Name: Abhishek Jain Roll No.

: 511035358

Master of Business Administration-MBA Semester 3

Managing Human Resources in Projects – PM0013
(Book ID: 1239)
Assignment Set- 1 (60 Marks)

Q.1 Write short notes

Ans:
a. McGregor’s theory: X and Y are appealing to managers and dramatically demonstrate the
divergence in management viewpoints toward employees. As such, Theory X and Y have been
extremely helpful in promoting management understanding of supervisory styles and employee
motivational assumptions.
There are two aspects of McGregor’s Theory:
a. X theory
b. Y theory
X theory:
1. Employees normally do not like to work and will try to avoid it
2. Since employees do not like working, they have to be coerced, controlled, directed and
threatened with punishment to motivate them to work
3. The average employee is lazy, shuns responsibility, is not ambitious, needs direction and
principally desires security
Y theory:
1. Work is as natural as play and therefore people desire to work
2. Employees are responsible for accomplishing their own work objectives
3. Comparable personal rewards are important for employee commitment to achieve work
goals
4. Under favorable conditions, the average employee will seek and accept responsibility
5. Employees can be innovative in solving organizational problems
6. Most organizations utilize only a small proportion of their employees' abilities

b. Maslow’s Theory: The focus on human influences in organizations was reflected most noticeably
by the integration of Abraham Maslow's "hierarchy of human needs" into organization theory.
Maslow's theories have two important implications for organization theory:
1. People have different needs and are therefore motivated by different incentives to achieve
organizational objectives
2. People's needs change predictably over time, which means that – new needs arise as the
needs of people lower in the hierarchy are met
The various levels of Maslow’s theory are:

Figure 1: Maslow’s hierarchy of needs (Five stage models)

c. Staffing management plan: It is an important output of the Human Resource planning process
which establishes the timing and methods for meeting project Human Resource requirements.
The components of the Staffing management plan are:
Managing Human Resources in Projects - PM0013 Page 1 of 11
Name: Abhishek Jain Roll No.: 511035358
a. Staff acquisition – Staff acquisition describes how the project will be staffed, where the team
will be working and the level of expertise needed.
b. Resource calendars – The resource calendars show the timeframes for the project team
members either individually or collectively when resources are available for the project.
c. Release criteria – Release criteria lists the method and timing of releasing team member.
d. Training needs – Training needs is a plan which explains how to train the project team
members. The plan also identifies the need of it.
e. Recognition and rewards – Recognition and rewards are the criteria for rewarding and
promoting the desired team behaviors. To be more precise, recognition and rewards should
be based on the activities performed by each person in a team.
f. Compliance – Compliance details the strategies for complying with regulations, contracts
and Human Resources policies.
g. Safety – Safety procedures are listed to protect the team members.

d. Precedence Diagramming Method (PDM) (also known as Activity On Node (AON) technique) is
that method for documenting an activity sequence, by which each activity is represented as a
node and each node is connected to its successors by an arrow. (mathematically expressed: an
acyclic directed graph, but not necessarily a tree: Nodes may have more than one father, but
no daughter can indirectly become a father of its own father). Because in this case the nodes
represents activities with a durance, one can determine the successor- or predecessor-relation
by subtypes:
1. Finish-to-Start :- the predecessor has to be finished before successor can start
2. Finish-to-Finish :- the predecessor has to be finished before successor can be finished
3. Start-to-Start :- the predecessor has to be start before successor can be started
4. Start-to-Finish :- the predecessor has to be start before successor can be finished

e. Dependency Determination tries to clear the relationship between activities:

 Mandatory dependencies "[...] are inherent in the nature of the work being done".
 Discretionary dependencies are dependencies evoked by tradition or best practice and so
on and are also known as those, which base on "soft logic" or "preferential logic". (But of
course best practice might be inadequate for the concrete single case.)
 External dependencies are dependencies on states or products and so on which must be
reached, given etc. but which don't are generated by the project itself. Therefore: external
dependencies often should become part of the risk list

