Resource Management Overview

Resource management involves planning, estimating and acquiring resources, developing and managing people, and controlling physical resources.

• Team members competencies need to be improved and it is a critical responsibility of a project manager

• Executing process group primarily includes Resource Management

• Resource activities done by a project manager requires documentation and is formal in nature

• Formal roles and responsibilities are to be assigned to project team members to assist the project manager in effective project execution

• A project is coordinated by the project manager and planned by the teams

• Resource availability must be confirmed by the project manager

• The project team consists of a project manager, project management team and other team members of a project.

A project management team includes some of the team members to help assist the project manager with project management activities.

• Team building activities are a required part of project management. A project manager formally plans team building activities in advance.

• The project manager must track team member performance The human resource responsibilities increase as the size of the project team increases.

The resource management process involves:

• Identification of team members

• Defining roles and responsibilities

• Creation of reward systems

• Improving team members performance

• Track team and individual performances

• Identify physical resources and ensure effective utilization (control, that is)

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Clear identification of roles and responsibilities of management, team members, and other stakeholders on the project, using tools such as responsibility assignment matrix is a key activity of a project manager.

ROLE OF A PROJECT SPONSOR / INITIATOR

A sponsor is the one who provides financial resources for the project. For the purpose of the PMP exam, a sponsor could also be a customer, senior management, others. Management serves as a protector of the project.

ROLE OF A SPONSOR

The role of a sponsor prior to (or during) project initiation:

• Advocates for or champions the project, especially while the project concept is being put together

• Serves as a voice for the project or spokesperson to those who do not know about the project, including upper management

• Gathers the appropriate support for the project

• Ensures buy-in throughout the organization

• Provides funding

• Provides the project statement of work

• Provides information regarding the initial scope of the project

• May dictate milestones, key events, or the project end date

• Determines the priorities between the constraints

• Provides information that helps develop the project charter

• Gives the project manager authority as outlined in the project charter

• Helps organize work into appropriate projects

• Sets priorities between projects

• Encourages the finalization of high-level requirements and scope by the stakeholders

• Guides the process to get the project approved and formalized, assisted by the project manager as necessary

The role of a sponsor during project planning:

• Provides the project team with time to plan

• May review the WBS

• Supplies list of risks

• Determines the reports needed by management to oversee the project

• Provides expert judgment

• Helps evaluate trade-offs during crashing, fast-tracking, and reestimating

• Approve the final project management plan 

The role of a sponsor during project execution, monitoring and controlling:

• Protects the project from outside influences and changes

• Enforces quality policies

• Provides expert judgment

• Helps evaluate trade-offs during crashing, fast-tracking, and re-estimating

• Resolves conflicts that extend beyond the project managers control

• Approves or rejects changes or authorizes someone representing him or her to do so

• May direct that a quality assurance review is performed

• Clarifies scope questions

• Works with the project manager to monitor progress

The role of a sponsor during project closing:

• Provides formal acceptance of the deliverables

• Supports the collection of historical records from past projects

ROLE OF THE TEAM

A team is a group of people who will complete work on the project. The team may help to:

• Identify and involve stakeholders

• Identify requirements

• Identify constraints and assumptions

• Create the WBS

• Decompose work packages for which they are responsible for schedule activities

• Help identify dependencies between activities

• Provide time and cost estimates

• Participate in risk management process

• Comply with quality and communications plan

• Help enforce ground rules

• Execute the project management plan to accomplish work defined in the project scope statement

• Attend project team meetings

• Conduct process improvements

• Recommend changes to the project, including corrective actions Some team members may have project management responsibilities in addition to their responsibilities of implementing work. If so, they are considered part of the project management team.

ROLE OF STAKEHOLDERS AS A GROUP

The stakeholder is anyone who can positively or negatively influence the project, including the customers or users, the project manager and team, the projects sponsor, program and portfolio managers, the PMO functional managers within the organization, and external sellers that provide services or materials for the project. The stakeholders may be involved in:

• The creation of the project charter and the project scope statement

• Project management plan development

• Approving project changes and being on the change control board

• Identifying constraints

• Identifying requirements

• Risk management The stakeholders may also become risk response owners.

