Activity 1

Activity 1

1. Describe the four processes used in managing project human resources.

• Plan human resource- identifying and documenting the project roles and responsibilities, developing a staff management plan, identifying the needed skills, including reporting relationships.
• Acquire project team-confirming the availability of human resource as well as acquiring the team required for the project.
• Develop project team-enhancing competencies, interaction among team members, and the general team environment to improve project performance.
• Manage project team-managing changes, tracking the performance of team members, resolving issues, and providing feedback.

1. How can you determine the resource requirements for project tasks?

• They are determined by carrying out an activity estimate activity.

1. How does this relate to overall project requirements?

• Determining project resources relates to overall project requirements in that resources are essential in completing project tasks.

1. What are the four styles of management that can be used in HRM of project teams?

• Authoritative, coercive, democratic, and all for one & one for all.

1. How can you establish project organization and structure?

• Established by putting dedicated teams together to work on a project, with the manager being in control of the project.

1. What external influences can affect project organization or structure?

• Marketplace conditions, legal restrictions, academic research, government and industry standards, and physical environmental elements.

1. How can you align competencies with project tasks?

• Identifying the overarching competencies, defining the leadership competencies, identifying the relevant competencies, and considering the routine and the non-routine aspects of a role.

1. Project human resources can be external or internal to the organization. Give two examples each of internal and external project personnel.

• Internal-equipment and facilities
• External-funding and people

1. What criteria can be used to assist the project management team in allocating personnel to planned work outputs?

The criteria should be based on a person’s eligibility as well as experience.

1. What is the role of HRM in project management?

In project management, HRM is essential because it assists define core competencies which are essential in team building and motivation. There is a strategic relationship between Human Resource Management and Project Management. Success of any project necessitates proper team management which is HR function (Hornstein, 2015). The key processes include selecting, training, and managing. The three are a representation of HRM’s overall role in project management. Selection, training, and management are usually described as well as analyzed when raising their primary problems. 

1. Describe these organizational theories:
2. Maslow

The theory was developed by Abraham Maslow postulating that the motivation of humans aimed at satisfying the most basic needs first, and when met, they would then be motivated to satisfy their higher level needs.

1. Herzberg

Fredrick Herzberg notes that in the workplace, there are factors that result in job satisfaction while others cause job dissatisfaction and they act independently of each other. The two job factors are hygiene and motivational factors.

1. McGregor

The theory of X and Y was developed by Douglas McGregor. Theory X provides an explanation of the necessity of external rewards, penalties, along with heightened supervision while theory Y offers an insight into the motivating role of job satisfaction, including encouraging that employees should approach tasks without direct supervision.

1. Ouchi

Theory Z focuses on enhancing employee loyalty to an organization through provision of a job for life that focuses on the employees’ well-being.

1. Expectancy

The theory states that a person will behave in a certain way due their motivation to select a particular behavior over others as a result of their expectation of the outcome of that specific behavior.

Activity 2

1. When developing project role descriptions, what criteria could be included?

When developing the project role descriptions, the criteria necessary is identifying the different stakeholders by coming up with a stakeholder management plan. In the plan, all the stakeholders associated with the project are identified and their roles specified.

1. What is the purpose of co-located teams and how can they be of benefit when developing the project team?

Co-located teams aim is to eliminate communications and comprehension issues. They are beneficial in developing a project team because they accelerate communication and enhances reliability.

1. How are team and individual performance measured?

On an individual level, an employee’s contribution is measured while in the team level, the team’s performance is measured.

1. As a result of conducting team performance assessments, what methods can be used to improve the team’s performance? What would these methods include?

• Supporting innovation-allowing flexibility, informal brainstorming, and allowing regular breaks.
• Continuous learning-taking new different roles and training

1. Describe each of the five stages of development that teams can go through and outline why a project manager would use the theory when developing teams.

• Forming-takes place at the first time the team meet each other whereby the team members are introduced to each.
• Storming-the team members compete for acceptance as well as status of their ideas.
• Norming-the team members are no longer focused on their individual goals but rather aim at working together as a team.
• Performing-the team members already know, trust, and rely on each other and work towards the common goal.
• Adjourning-the project is complete and the team members are getting separated.    

When developing teams, understanding Tuckman’s development process can be effective in attaining the project goals.

1. What are the main objectives of developing project teams?

• Enhances the team members’ skills and competencies
• Improves the team members’ personal recognition and internal agreement
• Develops a dynamic team culture

1. What areas might be subject to actions to improve performance?

The areas subject to improve performance are skills and efficiency.

1. How can measures to address shortfalls in performance be communicated?

By being clear on expectations, listening to the employees, and speaking with the staff privately.

