Project HR Management

This chapter covers key concepts related to Project HR Management.
The knowledge area of Project HR Management consists of the following processes -

HR Management Processes

Process	Project Phase	Key Deliverables
Develop Human Resource Plan	Planning	Human Resource Plan
Acquire Project Team	Execution	Project Staff assignments
Develop Project Team	Execution	Team performance assessments
Manage Project Team	Execution	Change requests

Develop Human Resource Plan process involves identifying and documenting project roles and responsibilities. The table below gives the inputs, tools and techniques, and Outputs for the Develop Human Resource Plan process -

Develop Human Resource Plan Process

Inputs	Tools and Techniques	Outputs
Enterprise environmental factors	Organization charts and position descriptions	Human resource plan
Organizational process assets	Organizational Theory
Activity resource requirements	Networking

Acquire project team process involves identifying and obtaining the team necessary to execute the project. The table below gives the inputs, tools and techniques, and Outputs for the Acquire project team process -

Acquire project team process

Inputs	Tools and Techniques	Outputs
Project management plan	Pre-assignment	Project staff assignments
Enterprise environmental factors	Negotiation	Resource calendars
Organizational process assets	Acquisition	Project management plan updates
	Virtual teams

Develop project team process involves improving the competencies of the team members and improving teamwork between the team. The table below gives the inputs, tools and techniques, and Outputs for the Develop project team process -

Develop project team process

Inputs	Tools and Techniques	Outputs
Project staff assignment	Interpersonal skills	Team performance assessments
Project management plan	Training	Enterprise environmental factors updates
Resource calendars	Team-building activities
	Ground rules
	Co-location
	Recognition and rewards

Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) defines who does what. The Staffing Management Plandefines when will people get added and removed from the project.
A Project Manager may yield authority over the project team in one of the following ways -

• Referent - project team knows the PM
• Formal Power - Power due to Project Managers position
• Technical Power - Project Manager has strong technical skills in the projects domain.
• Coercive Power - The project team is afraid of the power the Project Manager holds.

Conflicts in the team are caused due to the following reasons in decreasing order of occurrences.

• Schedules
• Project Priorities
• Resources
• Technical Opinions

So the most common cause of conflicts in projects are issues related to schedules.
Conflicts are best resolved by those in the team.
There are standard conflict resolution techniques available to resolve conflicts. These are (from best to worst) -

• Problem Solving or Confrontation (look at the facts, analyze them and find a solution). This is an example of win-win situation.
• Compromising (Find the middle route). This is an example of loose-loose situation.
• Withdrawal or Avoidance
• Smoothing (Emphasize the agreements)
• Forcing (Do it my way). This is an example of win-loose situation.

The process of problem solving has these steps -

• Define the cause of the problem
• Analyze the problem
• Identify solution
• Implement a decision
• Review the decision, and confirm that the problem is solved.

Manage project team process is the process of tracking team member performance and managing issues within the team. The table below gives the inputs, tools and techniques, and Outputs for the Manage project team process -

Manage project team process

Inputs	Tools and Techniques	Outputs
Project staff assignments	Observation and conversation	Enterprise environmental factors updates
Project management plan	Project performance appraisals	Organizational process assets updates
Team performance assets	Conflict management	Change requests
Performance reports	Issue log	Project management plan updates
Organizational process assets	Interpersonal skills

War room is a technique for team building. As part of this the project team meets in one room. It helps to create a project identity.
Halo Effect is the assumption that because the person is good at a technology, he will be good as a project manager.
There are many organizational theories. Some of the main ones are - Expectancy Theory, McGregory Theory, Herzberg Theory, Maslow's Hierarchy of needs.
Expectancy Theory - People accept to be rewarded for their efforts. This is a motivation factor. People put in more efforts because they accept to be rewarded for their efforts.
McGregory Theory of X and Y - There are two type of employees. Employees of type X need to be always watched. They cannot be trusted and need to be micro managed. Employees of type Y, on the other hand, are self-motivated. They can work independently.
Herzberg Theory - Hygiene factors (salary, cleanliness etc.) if not present can destroy motivation. However good hygiene alone does not improve motivation. What motivates people is the work itself. The motivation factors for employees include responsibility, self-actualization, growth, recognition etc.
Maslow's Hierarchy of needs - there are various levels of needs for an employee. When a lower level is met, employee attempts to reach the next higher level. The maximum satisfaction is achieved when the employee reaches the highest level of satisfaction - self-fulfillment. These level of needs from the highest to lowest are -

• Self-fulfillment
• Esteem
• Social
• Safety
• Physiology