Q.2 Describe the following conflict resolution styles

a. Avoidant Approach
b. Accommodating Approach
c. Consensus Approach
d. Collaborative Approach
Ans:
a. Some people will do anything to avoid a direct confrontation. They agree even though they are
opposed to the outcome. This style cannot be tolerated on the project team. Each person's
input and opinion must be sought. It is the responsibility of the project manager to make sure that
this happens. A simple device is to ask each team member in turn what he or she thinks about
the situation and what he or she suggests be done about it. Often this approach will diffuse any
direct confrontation between two individuals on the team.

b. Here, one party is ready for keeping the psychological door open to the other party. When the
issue is more important to oneself than to the other person, this strategy works better under such
situations. Forgetting or Forgiving on one issue may be key to moving the conflict to a new level
where issues may be discussed better. It can be a useful, but a temporary fix among the parties.

c. Consensus building is a process that a team can follow to reach agreement on which alternative
to proceed with for the item (action, decision, and so forth) under consideration. The agreement
is not reached by a majority vote, or any vote for that matter. Rather, the agreement is reached
through discussion, whereby each participant reaches a point when he or she has no serious
disagreement with the decision that is about to be taken. The decision will have been revised
several times for the participants to reach that point.

Managing Human Resources in Projects - PM0013 Page 2 of 11

Name: Abhishek Jain Roll No.: 511035358
d. In this approach, the team looks for win-win opportunities. The approach seeks out a common
ground as the basis for moving ahead to a solution. This approach encourages each team
member to put his or her opinions on the table and not avoid the conflict that may result. At the
same time, team members do not seek to create conflict unnecessarily. The approach is
constructive, not destructive.

Q.3 List and explain in brief the key features of a project.

Ans: Key features of a project are:
 Project is a temporary endeavor: this implies that the team and the organizations relationship
may also be temporary, thus staff related project management process must address these
transitory relationships.
 Cross functional Team: the team may have people from varied culture, having different
nature and perception. Also the number of members in the project team may vary at each
step of the project life cycle. Human resource management processes should keep these
changing needs of the project in mind and address the project issues accordingly.
 Divided Human resource management activities: Several times sit so happens that the HR
activities are split between the project manager and other managers in the organization. The
responsibilities of the project manager may range from just coordinating with other
managers outside the project like the functional manager, people development manager to
selecting the sourcing organization, acquiring team and managing team performance to
coordination In certain organizations we may have two managers for the team member, out
of which one would be a project manager, who takes care of the day-to-day project
activities and other people manager, who would take care of the teams competencies and
the people development aspects like promotion, salary hike etc.

Q.4 Write a note on human resource planning.

Ans: A Human Resource (HR) plan is a systematic approach to ensure that organizations have the
right people in the right jobs to effectively and efficiently perform their operations.
A Human Resource (HR) plan is a planning tool that allows the project manager to:
O Determine the Human Resource needs
O Determine the Human Resource supply
O Determine the gaps and build strategies to fill the gaps
Creating a Human Resource (HR) Plan
Creating a Human Resource (HR) plan is the method of identifying and documenting project roles,
responsibilities, and required skills, reporting relationships and creating a staffing management plan.
Staffing management plan depicts how and when team members are added to the team, and
how the team members are released from the project. Human Resource planning is utilized to
decide and recognize. Human Resources with the necessary skills are essential for the success of a
project.
One key result of Human Resource planning is the Effective Human Resource planning must think
and plan for these factors and widen Human Resource options.

Q.5 what do we mean by developing a project team process. Enumerate the 5 stages of team
development.
Ans: Developing a project team is a process of enhancing the interaction among the team
members and also the project manager. The process refers to increasing competencies of
individuals and building up the team spirit, which finally leads to a quality project.
To achieve project success, there should be good communication among the team members.
Project managers should administer the development of the project team. The project manager
should create the relevant environment for teamwork, provide new goals for the team to compete
and achieve. Project managers should encourage feedback from the team. The project manager
should provide effective review and good support to the team staff.
Open communication between the project manager and team reduces conflicts. The project
stakeholders should provide the required support to the development of the project team.
Projects are done in diversified environments. The project team may experience variance in
language, industry and culture while at work. The project team should be dedicated to the project
and the team members should work together, without losing their individuality.
The goals for developing a project team are:

