Chapter 9

Project HumanResource Management1The Importance of Human Resource ManagementMany corporate executives have said, People are our most important assetPeople determine the success and failure of organizations and projectsMost project managers agree that managing human resources effectively is one of the toughest challenges they faceProject human resource management is a vital component of project management, especially in the ICT field in which qualified people are often hard to find and keep.2Global IT WorkforceUnemployment rates in many IT occupations is one of the lowest in the global labor forceDemand for Talent is high and several organizations can not grow as desired due to difficulties in hiring the people they needEmployers like to hire people with a solid record of accomplishment. It helps to have previous experience in related field.But employers say that the most important skill for IT workers is their interpersonal skills.As the job market changes continuously people should upgrade their skills to remain marketable and flexibleNegotiation and presentation skills also become crucial in finding and keeping a good job.3Implications for the Future of IT Human Resource ManagementProactive organizations are addressing workforce needs by:Improving benefits such as informal dress codes, flexible work hours, tuition assistance, on-site day care etc.Redefining work hours working less than 40 hours a week or working from home several days a week etc.Incentives provide incentives that use performance not hours worked, as the basis for rewardsFinding future workers who will maintain the systems we have today or who will continue to develop new quality products 4What is Project Human Resource Management?Processes required for making the most effective use of the people involved with a projectProcesses include:Developing the human resource plan: identifying and documenting project roles, responsibilities, and reporting relationshipsAcquiring the project team: getting the needed personnel assigned to and working on the projectDeveloping the project team: building individual and group skills to enhance project performanceManaging the project team: tracking team member performance, motivating team members, providing timely feedback, resolving issues and conflicts, and coordinating changes to help enhance project performance 5Keys to Managing People6Motivation plays an important role in building peoples ability to work properly.A motivated individual can play an important part and work to achieve certain goals.We can look at what is motivation and how it can be achieved in different circumstances.Intrinsic and Extrinsic MotivationIntrinsic motivation causes people to participate in an activity for their own enjoyment

Extrinsic motivation causes people to do something for a reward or to avoid a penalty

For example, some children take piano lessons for intrinsic motivation (they enjoy it) while others take them for extrinsic motivation (to get a reward or avoid punishment)7Maslows Hierarchy of NeedsIt states that peoples behaviors are guided or motivated by a sequence of needs such asPsychological needs basic needs like thirst and hungerSafety needs Physical safety, economic securitySocial needs Association with team/groupEsteem needs Recognition, statusSelf-Actualization Challenging opportunities to prove one selfMaslow suggests that each level of need is a prerequisite of the next one. For example people in a emergency situation wont be worried about personal growth, personal survival would be their main motivation.

8Maslows Hierarchy of Needs

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Maslows Hierarchy of NeedsIf our project team member is worried about getting food on the family table, about the safety of their family, doesnt know where the next payment is going to come from; (the lower levels of needs) they may not be a good member of our team.

We want individuals from the upper hierarchy of needs on our team. People seeking challenges and opportunities.

If our team members are not at the higher levels, the project manager should seek to help fulfill their lower needs. Train the person so they improve their skills and then can in turn earn a higher salary and hopefully move up in the hierarchy. Improve our team members!

Beware of team members that have too many problems. Can they leave their problems at home? We are going to have enough problems completing our project!

10Ways to Influence that Help and Hurt ProjectsProjects are more likely to succeed when project managers influence with:Expertise Special KnowledgeWork challenge

Projects are more likely to fail when project managers rely too heavily on:AuthorityMoneyPenalty11Improving EffectivenessProject managers can improve effectiveness on projectsBe proactive anticipate and plan for problems like changesBegin with the end in mind Goal to achievePut first things first must focus on important things which are not urgent like developing various project plans, building relations with major stakeholders etc.Think win/win overcome conflict and create a win/win situation. Seek first to understand, then to be understoodSynergize grouping together yields better results12Empathic Listening and RapportGood project managers are empathic listeners; they listen with the intent to understand

Before you can communicate with others, you have to have rapport, a relation of harmony, conformity, accord, or affinity

Mirroring is the matching of certain behaviors of the other person, a technique to help establish rapport

IT professionals need to develop empathic listening and other people skills to improve relationships with users and other stakeholders13Developing the Human Resource PlanInvolves identifying and documenting project roles, responsibilities, and reporting relationships

Contents include:Project organizational chartsStaffing management planResponsibility assignment matrixesResource histograms14Sample Organization Chart15

Sample Responsibility Assignment Matrix16

RACI Charts17Some organizations prefer to build RACI charts for responsibility assignment because of its elaborative style.It can show Responsibility (who is responsible for a task), Accountability (who is accountable or performs the task), Consultation (who provides consultation for the task), Informed (who must be kept informed about the task status).

