Resourcing Projects

Lesson 7
After completing this chapter…
⚫ Create a HR Management plan
⚫ Describe methods of resolving
resource overloads
⚫ Compress a project schedule using
crashing and fast tracking

2
 Technical Abilities Needed
when Resourcing Projects

Create a
staffing
management
plan

Assign Schedule a
Compress project with
person(s) a project
to each limited
schedule resources
activity

3
Behavioral Abilities Needed
when Resourcing Projects
⚫ Select the right people

⚫ Identify needs to be accomplished

⚫ Ensure performance capability

⚫ Deal with work schedules

⚫ Schedule overtime
4
Behavioral Abilities Needed
when Resourcing Projects
⚫ Estimate amount of work per activity

⚫ Assemble an effective team

⚫ Deal
with people from diverse
backgrounds

⚫ Decide where each person will work

⚫ Establish effective virtual relationships

5
Successful projects balance…

Behavioral
Technical

6
 Key Resourcing Considerations

Project
Personnel tradeoffs and
skill precedence's
development
Resource
People cost limitations
Project cost

7
 Estimate Resource Needs
⚫ How many resources of each type and skill
or knowledge level are needed.
⚫ Consider support needs such as
information systems and human resources
⚫ Consider constraints placed upon how
people are hired, scheduled, and released

Estimate activity resources– “the process of estimating the

types and quantities of material, human resources, equipment, or
supplies required to perform each activity.” PMBOK® Guide

8
 Plan Human Resource
Management
Plan Human Resource Management – “the process of
identifying and documenting project roles, responsibilities,
required skills, reporting relationships, and creating a staffing
management plan. PMBOK® Guide

⚫ Identify
potential resources
⚫ Determine resource availability
⚫ Decide timing issues
Staffing management plan – “a component of the human
resource plan that describes when and how project team
members will be acquired and how long they will be needed.”
PMBOK® Guide
9
 Identify Potential Resources
Work functions job titles and range of
⚫ responsibilities
degrees and professional
Professional discipline
certifications

experience and
Skill level
performance ratings

willingness to relocate and

Physical location
travel
costs and
Organizational/administrative unit contractual
issues 10
 Identify Potential Resources

Available People Resource needs

Specific Available
skill gaps vs.
needed

⚫ Identifyan adequate number and

mix of people
⚫ Core team should participate in
chartering the project
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 Identify Potential Resources
Key subject
matter Equally
experts available
(SMEs) opportunities

Opportunity
options

Available People Resource needs

12
Determine Resource Availability
⚫ Identify
availability of people
⚫ Secure commitment

Full and part Internal vs.

time external
resources resources

13
Decide Timing Issues when
Resourcing Projects
⚫ When to bring people on board
⚫ Get the team functioning effectively
⚫ Plan for keeping the team motivated
and on schedule
⚫ When to reward and recognize the
project team
⚫ When and how to release project
participants

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Staffing Management Plan
Issues

How they will

determine
which people
are available
and secure
their services

15
Project Team Composition
Issues
Outsourcing

Cross-functional

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Assign a Resource to each
Activity
⚫ Show resource responsibilities on
RACI chart
⚫ Show resource assignments on Gantt
Chart

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 Show Resource Responsibilities
on RACI Chart
Responsibility assignment matrix (RAM) – “a grid that shows
the project resources assigned to each work package.”
PMBOK® Guide

⚫ RACI is a form of RAM

RACI – “a common type of responsibility assignment matrix that
uses responsible, accountable, consult, and inform to define
involvement of stakeholders in project activities.”
PMBOK® Guide
WBS Activity Who1? Who2?
The work Project activities Who will be May be more
breakdown that correspond involved than one person
structure to the WBS
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Partial
RACI Chart
Example

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Show Resource Assignments
on Gantt Chart Person responsible for
each activity is listed
next to the activity in
the Gantt Chart
Schedule

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Methods of Resolving Resource
Overloads
⚫ Reorder the activities
⚫ Acquire or borrow additional
resources
⚫ Reduce project scope or extend
project schedule
⚫ Inform the sponsor of severe
overloads
⚫ Resource level the overloaded
person’s schedule
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 Resource Leveling
⚫ Delay activities so the person doesn’t
perform as many activities at the same
time (most common)
⚫ Delay noncritical activities by an
amount no more than their slack
⚫ Allow the project to slip
Resource Leveling – “a technique in which start and finish
dates are adjusted based upon resource constraints with the
goal of balancing demand for resources with the available
Supply.” PMBOK® Guide
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 Resource Leveling
⚫ Ifnon-critical activities must be
completed at the rate of effort in the
original schedule, reassign activities to
another worker

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Compress the Project
Schedule
⚫Actions to reduce the critical path
⚫Crashing
⚫Fast tracking

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 Actions to Reduce the Critical
Path
⚫ Reduce the project ⚫ Schedule activities at the
scope and/or quality. same time.

⚫ Overlap sequential ⚫ Shorten activities by

activities assigning more
resources.
⚫ Partially overlap
sequential activities ⚫ Shorten activities that
cost the least to speed
⚫ Increase the number up.
of work hours/days
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 Compress the project schedule
⚫ Crashing may cost more money to
speed up the schedule
⚫ Fast tracking may increase the risk to
speed up the schedule
Crashing – “a technique used to shorten the schedule duration for
the least incremental cost by adding resources.” PMBOK® Guide

Fast Tracking – “a schedule compression technique in which

activities or phases normally done in sequence are performed in
parallel for at least a portion of their duration” PMBOK® Guide
26
Crashing
Certain activities are performed at a
faster than normal pace

Which critical
path activity
costs the least
Which
on a per day
activities are
basis to speed
on the critical
up?
path?
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Crashing
Example
Set Up

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Crashing Example – After
Round 1

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Crashing Example – After
Round 2

30
Crashing Example – in “All-
Crash” Mode

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 Crashing Consideration
Questions How fast can
the project be
completed? To crash the
project one day,
what activity
would be crashed
To crash the and what would it
project two days, cost?
what activities
would be crashed
If there is a bonus If there is a bonus
and what would it
of $125 per day of $225 per day
cost in total?
for finishing early, for finishing early,
what would I what would I
crash and how crash and how
fast would I get fast would I get
done? done?

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Fast tracking
Activities normally performed in series
are performed at the same time

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Summary
⚫ PM needs to look at the listed activities and
estimate the resources needed to perform each.
⚫ RACI charts depict work activities on a vertical
scale
⚫ Use resource leveling to reduce peak demands by
postponing non-critical activities
⚫ Look for methods of accelerating (or compressing)
the project schedule.
◦ Crashing provides a decision to pay extra
money to speed up certain activities on the
critical path
◦ Fast tracking allows activities that are normally
conducted in sequence to be overlapped, or
performed in parallel
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