1. What strategies can be used to encourage good performance or behavior from individuals as well as teams?

• Pay the staff what they are worth
• Provide a conducive work environment
• Provide opportunities for self-development
• Enhance collaboration among teams
• Encourage happiness

Activity 2

Activity 3

1. What is the impact of issue resolution on a project experiencing conflict or other difficulties?

The impact of issue resolution on a project experiencing conflict is that it maintains project stability as well as efficiency across a project’s lifecycle. It helps in addressing some of the barriers that are likely to hinder the success of a project or prevent the project team from attaining their goals and the obstacles may comprise of difference in opinion, the situations to be investigated, along with unanticipated responsibilities.

1. What can a human resource manager do to improve an individual or team’s performance?

A human resource manager can improve an individual or team’s performance through;

• Training
• Using SMART goals
• Conducting regular employee performance appraisal
• Prioritizing on employee development

1. What are the six approaches to conflict resolution?

• Collaborating
• Control
• Competing
• Compromising
• Accommodating
• Avoiding

1. What remedial or corrective action can a human resource manager take to improve team performance or morale?

• Give a written warning
• Suspend a staff without pay for a specified period
• Dismiss an employee

1. What preventative action can a human resource manager take to improve team performance or morale?

• Clarifying on roles and responsibilities
• Communicating project progress and deadlines
• Training resources beforehand

1. List five characteristics of conflict.

• Conflict results from differing values
• Conflict can result in poor communication
• When trust breaks, conflict intensifies
• Incompatible goals result in conflict
• Differing responsibilities foster conflict
• Conflict spreads quickly

1. What are the seven common reasons for conflict during a project?

• Human emotion
• Prospects of change
• Task interdependency
• Lack of communication
• Poor leadership
• Lack of organization structure
• Disciplinary expertise’s diversity

1. How can a human resource manager make sure conflict has minimal impact on project objectives?

In order to make sure that conflict has minimal impact on the project objectives, the human resource manager should be able to see conflicts as they emerge and take the necessary pre-emptive action. The HR manager should possess an understanding on the cause of the conflict, the likely outcome of the conflict, and the different methods that can be used to manage the conflict. Possessing this knowledge, the manager should adapt an approach to settle the conflict before its disruptive repercussions have any effect on the project objectives (May, et al., 2015). As such, the human resource manager should possess the necessary skills that essential to react in times in of conflict, and communicate ensure that organization’s climate allows for open communication between the conflicting parties.

Activity 4

1. What are the considerations when disbanding a project team?

• There should be a formal sign-off from the sponsor
• Lessons learned are documented
• Resources should be released
• Celebrate

1. Suggest three lessons typically learned from a project that could be used in future projects.

• Project heroics often lead in failure
• It is hard to escape the project triangle
• The project schedule is important

1. What aspects of a project’s human resource management should be reviewed?

• Project planning, project preparation, project execution, leadership and motivation.

1. How does Plan→Do→Check→Act relate to reviewing HRM in relation to project management?

The Plan, Do, Check, Act is a four-stage model aimed at continuous improvement of business management. The PDCA cycle relates to reviewing HRM in relation to project management because it is effective when implementing new projects (Matsuo & Nakahara, 2013). The PDCA’s inbuilt plan, test, and feedback provides the opportunity to fix snags as well as improve at the implementation stage of a project without having to put all the resources at stake.

Question 1

Identify and briefly outline the inputs, tools and techniques, and outputs for each of these elements of the project human resources management process.

1. Human resource planning.

• Inputs-the process comprises of inputs from the organizational culture and structure. The inputs include the organizational process assets, activity resource requirements, and enterprise environmental factors.
• Tools and Techniques-the tools include the organization charts and position descriptions. The primary goal of using the tool is to make sure that the team members are aware of their roles and responsibilities. The other tools and techniques include networking, organizational theory, expert judgement, and meetings.
• Outputs-the output is the Human Resource Management Plan.

1. Acquire project team.

• Inputs-the main input is the Human Resource Management Plan, an output of the Human Resource Planning such as the roles and responsibilities of the project team members, project organization charts, along with staff management plan. Other inputs in this process are from the Enterprise Environmental and they comprise of existing information regarding the team members, organizational structure, and colocation (Kerzner & Kerzner, 2017). Organizational Process Assets are the other inputs and they include organizational standard policies, role descriptions, as well as standards.
• Tools and Techniques-pre-assignment is the first technique used whereby the project team members are selected in advance. Negation is the other tool whereby the project management team is required to negotiate with functional managers, external organizations, including other project management teams within the company to obtain their team members. Acquisition is the other technique whereby consultants are hired or work is subcontracted to another entity (Noe, et al., 2017). Virtual teams are also used through video conferencing to ensure the team members that cannot meet face-to-face are available. Multi-criteria decision analysis is also used and it entails rating the team members depending on a certain criteria such as experience or ability. 

