9 Project Resource Management

The processes to identify, acquire, and manage the resources needed for the successful completion of the project. It helps ensure that the right resources will be available to the project manager and project team at the right time and place.

There is a distinction between the skills and competencies needed for the project manager to manage team resources and physical resources. Also there is some overlap between Project Resource Management and project Stakeholder Management.

Key Concepts for Project Resource Management

The project manager should invest suitable effort in acquiring, managing, motivating, and empowering the project team. Participation of team members during planning adds their expertise to the process and strengthens their commitment to the project. The project manager should be both leader and manager of the project team. The project manager is responsible for the team formation as an effective group.

Factors which can influence the team:

• Team environment,
• Geographical locations of team members,
• Communications among stakeholders,
• Organizational change management,
• Internal and external politics,
• Cultural issues and organizational uniqueness, and
• Other factors that may alter project performance.

The project manager is also responsible for proactively developing team skills and competencies while retaining and improving team satisfaction and motivation. He should be aware of, and subscribe to, professional and ethical behavior, and ensure that all team members adhere to these behaviors.

Physical resource management is concentrated in allocating and using the physical resources (material, equipment, and supplies, for example) needed for successful completion of the project in an efficient and effective way. In order to do that, organizations should have data on resource demands (now and in the reasonable future), resource configurations that will be required to meet those demands, and the supply of resources.

Trends and Emerging Practices in Project Resource Management

Management practice is shifting toward approach that empowers teams by delegating decision making to the team members. Modern project resource management approaches seek to optimize resource utilization. Practices:

• Resource management methods. Lean management, just-in-time (JIT) manufacturing, Kaizen, total productive maintenance (TPM), theory of constraints (TOC).
• Emotional intelligence (EI). EI increases by improving inbound (e.g., self-management and self-awareness) and outbound (e.g., relationship management) competencies. Project teams that succeed in developing team EI or become an emotionally competent group are more effective. Additionally, there is a reduction in staff turnover.
• Self-organizing teams. In projects that have self-organizing teams, the project manager (who may not be called a project manager) role provides the team with the environment and support needed and trusts the team to get the job done.
• Virtual teams/distributed teams. The availability of communication technology such as email, audio conferencing, social media, web-based meetings, and video conferencing has made virtual teams feasible. Positive and negative aspects:
  • Able to use personnel from other geographic area, home employees, with mobility limitations/disabilities.
  • Possible feeling of isolation,
  • Gaps in sharing knowledge and experience between teem members,
  • Difficulties to track progress and productivity,
  • Time zone differences,
  • Cultural differences.

Tailoring Considerations

Include:

• Diversity.
• Physical location.
• Industry-specific resources.
• Acquisition of team members.
• Management of team.
• Life cycle approaches.

Considerations for Agile/Adaptive Environments

Collaborative teams may facilitate accelerated integration of distinct work activities, improve communication, increase knowledge sharing, and provide flexibility of work assignments in addition to other advantages.

Planning for physical and human resources is much less predictable in projects with high variability. In these environments, agreements for fast supply and lean methods are critical to controlling costs and achieving the schedule.