Project Management
Methodologies
PPMP20009
Week 3 LectureStaffing a project
• Regardless of the structure a
project is only as good as the
individuals within it:
– Project management needs:
• Project Manager
• An assistant project manager
• A project (home) office
– Staff usually fulltime on project
• A project team
– Usually work out of functional units and
only spend some of their time on a project5 questions
• Before staffing, five questions should be
considered:
– What are the requirement for an individual to
become a successful project manager?
– Who should be a member of the project team?
– Who should be a member of the project office?
– What problems can occur during recruiting
activities?
– What can happen downstream to cause the loss of
key team members?Staffing Environment
• Two major types os problems
– Personnel performance problems
– Personnel policy problems
• Personnel Performance Problems
– Changed way of working
– Adapting to working for two managers
• Personnel Policy Problems
– Us and them mentality – Different way
of working and priorities
– Grades and salaries for Project vs
Functional (Grass is greener)Project Manager
• Usually has the greatest influence during staffing
• Needs to have both technical and management
expertise, inlcuding good communication
• Characteristics needed include:
– Honesty and integrity
– Understanding personnel problems
– Versatility, energy, toughness
– Decision making ability
– Risk and uncertainty evaluationProject Manager Selection
• Executive Decision
– Experience vs potential
• Another 5 Questions
– What are the internal vs external sources?
– How do we select?
– Who do we provide career development in
project management?
– How can we develop project
management skills?
– How do we evaluate project management
performance?The Project Manager
• The person assigned by the performing
organisation to lead the team that is
responsible for achieving the project objectives.
PMBOK
• Responsible for coordinating and integrating
activities across multiple functional lines.
• Integrating the activities necessary to:
– Develop a project plan
– Execute the plan
– Make changes to the plan
Search the internet for
Project Manager roles.
What are some of the
attributes they require?PM Skills
• Team Building
• Leadership Conflict resolution
• Technical expertise
• Planning
• Organisational (social architect)
• Entrepreneurship
• Administration
• Management support
• Resource AllocationSpecial Cases in Project Manger
selection
• Part-time vs full-time assignments
• Several Projects assigned to one
project manager
• Projects assigned to functional
managers
• The project manager role retained by
the general manager.The wrong project manager
• Maturity
– Breadth of experience not necessarily
just the years of experience
• Hard-Nosed Tactics
– Micro-management can be problematic –
need variety of leadership styles
• Availability
– Switching Project Managers between
projects sometimes necessary to get
best Project Manager for that stage of
the projectThe wrong project manager
• Technical Expertise
– Subject matter experts not necessarily best
project managers
• Customer Orientation
– Being able to communicate with customer
does not guarantee project success.
• New Exposure
– Risk of project failure if appointment only so
employee can gain exposure to project
management
• Company Exposure
– Just because person has worked in many
areas of the organisation doesn’t necessarily
mean they will make good project managers.Project management office
• Focal point of information for reporting
• Monitoring and controlling time, cost and
performance
• Ensuring work required is documented and
distributed appropriately
• Ensuring work performed is authorized and
funded
• IntegrationThe Functional Members
• Not always full time
– Usually act as subject matter experts
– May be reporting both to the project manager and to a
functional manager
– May be utilised for specific stages of the project e.g.
planning and user testingUndermining vs supporting
project implementation
• The aggressor
• The dominator
• The devil’s advocate
• The topic jumper
• The recognition seeker
• The withdrawer
• The blocker
The initiators
The information seekers
The information givers
The encouragers
The clarifiers
The harmonisers
The consensus takers
The gate keepersMistakes made by inexperienced project
managers
Refer to the list on page 213-
214 Kerzner.
Pick a common mistake and
consider how an inexperienced
project manager may try to
avoid the risk.Morality Ethics and the Corporate
Culture
• Internally driven adversity
– When managers ask you to take
action that might be in the best
interests of the company but is not
aligned to your ethical beliefs
• Externally driven adversity
– When your customers ask you to
take action that may be in the
customers best interest (and
possibly your companies) but is
not aligned to your ethical beliefsProfessional Responsibilities
• PMP Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct
– Four Sections
• Responsibility
• Respect
• Fairness
• Honesty
• Conflict of Interest
• Acceptance of Gifts
Go to the PMI
Website and find
the Code of Ethics
and Professional
ConductCollect Portfolio Reflect
Share
Select• Questions?
• Next week
– Complete second portfolio entry
– Readings and Resources
– MOODLE!!!