Managing Human Resources in Projects - PM0013 Page 3 of 11

Name: Abhishek Jain Roll No.: 511035358
O To develop technical knowledge about the project, this leads to quality output, meeting
delivery schedules with reduced cost
O To enhance trust among team members, thus reducing conflicts
O To develop cohesiveness in the project
O To allow sharing knowledge among team members

Q.6 List & explain the 3 major issues related to delegation which need close scrutiny.
Ans: The issues relating to delegation which need close scrutiny are:
1. What to delegate?
2. When to delegate?
3. How to delegate?
What to Delegate:
Delegation does not take place when a project manager is merely asked to go ahead with a
project without authority. The project manager, in that case, is being merely asked to do a task and
not manage a task. He cannot be expected to assume responsibility nor held accountable for
results. He has nothing to sub-delegate nor can he demand results from others.
Authority has to be granted to make commitments, use resources, issue instructions, demand
adherence and take necessary actions for the performance of tasks. As far as possible delegation
should be in writing, and in case of institutional delegation this should always be in writing, it is true
that some authority can be acquired by individuals by virtue of personal qualities and technical
competence. However, this can rarely happen between institutions. Institutional delegation has not
only to be in writing and appear formal but should contain legal overtones too.
When authority is delegated a managerial position is created. The recipient of the authority now
becomes a manager and can be expected to perform managerial functions. But mere assignment
of the task and delegation of authority will not ensure performance unless the recipient considers it
his moral obligation to produce results. This is what all of us refer to as responsibility, and it must have
become clear by now that this is not a thing which can be delegated in writing – this is something
which one undertakes by himself.
Though, one may legitimately expect responsibility to be passed on concurrently with delegation of
authority, yet it may not necessarily happen this way. Responsibility is an attitude of mind which
cannot be passed on in writing; and to that extent the delegator, whatever authority he may pass
on, will still be responsible for the tasks from which he cannot absolve himself.
Thus responsibility cannot be delegated, but only authority can be delegated, and to the extent
necessary for the accomplishment of the task. And since authority, like money, has to be used for a
cause, it must likewise be accounted for in order to ensure its best use. This is referred to as
accountability. So when authority is delegated, the delegate remains accountable to the delegator
about the use of the authority.
This can ensure compliance of the delegator's plans and directives and enable the delegator to
discharge his responsibilities. Further, because the delegate is accountable, he invariably assumes
the responsibilities, matching the extent of authority he receives. Where this does not happen, rather
than withdrawing authority the incumbent should be replaced; for authority, as we have discussed,
is essential for the accomplishment of the task.
When to Delegate:
Delegation, whether institutional or individual, enhances one's capability of doing things. One stands
to gain from delegation:
1. When one is simply overburdened and cannot handle all the tasks in the required time though
one has the know-how;
2. When one does not have the know-how and is not interested in building up the same as it may
not be of any use in future;
3. When the job is so specialized that it is either not possible to build up the capability or build it by
the time it is needed;
4. When someone can do it better qualitatively, economically and on time;
5. When the work is not secret, or when delegation will not cause problems even if it is a secret;
6. When the intention is to develop staff or growth of ancillary organizations and there are capable
individuals and organizations available; and
7. When the work is routine and the delegator's time can be more profitably utilized by diverting his
attention from routine areas.
In practice, however, delegation may not take place even though the situation may be ideally
suited for delegation. Project managers may not be delegated requisite authorities which, in turn,

