Chapter 9:

Project Human
Resource Management

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Learning Objectives
Explain the importance of good human resource management on projects, including the current state of the global IT
workforce and future implications for it.
Define project human resource management and understand its processes.
Summarize key concepts for managing people by understanding the theories of Abraham Maslow, Frederick Herzberg,
David McClelland, and Douglas McGregor on motivation, H. J. Thamhain and D. L. Wilemon on influencing workers, and
Stephen Covey on how people and teams can become more effective.
Discuss human resource management planning and be able to create a human resource plan, project organizational chart,
responsibility assignment matrix, and resource histogram.
Understand important issues involved in project staff acquisition and explain the concepts of resource assignments,
resource loading, and resource leveling.
Assist in team development with training, team-building activities, and reward systems.
Explain and apply several tools and techniques to help manage a project team and summarize general advice on managing
teams.
Describe how project management software can assist in project human resource management.

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What is Project Human Resource
Management?
Making the most effective use of the people involved with a project.
Processes include:
◦ Planning human resource management: identifying and documenting project roles, responsibilities,
and reporting relationships.
◦ Acquiring the project team: getting the needed personnel assigned to and working on the project.
◦ Developing the project team: building individual and group skills to enhance project performance.
◦ Managing the project team: tracking team member performance, motivating team members, providing
timely feedback, resolving issues and conflicts, and coordinating changes to help enhance project
performance.

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Figure 9-1. Project Human Resource
Management Summary

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1. Developing the Human Resource Plan
Involves identifying and documenting project roles, responsibilities, and reporting relationships.
Contents include:
◦ project organizational charts
◦ staffing management plan
◦ responsibility assignment matrixes
◦ resource histograms

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Figure 9-3. Sample Organizational Chart
for a Large IT Project

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Responsibility Assignment Matrices
A responsibility assignment matrix (RAM) is a matrix that maps the work of the project as
described in the WBS to the people responsible for performing the work as described in the
Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS).
Can be created in different ways to meet unique project needs.

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Figure 9-5. Sample Responsibility
Assignment Matrix (RAM)

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Table 9-2. Sample RACI Chart

R = responsibility
A = accountability
C = consultation
I = informed

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Staffing Management Plans and
Resource Histograms
A staffing management plan describes when and how people will be added to and taken off the
project team.
A resource histogram is a column chart that shows the number of resources assigned to a
project over time.

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Figure 9-6. Sample Resource Histogram

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2. Acquiring the Project Team
Acquiring qualified people for teams is crucial.
It’s important to assign the appropriate type and number of people to work on projects at the
appropriate times.

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Resource Assignment
Staffing plans and good hiring procedures are important, as are incentives for recruiting and
retention.
◦ Some companies give their employees one dollar for every hour a new person they helped hire works.
◦ Some organizations allow people to work from home as an incentive.

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Resource Loading
Resource loading refers to the amount of individual resources an existing schedule requires
during specific time periods.
Helps project managers develop a general understanding of the demands a project will make on
the organization’s resources and individual people’s schedules.
Overallocation means more resources than are available are assigned to perform work at a
given time.

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Figure 9-7. Sample Histogram Showing
an Overallocated Individual

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Resource Leveling
Resource leveling is a technique for resolving
resource conflicts by delaying tasks.
The main purpose of resource leveling is to
create a smoother distribution of resource
usage and reduce overallocation.

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3. Developing the Project Team
The main goal of team development is to help people work together more effectively to
improve project performance.
It takes teamwork to successfully complete most projects.

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Training
Training can help people understand themselves, each other, and how to work better in teams.
Team building activities include:
◦ physical challenges
◦ psychological preference indicator tools

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Social Styles Profile
People are perceived as behaving primarily in one of four
zones, based on their assertiveness and responsiveness:
◦ Driver: Proactive and task-oriented
◦ Expressive: Proactive and people-oriented
◦ Analytical: Reactive and task-oriented
◦ Amiable: Reactive and people-oriented

People on opposite corners (drivers and amiable,

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DISC Profiles
Also uses a four-dimensional model of
normal behavior:
◦ Dominance
◦ Influence
◦ Steadiness
◦ Compliance

People in opposite quadrants can have

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4. Managing the Project Team
Project managers must lead their teams in performing various project activities.
After assessing team performance and related information, the project manager must decide:
◦ if changes should be requested to the project.
◦ if corrective or preventive actions should be recommended.
◦ if updates are needed to the project management plan or organizational process assets.

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Tools and Techniques for Managing
Project Teams
•Observation and conversation
•Project performance appraisals
•Issue log
•Interpersonal skills
•Conflict management

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Conflict Handling Modes
1. Confrontation (Problem solving): Directly face a conflict using a problem-solving approach
that allows affected parties to work through their disagreement.
2. Compromise: Use a give-and-take approach.
3. Smoothing (Accommodating): Deemphasize areas of difference and emphasize areas of
agreement.
4. Forcing: The win-lose approach.
5. Withdrawal (avoiding): Retreat or withdraw from an actual or potential disagreement.
6. Collaborating: Decision makers incorporate different viewpoints and insights to develop
consensus and commitment.

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Figure 9-11. Conflict Handling Modes

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Conflict Can Be Good!
Conflict often produces important results, such as new ideas, better alternatives, and motivation
to work harder and more collaboratively.
Groupthink: Conformance to the values or ethical standards of a group. Groupthink can develop
if there are no conflicting viewpoints.
Research suggests that task-related conflict often improves team performance, but emotional
conflict often depresses team performance.

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General Advice on Managing Teams
•Be patient and kind with your team
•Fix the problem instead of blaming people
•Establish regular, effective meetings
•Allow time for teams to go through the basic team-building stages.
•Limit the size of work teams to three to seven members
•Plan some social activities to help project team members and other stakeholders get to know each
other better
•Stress team identity
•Nurture team members and encourage them to help each other
•Take additional actions to work with virtual team members

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Using Software to Assist in Human
Resource Management
Software can help in producing RAMS and resource histograms.
Project management software includes several features related to human resource management
such as:
◦ Assigning resources
◦ Identifying potential resource shortages or underutilization
◦ Leveling resources

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Chapter Summary
Project human resource management includes the processes required to make the most
effective use of the people involved with a project.
Main processes include:
◦ Plan human resource management
◦ Acquire project team
◦ Develop project team
◦ Manage project team

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