• Outputs-once the selection of the team is done, the lists of those involved in the project are contained in the project staff assignment which is the first output. Resource calendar is the other output and it provides time periods when the team members are available for work. The project management plan update is the last output that involves updating the team members’ roles and responsibilities.

1. Develop project team.

• Inputs-there are three primary inputs in developing a project team; first is the project staff assignments that consists of the list of all team members. Resource calendars is the other input that describes when each member is to carry out their task as well as take part in team building activities. The project management plan outlines how each member of a project team will be trained including the manner which the project team development will be conducted.
• Tools and techniques-they tools and techniques comprise of interpersonal skills, training, team-building activities, colocation, ground rules, recognition and rewards, and personnel assessment tools.
• Outputs-the two main outputs is team performance assessments that consists of documented updates and evaluations carried out by the project manager. Enterprise environmental factors updates is the other output of developing a project team.

1. Manage project team.

• Inputs-there are five main inputs required in this process; project staff assignments is the first and it contains list of the HR required for a particular project. Team performance assessments is the second and it involves the regular assessment of team performance. Performance reports relates to the measurement of progress against the plan. Project management plan and organizational process assets are the other inputs.
• Tools and techniques-the five basic tools and techniques are observation and conservation, project performance appraisals, conflict management, issue log, and interpersonal skills.
• Outputs-the main outputs are organizational process assets updates, enterprise environmental factors updates, change requests, and project management plan updates.

What is involved in managing project human resources and how can a staff management plan contribute to this?

Managing project human resources comprises of processes that organize, manage, as well as lead the project team. The project team is made up of individuals that are assigned specific roles and responsibilities to complete the project. The project team members may possess varying skill sets, as they project progresses, they may added or removed from the team, and they may be assigned either full-time or part-time (Crawford, 2014). A staff management plan is a part of the project management plan and it provides a guideline on the different human resources requirements that need to be met to manage the employees and the staff. A staff management plan ensures there is proper management of project human resources by successfully managing different teams to complete assigned tasks efficiently and effectively. The information contained in the staff management plan depends on the application and the project’s size. Formulating a staff management plan tailored to the type of business is crucial to the project’s overall success. 

Activity 3

The 360-degree feedback method is a process that can be used to measure individuals’ performance against agreed criteria. Conduct research and write a report that describes the 360-degree feedback method including why it is useful in developing teams and individuals.

360-degree feedback method is a process whereby the staff receive anonymous and confidential feedback from the individuals that work around them such as the managers, direct reports, or peers. Anonymous online forms are filled by a mixture of approximately ten individuals asking questions that cover workplace competencies (Horng & Lin, 2013). In addition, the individual receiving the feedback also fills a self-rating survey that comprises of same survey questions received by other individuals in their forms. Automatically, the 360-feedback system tabulates the results and presents them in a manner that enables the feedback recipient to come up with a development plan.

There are many benefits associated with using the 360-degree feedback system in developing teams and individuals. Utilizing the system increases the level as well as the quality of communication in a team or among individuals, resulting in enhanced team performance. Implementing the 360-degree feedback increases both formal and informal communication, and a two-way communication improves between team members. Feedback results are delivered and communicated among team members thus enhancing that communication is more transparent and frequent. The team members find it easy to address issues that they previously found to discuss as a result of open communication channels along with the removal of the fear of retaliation (Rodriguez, et al., 2015). Trust is also enhanced as teams seek feedback from each other, and there are enhanced chances of attaining performance goals. Nonetheless, the 360-degree feedback system increases self-awareness among individuals and team members because individuals assess their own performance to those of their colleagues. Self-awareness also contributes to enhanced transparency and communication among individuals, thus assisting the team perform at a higher level. Understanding personal strengths and weaknesses results in improved work behavior and performance, which in turn enhances the general team performance. Additionally, the 360-degree feedback method creates a better understanding of organization goals and expectations.

Describe five methods that can be used to manage and improve team performance.

Nurturing a team is the first and foremost thing in spearheading growth in an organization. The methods that can be used to manage and improve team performance comprise of;