Managing Human Resources in Projects - PM0013 Page 4 of 11

Name: Abhishek Jain Roll No.: 511035358
may reduce them to dummies incapable of functioning effectively. Some owner organizations may
attempt doing everything themselves. They may even build up a full-fledged project engineering
division even though they may not have further projects in the pipeline and their main business is
only the operation of the plant and not engineering of the same.
The problems which one has to often confront in a project management situation are:
1. What tasks to retain and what to pass on? What authority needs to be delegated for the
performance of the tasks being passed on?
2. How to package the work satisfactorily so that there is no overlap and also nothing is left
uncovered?
3. How to establish the trustworthiness of the delegate with whom no working relationship ever
existed in the past?
4. How much authority can be shared without risking failure? How to make the delegate fully
accountable morally and legally?
5. Will the delegate assume responsibility matching the authority delegated? If not, what could be
done to make him see reason?
6. Which controls to be installed? Would the procedures for control be acceptable to the
delegate? Would the controls in any way inhibit the initiative of the delegate?
7. How could the interventions be planned so as not to be considered as unnecessary
interferences by the delegate?
8. How to ensure continuous flow of communication and how to make it prompt, accurate and to
the point?
9. How to motivate the delegate to assume total responsibility and give best performance
commensurate with the authority delegated?
How to Delegate:
To get the most from delegation, the delegate must be given a complete picture of what he has to
do, how to do it and how much authority he has to get it done. It is also necessary that the entire
thing is put on record as otherwise the delegate would not know what the delegator has in mind
and also the basis for accountability will not be established. It is also quite possible that one might
overstep the authority delegated, not necessarily in his anxiety to get a task completed faster or
better, but merely to satisfy his egoistic needs or hunger for power. Only written delegation can
provide the delegator the power to discipline the delegate should the occasion so arise.
Delegation, whether at individual or institutional level, involves a certain amount of bargaining. The
delegator may like to pass on a 'hot potato’ but the delegate would not like to accept it unless the
return would more than compensate the trouble. However, what the delegate would consider
adequate compensation may vary, and unless the delegator has a few options it may indeed call
for tough bargaining.
Delegation, thus, is not a simple and a casual affair. To realize best results both the delegator and
the delegate must have a proper appreciation of what is to be delegated, when delegation is
called for and how delegation has to be made. If delegation is not properly done it may
boomerang on the delegator, and instead of helping will hinder the progress of work.

Managing Human Resources in Projects - PM0013 Page 5 of 11

Name: Abhishek Jain Roll No.: 511035358

Master of Business Administration-MBA Semester 3

Managing Human Resources in Projects – PM0013

(Book ID: 1239)

Assignment Set- 2 (60 Marks)

Q.1 Explain effect on individuals of work environment

Ans: The working environment has the following effect on individuals:
 The job provides enough to meet the individual’s basic needs and often much more. For
example, 50 years ago in the United Kingdom, food and shelter were a person's basic needs.
Today, most families consider that the basic needs also include a car, television, overseas
holiday, etc.
 The job may or may not provide ample security. Most individuals seek a secure job, whereas
there are others who seek high pay for a limited period but with limited security.
 The job provides an identity to an individual. As a member of an organization, the person
carries out a specific function.
 The job gives the worker companionship, freedom from boredom, and an interest during the
person’s working life.
 The job provides self-fulfillment for individuals, where the job is creative in nature and gives
job satisfaction.
 The job provides status to an individual.
 The job will:
o Affect the spirit of the team
o Determine whether the team achieves the objectives set by the organization
o Determine the degree of cooperation provided by the team
o Motivate the team to give their best
o Determine whether the human relations within an organization are good or bad
o Affect the relations between management and trade unions

Q.2 Explain organizational chart and its various types.

Ans: Organization charts and position description: Organization charts and position description
clarifies and communicates the roles and responsibilities of the team members and ensures that
each work package is assigned accordingly.
Organization charts can have three formats:
 Hierarchical-type organization chart
 Matrix-based responsibility chart
 Text-oriented format
Hierarchical-type organization chart: The structure of traditional organization charts is used to show
positions and relationships among team members in a graphic, top-down format.
Matrix-based responsibility chart: Responsibility assignment matrix (RAM) illustrates the connections
between work packages or activities and project team members.
Text-oriented format: The required detailed descriptions of the responsibilities of team members are
specified in text-oriented formats. The documents generally provide information such as
responsibilities, authority, competencies, and qualifications in outline form.