The following section contains PMBoK v5 content and it is not applicable to PMBoK v6.

Human Resource Management involves: An integral part of project management is an important function of human resource function i.e. creating recognition and reward system

• Team members competencies need to be improved and it is a critical responsibility of a project manager

• Executing process group primarily includes Human Resource Management

• Human Resource activities done by a project manager requires documentation and is formal in nature

• Formal roles and responsibilities are to be assigned to project team members to assist the project manager in effective project execution

• Project is coordinated by the project manager and planned by the teams

• Resource availability must be confirmed by the project manager

• The project team consists of a project manager, project management team and other team members of a project.

A project management team includes some of the team members to help assist the project manager with project management activities.

• Team building activities are a required part of project management. A project manager formally plans team building activities in advance.

• The project manager must track team member performance The human resource responsibilities increase as the size of the project team increases.

The human resource management process involves:

• Identification of team members

• Defining roles and responsibilities

• Creation of reward systems

• Improving team members performance

• Track team and individual performances

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Clear identification of roles and responsibilities of management, team members, and other stakeholders on the project, using tools such as responsibility assignment matrix is a key activity of a project manager.

ROLE OF A PROJECT SPONSOR / INITIATOR

A sponsor is the one who provides financial resources for the project. For the purpose of the PMP exam, a sponsor could also be a customer, senior management, others. Management serves as a protector of the project.

ROLE OF A SPONSOR

The role of a sponsor prior to (or during) project initiation:

• Advocates for or champions the project, especially while the project concept is being put together

• Serves as a voice for the project or spokesperson to those who do not know about the project, including upper management

• Gathers the appropriate support for the project

• Ensures buy-in throughout the organization

• Provides funding

• Provides the project statement of work

• Provides information regarding the initial scope of the project

• May dictate milestones, key events, or the project end date

• Determines the priorities between the constraints

• Provides information that helps develop the project charter

• Gives the project manager authority as outlined in the project charter

• Helps organize work into appropriate projects

• Sets priorities between projects

• Encourages the finalization of high-level requirements and scope by the stakeholders

• Guides the process to get the project approved and formalized, assisted by the project manager as necessary

The role of a sponsor during project planning:

• Provides the project team with time to plan

• May review the WBS

• Supplies list of risks

• Determines the reports needed by management to oversee the project

• Provides expert judgment

• Helps evaluate trade-offs during crashing, fast-tracking, and reestimating

• Approve the final project management plan 

The role of a sponsor during project execution, monitoring and controlling:

• Protects the project from outside influences and changes

• Enforces quality policies

• Provides expert judgment

• Helps evaluate trade-offs during crashing, fast-tracking, and re-estimating

• Resolves conflicts that extend beyond the project managers control

• Approves or rejects changes or authorizes someone representing him or her to do so

• May direct that a quality assurance review is performed

• Clarifies scope questions

• Works with the project manager to monitor progress

The role of a sponsor during project closing:

• Provides formal acceptance of the deliverables

• Supports the collection of historical records from past projects

ROLE OF THE TEAM

A team is a group of people who will complete work on the project. The team may help to:

• Identify and involve stakeholders

• Identify requirements

• Identify constraints and assumptions

• Create the WBS

• Decompose work packages for which they are responsible for schedule activities

• Help identify dependencies between activities

• Provide time and cost estimates

• Participate in risk management process

• Comply with quality and communications plan

• Help enforce ground rules

• Execute the project management plan to accomplish work defined in the project scope statement

• Attend project team meetings

• Conduct process improvements

• Recommend changes to the project, including corrective actions Some team members may have project management responsibilities in addition to their responsibilities of implementing work. If so, they are considered part of the project management team.

ROLE OF STAKEHOLDERS AS A GROUP

The stakeholder is anyone who can positively or negatively influence the project, including the customers or users, the project manager and team, the projects sponsor, program and portfolio managers, the PMO functional managers within the organization, and external sellers that provide services or materials for the project. The stakeholders may be involved in:

• The creation of the project charter and the project scope statement

• Project management plan development

• Approving project changes and being on the change control board

• Identifying constraints

• Identifying requirements

• Risk management The stakeholders may also become risk response owners.