Staffing Management Plans and Resource HistogramsA staffing management plan describes when and how people will be added to and taken off the project team

A resource histogram is a column chart that shows the number of resources assigned to a project over time

Staffing management plan often includes a resource histogram

18Sample Resource Histogram

19Acquiring the Project TeamAcquiring qualified people for teams is crucialProject managers with strong influencing and negotiating skills are often good at getting internal people to work on a project.It is important to have good procedures in place for hiring subcontractors and recruiting new employees.It is also a priority to address retention issues.One innovative way to hiring and retaining IT staff is to offer existing employees incentives for helping to recruit and retain personnel.Once people are assigned to projects, there are two techniques available to project managers that help them use project staff most efficiently : resource loading and resource leveling20Resource LoadingResource loading refers to the amount of individual resources an existing schedule requires during specific time periodsHelps project managers develop a general understanding of the demands a project will make on the organizations resources and individual peoples schedulesSo we have identified a task (work) that is to be completed. We identify the resources required to complete that task within the time allotted. Overallocation means that the work requires more resources than are available. We dont have the resources that are required. So, Triple Constraint, we can change the amount of work that the task requires (scope), increase the budget (cost) and obtain more resources, and/ or extend the schedule (time) for the task to be completed.

21Resource LevelingResource leveling is a technique for resolving resource conflicts by delaying tasks (more time)It is a form of network analysis in which resource management concerns drive scheduling decisionsThe main purpose of resource leveling is to create a smoother distribution of resource usage and reduce over-allocationProject Managers examine the network diagram for areas of slack or float, and to identify resource conflicts.They remove the over-allocations by delaying noncritical tasks, which does not result in an overall schedule delay.22Resource Leveling Example23

Developing the Project TeamThe main goal of team development is to help people work together more effectively to improve project performance It takes teamwork to successfully complete most projects24TrainingTraining can help people understand themselves, each other, and how to work better in teamsMany organizations provide e-learning facilities to help train their employees any time and at any place.To train your people to work on new projects is more realistic than to hire a new lot.Team building activities include:Physical challenges hiking, trekking, sports etc.Psychological preference indicator tools

25Meyers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)MBTI is a popular tool for determining personality preferences and helping teammates understand each other Four dimensions include:Extrovert/Introvert (E/I) drawing energy from external or internal sourcesSensation/Intuition (S/N) being practical minded or imaginativeThinking/Feeling (T/F) objective & logical or subjective & personalJudgment/Perception (J/P) closure & task completion or open & flexible plan NTs or rationals are attracted to technology fieldsIT people vary most from the general population in not being extroverted or sensingIf a project manager is N and one of the team members is S then project manager should take time to provide more concrete, detailed explanations while discussing the persons task assignment.26Social Styles ProfilePeople are perceived as behaving primarily in one of four zones, based on their assertiveness and responsiveness:Drivers proactive and task-oriented in other words pushyExpressives proactive and people-oriented in other words excitable, reacting, egotistical.Analyticals reactive and task-oriented in other words critical, picky, stuffy.Amiables reactive and people-oriented in other words conforming, dependent, unsure, agreeable. People on opposite corners (drivers and amiables, analyticals and expressives) may have difficulties getting along27Social Styles

28DISC ProfilesAlso uses a four-dimensional model of normal behaviorDominanceInfluenceSteadinessCompliance

People in opposite quadrants can have problems understanding each other29The DISC Profile

30Reward and Recognition SystemsTeam-based reward and recognition systems can promote teamwork

Focus on rewarding teams for achieving specific goals

Allow time for team members to mentor and help each other to meet project goals and develop human resources31Five Dysfunctions of a TeamTeamwork remains the one sustainable competitive advantage that has been largely untappedThe five dysfunctions of teams are:Absence of trustFear of conflictLack of commitmentAvoidance of accountabilityInattention to results

32General Advice on TeamsBe patient and kind with your team

Fix the problem instead of blaming people

Establish regular, effective meetings

Allow time for teams to go through the basic team-building stages

Limit the size of work teams to three to seven members33General Advice on Teams (continued)Plan some social activities to help project team members and other stakeholders get to know each other better

Stress team identity

Nurture team members and encourage them to help each other

Take additional actions to work with virtual team members

34Project Resource Management Involves Much More Than Using SoftwareProject managers must:Treat people with consideration and respectUnderstand what motivates themCommunicate carefully with them

Focus on your goal of enabling project team members to deliver their best work 35