• Develop a Positive Company Culture- Building a positive culture as well as clarifying the company’s shared values and beliefs is effective in establishing a foundation for unique working environment. Corporate culture affects the manner which the staff perform, make them feel part of something special, thus enabling them feel their real purpose in contributing to the firm as well as adding value (Bradley, et al., 2013). Making sure that the employees are aware of the organization’s culture ensures the formation of a sustainable team that flourishes from the beginning.
• Develop Healthy Communication Practices-Practicing conflict resolution methods that enable the staff open up paves way for a more cohesive working environment as the team engaged. Enhancing on staff engagement enables them to share their feelings, become more constructive, along with working towards the attainment of their personal contribution that enhances their morale of working harder.
• Appreciating and Rewarding Employees-Recognizing and rewarding exceptional work from the staff enhances their motivation to work harder and feel valued. Behind the gesture of giving, there exists a psychology, which is by giving, people feel they have to give back and most of the times, they give more.
• Invest in Training-If an organization intends its staff to excel and contribute significantly to its growth, there should be investments in training to make sure that will enable the staff to become high-performing employees (Dyer & Dyer, 2013). Both virtual or face-to face training can be effective in raisin performance as employees are more able to utilize their skills.
• Improve Working Environment-If employees are to significantly contribute to the organization’s growth, the company should be willing to invest in resources required to achieve the intended goals and provide a happy and bright working environment.

You have been asked to recruit a project officer/ coordinator to work on your project team. Using the information provided regarding the role of project manager, draw up an advertisement or job description for the role.

Project 2

1. Design a responsibility assignment matrix template that can be used on any project to help determine each individual’s role and responsibility within the project.

Responsibility Assignment Matrix Template

Design a generic training needs analysis template. Include a list of questions that you would ask your team members when determining training needs.

Generic Training Needs Analysis Template

List of Questions

1. What is your highest level of education?
2. How many years of experience do you have?
3. How would you rate your computer proficiency?
4. What are your top priority topics for training?
5. What is the overall improvement that the company can make regarding how it delivers its training program?
6. In the past, what kind of in-house training have you benefited from?
7. What your take on the training that the company offers?
8. What are some of the barriers that you face when participating in the company’s training program?
9. Is there any emerging training need that you believe needs attention?
10. Is there any resource that can assist you and your team members work more efficiently?
11. Develop a template and list of questions that you could use to help manage the project team and stakeholders. 

Stakeholder Management Template

Questions List

1. Who are the stakeholders?
2. What are the company’s stakeholders’ stake?
3. What are the challenges and opportunities presented by the stakeholders?
4. What economic, social, legal, and ethical responsibilities does the company have towards the different stakeholders?
5. What measures should the organization take to best manage the stakeholders’ opportunities and challenges?
6. Is there a system to manage relationships with stakeholders?
7. How are results measured?
8. How fast can the company communicate with the stakeholders during crisis?
9. Does the company recognize different methods of engaging stakeholders and when they should not be used?
10. Design and develop a template that you could use to undertake a project team review. Include a list of questions that would assist you in obtaining sufficient and accurate data.

Project Team Review

Your Name____________________________ Date_________________

PERSONNEL EVALUATION: In the first row, enter your team members’ names and complete the evaluation. 1=Excellent, 2=Good, 3=Acceptable, 4=Marginal, 5=Unacceptable.

TEAM EVALUATION: Based on the following dimensions, evaluate your team’s performance where (1: Highly effective-5: Ineffective).

List of Questions

1. In general, how effective was your team in working together?
2. What percentage of the team members actively participated and were prepared most of the time?
3. What did you learn from the team, probably something you would not have learned working alone?
4. State something that your team members likely learned from you? 

References

Bradley, B. H., Klotz, A. C., Postlethwaite, B. E., & Brown, K. G. (2013). Ready to rumble: How team personality composition and task conflict interact to improve performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 98(2), 385.

Crawford, J. K. (2014). Project management maturity model. Auerbach Publications.

Dyer, W. G., & Dyer, J. H. (2013). Team building: Proven strategies for improving team performance. John Wiley & Sons.

Horng, J. S., & Lin, L. (2013). Training needs assessment in a hotel using 360 degree feedback to develop competency-based training programs. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, 20, 61-67.

Hornstein, H. A. (2015). The integration of project management and organizational change management is now a necessity. International Journal of Project Management, 33(2), 291-298.

Kerzner, H., & Kerzner, H. R. (2017). Project management: a systems approach to planning, scheduling, and controlling. John Wiley & Sons.

Llapa-Rodriguez, E. O., Oliveira, J. K. A. D., Lopes Neto, D., & Campos, M. P. D. A. (2015). Nurses leadership evaluation by nursing aides and technicians according to the 360-degree feedback method. Revista gaucha de enfermagem, 36(4), 29-36.

Matsuo, M., & Nakahara, J. (2013). The effects of the PDCA cycle and OJT on workplace learning. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 24(1), 195-207.

May, G., Barletta, I., Stahl, B., & Taisch, M. (2015). Energy management in production: A novel method to develop key performance indicators for improving energy efficiency. Applied energy, 149, 46-61.

Noe, R. A., Hollenbeck, J. R., Gerhart, B., & Wright, P. M. (2017). Human resource management: Gaining a competitive advantage. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education.