Project Human Resources
Week 9 Learning Objectives
You should be able to:
 List and describe staffing processes, inputs,
outputs, and tools
 Discuss HR issues unique to PM and IT
 List obstacles to team development of IT teams
 List characteristics of a high-performance IT team
 Define the 5 levels of the P-CMM
 Explain what P-CMM adds to the CMM, overall,
and at each level
Human Resource (HR) Management
HR skills and knowledge also apply to PM
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leadership
communication
negotiation
delegation
motivation
coaching and
mentoring
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team building
conflict resolution
performance appraisal
recruitment
retention
job design
career development
Project HR Mgmt Challenges
 transient nature of jobs
 temporary personal and organizational
relationships
 stakeholders change from phase to phase
 still need compliance with administrative
requirements (EEOC, etc.)
 IT: continuing shortage of skilled workers
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
5. Selfactualization
4. Esteem
3. Social
2. Safety
1. Physiological
Maslow’s Motivators are Sequential
 Human behavior: love, self-esteem, belonging,
self-expression, creativity - do have control
 The lower the level, more urgent the need
 People are motivated by higher level needs only
when lower level needs have been satisfied
 1st 4 are deficiency needs, 5th is growth need
 Self-actualized: problem-focused, growth-oriented
 Different people at different levels
 IT people likely to have met #1 and #2
Herzberg’s 2-factor Theory
Satisfiers / Motivators
 Achievement
 Recognition
 Responsibility
 Advancement
 Growth
Dissatisfiers / Hygiene
 Working conditions
 Salary
 Relationships
 Security
Expectancy Theory:
How to motivate with rewards
Individual must believe that:
 effort -> performance
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expectancy
 performance -> rewards
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instrumentality
 and, rewards are valued
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valence
 extrinsic and intrinsic rewards
Pay Can be Motivating If:
 It is contingent on behavior
 It is equitable
 It is based on clear, accurate, and realistic
measures
Types of Power:
Position and Personal
 Coercive power
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 Expert power
threat of punishment
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 Reward power
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promise of incentives
 Legitimate power
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formal authority
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knowledge, experience,
judgment
needed by someone else
access, control of information
access to key decisionmakers
 Referent power
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identification with power
source
charisma
Implications for PM’s
 Understand motivation and individuals
 Understand organizational power and
influence
 Rely on work challenge and expertise more
than authority and money to motivate
 Develop communication skills
Covey’s 7 Habits
 Be proactive: anticipate and choose responses
 Begin with end in mind: focus on goals
 Put first things first: priorities for managing time
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categorize activities re: importance, urgency
focus on important as much as urgent
Think win/win
Seek to understand, be understood: communication
Synergize: collaboration
“Sharpen the saw”: take time to self-renew
Project HR Management Processes
Staffing Management Plan
Roles & Responsibilities
Staff Assignments
Organizational
Planning
Team Directory
Staff Acquisition
Project Interfaces
Staffing Needs
Team
Development
Organizational Planning
 Identify, document, and assign
 Roles, responsibilities, and reporting
relationships
 To groups and individuals
 Linked to communication planning
 Tools:
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templates from previous projects
HR practices, policies, procedures, etc.
Organizational Planning Inputs
 Project Interfaces
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formal and informal reporting relationships
among organizational units
organizational, technology, interpersonal
 Staffing requirements
 Constraints
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organization structure and culture
contractual agreements
team preferences and skills
Organizational Planning Outputs
 Role and responsibility assignments
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who does what (roles)
who decides what (responsibilities)
 Staffing Management Plan
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when, how staff are added and released
formal or informal, broad or detailed
Goal: reduce cost, minimize “make work”
Goal: improve morale by reducing uncertainty
 Organization chart: reporting relationships
 Supporting details:
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organization impacts, job descriptions, training needs
Project Organization Charts
 OBS: organization breakdown structure
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units responsible for work items
 RAM: responsibility assignment matrix
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people responsible for and performing work
stakeholder responsibilities for activities
 Resource histogram
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staffing levels needed over time
Resource Loading and Leveling
 Resource loading
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amount of resources required during specific
time periods
shows over-allocation
 Resource leveling
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smoother distribution of resource use
shift tasks within slack allowances
easier to manage more even levels
Staff Acquisition
 Inputs:
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staffing management plan
staffing pool description
• experience, interests, compatibility, availability
 Outputs:
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staff assignments and team directory
 Tools:
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negotiation with FMs, other PMs
pre-assignment or procurement (external)
need to address retention as well as recruitment
Team Development: Definition
 Help people work together more effectively
to improve project performance
 Enhancing the ability of stakeholders to
contribute to the project
 Enhancing the ability of the team to
function as a team
 Complicated by multiple reporting
relationships (matrix structures)
Team Development Process:
Inputs and Outputs
Inputs:
Outputs:
 Staff
 Project and staffing
plans
 Performance reports
 External feedback
 Performance
improvements
 Inputs to performance
appraisals
Tools for Team Development
 Training and education
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management, technical
 Team-building
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involvement of team members in planning
ground rules (conflict, decision-making)
professional facilitation
 Reward and recognition systems
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promote specific behaviors
link rewards to clear, achievable performance goals
 Co-location: distributed teams?
