avoid a punishment for doing so. IT Project Management, Third Edition Chapter 9 18

Motivation Abraham Maslow developed a hierarchy of needs to illustrate his theory that people’s behaviors are guided or motivated by a sequence of needs IT Project Management, Third Edition Chapter 9 19

Figure 9-1. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs IT Project Management, Third Edition Chapter 9 20

Using Software to Assist in Human Resource Management Software can help in producing RAMs and resource histograms Project management software includes several features related to human resource management such as  viewing resource usage information  identifying under and overallocated resources  leveling resources IT Project Management, Third Edition Chapter 9 21

Figure Resource Usage View from Microsoft Project IT Project Management, Third Edition Chapter 9 22

Project Resource Management Involves Much More Than Using Software Project managers must  Treat people with consideration and respect  Understand what motivates them  Communicate carefully with them Focus on your goal of enabling project team members to deliver their best work IT Project Management, Third Edition Chapter 9 23