chapter 8 recruiting, organizing, and managing the project...

Dr. Anwar Abu-Zarifa . Islamic University of Gaza . Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering © 2017/2018 1

Chapter 8

Recruiting, Organizing, and ManagingThe Project Team


Produce more and better solutions to a problem.

Make more efficient use of resources.

Social motivation is higher in the presence of others.

The presence of others leads to increased productivity.

Where tasks involving random error are in process, teams tendto produce superior judgments.

Team learn faster

Importance of The Team


Recruiting the Project Team

Project plans and their execution are only as successful as themanager and team who implement them. Building effective teamsis as much an art as a science.

When recruiting and building an effective team, you mustconsider not only the technical skills of each person but also thecritical roles and chemistry that must exist between and amongthe project manager and the team members.

The selection of project manager and team members will not beperfect there are always risks with any personnel decision.


A project team has three separate components:

Project managerCore teamContracted team

Recruiting the Project Team cont.


When to select the Project Manager

The timing in selecting a project manager varies. Ideally, youwant the project manager in the chair at the very beginning of theproject. In some cases, the project manager might not beidentified until the project has been approved for implementation.

Project Manager

Project managers are the leaders of the projects. They areresponsible for completing the project on time, within budget, andaccording to specification.

Project managers should have both business management andtechnical expertise.


Selection CriteriaA project manager must be experienced, capable, and competent in getting the project done on time, within budget, and according to specifications. The potential project manager should have the following general skills*:

Background and ExperienceLeadership and strategic ExpertiseTechnical ExpertiseInterpersonal CompetenceManagerial Ability

*Harold Kerzner,: a pioneer in project management and one of the leading authorities in the field.

Project Manager cont.


Core Team Members

Are with the project from cradle to grave

Typically have a major role to play in the project and bring a skillset that has broad applicability across the range of workundertaken.

Might also have responsibility for key activities or sets ofactivities

When to SelectUsually identified at the beginning of the scoping phase sothey can participate in the early definition and planning of theproject


Core Team Members cont.

Selection Criteria

CommitmentShared ResponsibilityFlexibilityTask-OrientedAbility to work within schedule and constraintsWillingness to give trust and mutual supportTeam-orientedOpen-mindedAbility to work across structure and authoritiesAbility to use PM tools


Organizations are routinely outsourcing processes that are notpart of their core business or core expertise.There are two reasons for choosing to use contract teammembers instead of the company’s own employees:

Shortage of staffShortage of skills

Contracted Team Members

When to SelectTypically, contracted team members are available for only shortperiods of time on the project. They possess a skill that is neededfor just a brief time. They are assigned to the project when it istime for them to contribute their skills. As soon as they havecompleted their assigned task, they leave the project.


Implications of contracted team members:

There may be little or no variance in the time contracted teammembers are available, so the activities on which they work mustremain on schedule.They must be briefed on their role in the project and how theiractivity relates to other activities in the project.Commitment of contracted members may be a problembecause their priorities probably lie elsewhere.Quality of work may be an issue because of poor levels ofcommitment.Contracted team members will often require more supervisionthan core team members.

Contracted Team Members cont.


Selection Criteria (Engaging Services)

Contracted team members are usually employed or represented byagencies that cater to technical professionals who prefer freelancing to full-time employment.

Identify the types of skills needed, the number of personnel, and thetimeframe within which they will be needed.Identify a list of companies that will be invited to submit a proposal.Write the request for proposal.Establish the criteria for evaluating responses and selecting the vendor(s)Distribute the request for proposalEvaluate the responsesReduce the list of vendors to a few who will be invited on site to make aformal presentationConduct the onsite presentationsChoose the final vendor(s), and write and sign the contract

Contracted Team Members cont.


Organizing the Project Team

Authority and responsiblity go hand in hand.

To be effective, the project manager must have authority overthe project.

It is his or her job to get the project done on time, within budget,and according to specification.

The major difficulty that project managers have is that theproject team is not their line responsibility: “Team members areassigned based on their expertise but report to other managers,which means that the project manager will have to exercise thebest leadership skills and diplomacy to get the job done”.

Authority


The project manager assigns activity management responsibilityto team members and they are then responsible for completingtheir assigned activity within its scheduled window of time and forproducing the activity deliverables on time according tospecification.

The PM will keep everybody on the team informed of projectstatus.

Responsibility


Establishing Team Operating Rules

These rules define how the team works together, makesdecisions, resolves conflicts, reports progress, and deals with ahost of other administrative chores.

Even before the work of the project begins, the team shouldagree on how it will work together.

When the team is deep into the work of the project is no time tobe deciding how they will work together !!


Problem solvingDecision makingConflict resolutionConsensus buildingBrainstormingTeam meetings

Situations Requiring Team Operating Rules


Problem solving

There will be many situations during the course of the projectwork in which the team will be challenged to figure out how tosatisfactorily meet the client’s needs while maintaining theschedule and the budget within the assigned resources.

Couger’s Creative Problem Solving (CPS) model

Step One Delineate opportunity and define problemStep Two Compile relevant information.Step Three Generate ideasStep Four Evaluate and prioritize ideasStep Five Develop implementation plan (build a plan to

implement the solution)


There are three major types of decision-making models:DirectiveIn this model, the person with the authority - the projectmanager for the project and the task manager for the task - makesthe decision for all team members.ParticipativeIn this model, everyone on the team contributes to the decision-making process.ConsultativeWhile the person in authority makes the decision, the decision ismade only after consulting with all members to get their input andideas.This approach is participative at the input stage but directive atthe point of decision.

Decision Making


Conflicts arise when two or more team members have adifference of opinion, when the customer takes issue with anaction to be taken by the project team, or in a variety of othersituations involving two parties with different points of view.

The difference must be resolved.

Depending on the particular conflict situation, the team mightadopt one of three conflict resolution styles:

Avoidant: avoid a direct confrontationCombative: the PM must be able to mitigate the situation.Collaborative: win-win situation

Conflict Resolution


Consensus Building

Consensus building is a process that a team can follow to reachagreement on which alternative to proceed with for the item(action, decision, and so forth) under consideration.

Is an excellent tool to have in the project team tool kit.

If the project manager chooses to operate on a consensusbasis, he or she must clearly define the situations in whichconsensus will be acceptable.


Brainstorming is an essential part of the team operating rulesbecause, at several points in the life of the project, the creativity ofthe team will be tested.

Is a technique that can focus that creativity and help the teamdiscover solutions.

A brainstorming session is one in which the team contributesideas.

Brainstorming sessions have been quite successful inuncovering solutions where none seemed present.

The team needs to know how the project manager will conductsuch sessions and what will be done with the output.

Brainstorming


Team Meetings

PM needs to define team meetings in terms of frequency,length, meeting dates, submission-preparation-distribution of theagenda, who calls the meeting, and who is responsible forrecording and distributing the minutes.Entire team needs to participate in and understand the rules andstructure of the meetings that will take place over the life of theproject.Team will need to decide on several procedural matters,including the following:

Meeting FrequencyAgenda PreparationMeeting CoordinatorRecording/Distributing Minutes


Getting information to the correct team members at the righttime in the project usually determines the success or failure of theproject.

Channels:

Face-to-FaceEmailPhoneVideoconferenceWritten Materials

Managing Team Communications

chapter 8 recruiting, organizing, and managing the project...

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