Team Development Phases
 Form
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gather information
 Storm
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Conflict over styles, values, goals, power
 Norm
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Achieve balance, coordination, protocols
 Perform
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Complete tasks, handle conflict
Motivation, satisfaction
 Disband - closure
An Effective Team:
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Gets the job done
Takes care of its members
Trust and support each other
Has confidence in its decisions
Has open, honest communication
Members’ values & needs match group’s
Listen and respond constructively
Value each others’ contributions
IT: programmers and teams
 Knowledge workers
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traditional HR may not apply
still need structure:
• job definition, motivation, feedback, career focus
 Programmers vs. team work
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Programmers view teams as stifling to creativity
Equate meetings, team processes, as time away
from real work
Heroes are individual stars, not teams
 Challenge: Scarcity of IT personnel
Managing a Team
 Assume the best about people - be kind
 Fix the problem vs. finding blame
 Have regular, effective meetings
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focused, results-oriented, action-oriented
 Limit team size to 3-7
 Plan social activities
 Nurture team members and train and
encourage team to nurture itself
 Recognize individual and team achievement
People Capability Maturity
Model (P-CMM)
 Recognition of need for team development
 Parallels CMM
 Same 5 levels
P-CMM
Levels
Optimizing
(5)
Continuously improve methods
for developing personal and
organizational competence
Quantitatively manage
organizational growth in
workforce capabilities and
establish copetency-based teams
Identify primary
competencies and align
workforce activities with
them
Instill basic discipline in
workforce activities
Repeatable
(2)
Initial
(1)
Managed
(4)
Defined
(3)
1. Initial Level (P-CMM)
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Inconsistent performance
Little guidance or training
Managers do not accept responsibility for
workforce development
Workforce capability unknown
Mismatch between practices and work
Individual agendas
High turnover
2. Repeatable (P-CMM)
 Eliminate obstacles to performance:
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environmental distractions
unclear performance objectives
lack of skill or knowledge
poor communication
 Establish policies
 Instill responsibility and discipline
 Management commitment
3. Defined (P-CMM)
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Adapts workforce practices to its specific
business
Identifies core competencies, plans to
develop them
Systematic skill development
Common organizational culture
Shared workforce responsibility for growth
Improved ability to predict performance
4. Managed (P-CMM)
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Quantitative objectives for core competencies
Alignment across organization
High-performance competency-based team
culture
• complementary knowledge & skills
• team building and maintenance
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Mentors: support, guidance, skills
Quantitative assessment and analysis
Predictable performance results
5. Optimizing (P-CMM)
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Continuous improvement of individual
competencies
• incremental advances
• innovative practices
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Data used to measure improvements
Culture of performance excellence
Key Process Areas
of P-CMM
Optimizing (5)
Continuous workforce innovation
Coaching
Personal Competency Development
Managed (4)
Organizational performance alignment
Team-Based practiccs
Team Building
Defined (3)
Participatory Culture
Career Development
Workforce Planning
Knowledge and Skills Analysis
Repeatable (2)
Work Environment
Compensation
Training
Communication
Initial (1)
Major Themes in P-CMM
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Developing capabilities
Building teams and culture
Motivating and managing performance
Workforce focus