PMP Exam Prep - Chapter 9

Human Resource Management

The human resource management process involves Develop Human Resources plan, Acquire Project Team, Develop Project Team, and Manage Project Team. All, except Develop Human Resource Plan, are done during the executing process group. Develop Human Resource plan is part of the planning process group. The beginning of chapter 9 lists the different responsibilities of all people involved in a project. The information PMP Exam Prep provides is very helpful because it provides a list for each individual job. I am not going to list each one, but wanted to make note of it for reference.

Roles and responsibilities should be defined in the Develop Human Resource Plan process. Remember that enterprise environmental factors are company culture and existing systems the project will deal with or make use of. Organizational assets, such as processes, should be considered when developing the human resource plan. Organization charts and position descriptions are a great tool to record and communicate roles and responsibilities. You can use a responsibility assignment matrix, organizational breakdown structures, resource breakdown structures, and position descriptions. A responsibility assignment matrix, "cross-references team members with the activities or work packages they are to accomplish." defines PMP Exam Prep. The organizational breakdown structure breaks responsibilities down by department, whereas the resource breakdown structure breaks work down by resource. Lastly, a position description is pretty self-explanatory, it is a description of the project work. 

PMP Exam Prep states, "Large projects with hundreds of resources require a staffing management plan. This plan, which is part of the human resource plan, includes:"

• Your plan for staff acquisition ("Where will they come from?")
• Resource calendars ("When are people available? When will they be used?")
• Staff release plan ("When will resources be released and no longer be charged to the project?")
• Staff training needs ("What training do the resources need?")
• Recognition and rewards ("What are they? What are the criteria for their use?")
• Compliance ("How will the project comply with any rules related to human resources?")
• Safety ("What policies protect the resources?")

Acquiring the project team is done in the executing process group, under the human resource management knowledge area. According to PMP Exam Prep, it involves:

• Knowing which resources are preassigned to the project and confirming their availability
• Negotiating for the best possible resources
• Hiring new employees
• Hiring resources through the contracting process from outside the performing organization - outsourcing
• Understanding the possibilities and problems with using virtual teams - teams made up of people who never or rarely meet
• Managing the risk of resources becoming unavailable

Negotiation is used when resources are not preassigned. You can negotiate from within your organization, in procurement situations, and from external vendors, suppliers, contractors, etc. If negotiating resources from within the organization PMP Exam Prep writes, "the project manager should:

• "Know the needs of the project and its priority within the organization."
• "Be able to express how the resource's manager will benefit from assisting the project manager."
• "Understand that the resource's manager has his or her own work to do and that the individual may not gain benefits from supporting the project."
• "Do not ask for the best resources if the project does not need them."
• "Be able to prove, by using project management tools such as the network diagram and project schedule, why the project requires the stated quantity and quality of resources."
• "Use the negotiation as an opportunity to discover what the resource's manager will need from the project manager in order to manage his or her own resources."
• "Build a relationship so the project manager can call on the resource's manager's expertise later in the project if necessary." 
• "Work with the resource's manager to deal with situations as they arise."

The halo effect happens when team members are rated high or low in all factors, because they were rated high or low on one specific factor. When a team member is rated, and it is incorrect, it can have a negative affect on the project. This should be avoided.

"The Develop Project Team process is done as part of project executing. This process should result in decreased turnover, improved individual knowledge and skills, and improved teamwork." informs PMP Exam Prep. Team-building activities are a part of developing a project team, and can be a very beneficial tool when used correctly. "It is an attitude, as well as an action." says PMP Exam Prep. In team-building, it is the job of the project manager to guide interactions between team members and should be started in the beginning stages of the project. If a team puts trust in one another, they will work better as a cohesive whole. When there is a lack of trust in a team structure, the project will not be as successful. Team building even has formally identified stages. PMP  Exam Prep provided a list of these stages, "Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, and Adjourning." These stages are pretty self-explanatory, and I bet you can figure them out without even referencing to the book.

Ground rules should be set in order to eliminate conflicts and problems that may arise throughout the project. A co-location (or War room) may be set up by the project manager. This location is useful for teams that are spread out in different cities. The co-location acts as a central meeting place for the team. Recognition and rewards are given out during the Develop Project Team process to appraise performance. Lastly in the Develop Project Team phase, team performance assessments are done. These assessments are used to simply assess the team and it's effectiveness.

The Manage Project Team is part of the executing process group in the Human Resource Management knowledge area.  PMP

The difference between a project performance appraisal and a team performance assessment should be noted. A project performance appraisal is focused on the performance of a team member, whereas a team performance assessment is focused on the team performance. The appraisal is for the individual team member, and the assessment is for the entire team as a whole. Issue logs are helpful tools because it will help track any issues that arise and can be referred back to. 

PMP Exam Prep includes a list of the different powers of a project manager. I have listed them below.

• Formal - based on your position. Derived from position in the company.
• Reward - based on giving rewards. One of best powers. Derived from position in the company.
• Penalty - based on penalizing team members. Worst form of power. Derived from position in the company.
• Expert - based on expertise. One of best powers. Earned on your own.
• Referent - based on the power of fame and charisma.

There are many management and leadership styles involved in Project Management, and yours will most likely change throughout the project. The leadership and management styles listed in PMP Exam Prep include "directing, facilitating, coaching, supporting, autocratic, consultative, consultative-autocratic, consensus, delegating, bureaucratic, charismatic, democratic or participative, laissez-faire, analytical, driver, and influencing. Conflict should not always be viewed as negative. At times, conflict can be beneficial, as it likely requires a resolution. PMP Exam Prep provides seven sources of conflict and suggests, "memoriz(ing) the top four, and remember(ing) that personality is last." The seven conflict sources PMP Exam Prep lists, in order of frequencing, are "schedules, project priorities, resources, technical opinions, administrative procedures, cost, and personality."

PMP Exam Prep provides techniques to know for the exam in regards to conflict resolution and they are as follows: "confronting (problem solving), compromising, withdrawal (avoidance), smoothing (accommodating), collaborating, and forcing." When problem solving, try to remember what the real problem is, and not what the problem may clearly seem to be. There are a few other terms PMP Exam Prep provides and suggests remembering them. These terms include Expectancy Theory, Arbitration, Perquisites, Fringe Benefits, and Motivation Theory. Expectancy Theory involves the expectations of rewards by the employee. PMP Exam Prep explains that arbitration is when, "..a neutral party hears and resolves a dispute." Perquisites, or perks, are special rewards given to employees. Education benefits and insurance are known as Fringe benefits, as they are the "standard" benefits.
PMP Exam Prep provides four motivation theories that need to be understood for the exam. The first motivation theory is McGregor's Theory of X and Y. McGregor's theory of X says that employees need to be watched at all times and are incapable. Theory Y is a much more positive theory as it is the belief that employees are capable and want to achieve. The second motivation theory is Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. This theory involves "self-actualization" and uses a pyramid to show how people move through the different levels of needs. David McClelland's Theory of Needs is the third motivation theory and believes that people are motivated by either achievement, affiliation, or power. The fourth theory is Herzberg's Theory and it involves motivating agents and hygiene factors.

Chapter 9 of PMP Exam Prep ends with this, "So the lesson here is that motivating people is best done by rewarding them and letting them grow." Every person is different, and therefor may be motivated by something completely separate from another team member.