Q.3 Describe the elements of enterprise environmental factors-the input to creating HR plan process.
Ans: Enterprise environmental factors: The enterprise environmental factors comprises of individuals
of an organization interacting and relating with one another. The enterprise environmental factors
that play a major role includes are existing organizational culture, knowing how different technical
disciplines work, existing Human Resources and policies and procedures, interpersonal, logical and
political issues with respect to Human Resources.
 Organizational culture – Organizational culture is an idea in the field of organizational studies
and management which describes the psychology, attitudes, experiences, beliefs and values
(personal and cultural values) of an organization. It is defined as "the specific collection of values
and norms that are shared by people and groups in an organization and that controls the way
they interact with each other and with stakeholders outside the organization”. List the
Managing Human Resources in Projects - PM0013 Page 6 of 11
Name: Abhishek Jain Roll No.: 511035358
organizations or departments that are going to be engaged in the project. Enquire whether
there are any existing working arrangements between them. Know the formal and informal
relationships between the departments.
 Technical – To accomplish the project successfully, list the fields of expertise needed.
 Interpersonal – List formal and informal reporting relations existing among the team members.
Know the team member’s existing job descriptions.
 Logistical – Find whether people are in different locations or time zones.
 Political – List the individual goals and agendas of stakeholders. Find the informal authority base
and how that can impact the project. List the informal agreements that are present.
Besides these aspects, there are some restrictions. In human planning, the instances of rigidity are:
 Structure of organization – The usual constraint in an organization is a weak matrix structure.
 Collective bargaining agreements – Contractual agreements with service organizations can
require nuances to certain roles and reporting arrangements.
 Economical conditions – Some of the restrictions on staffing options can be freezing of hiring, little
or no training funds, and lack of traveling budget.

Q.4 Describe people management skills that a project manager should possess.
Ans: Projects are often complex and multidimensional. Managing these projects or Programs
represents a challenge requiring skills in several areas of management especially in the areas of
People management, technical aspects to handle employees, effective leadership abilities etc.,
some of such skills are explained below.
1. Team Building: Building the program is one of the prime responsibilities of the project manager.
This involves maintaining
a. Effective Communications
b. Sincere interest in professional growth of team members.
c. Commitment to the project.
2. Leadership: It involves the ability to integrate individual demands, requirements and limitations
into decisions that benefit the overall project performance.
3. Conflict resolution: This includes understanding the determinants of conflicts so as to respond to
the conflicts effectively. Dysfunctional conflicts result in poor program decision making, lengthy
delay over issues and disruption of the team’s effort. Thus, the manager needs a “Sixth sense”. To
determine when a conflict is desirable what kind of conflict will be useful and how much conflict
is optional for a given situation.
4. Technical Skill: It is essential for the project manager to understand the technology, markets and
the business environment to participate effectively in the search for integrated solution and
technological innovations. Technical expertise is necessary to evaluate technical concepts and
solutions, to communicate effectively in technical terms with the project teams and to assess the
risks and make tradeoff between cost, schedule and technical issues.
5. Planning skill: It requires the ability to negotiate the necessary resource and commitments from
key personnel in the various supporting organizations with little or no formal authority. The
planning must be done such that at any point of time in the project, the plan remains viable.
6. Organizational skill: The project manager must be a social architect, that is, he must understand
how the organization works. And how to work with the organization. Organizational skills are
particularly important during the project formation when the project manager establishes the
project organization by integrating people from different discipline into an effective work team.
7. Entrepreneurial Skill: The project manager needs a general management perspective. For
example, economic considerations are one component area that normally affects the
organization’s financial performance. Thus the project manger must understand the importance
of reducing costs in the project.
8. Administration skill: The project manager must be experiences in planning, staffing, budgeting,
scheduling and other control techniques‟
9. Management support building skill: The project manager is surrounded by a variety of
organizations that either support him or control his activities. An understanding of these
interfaces is important to a project management as it enhances their ability to build favorable
relationship with senior managements.

Managing Human Resources in Projects - PM0013 Page 7 of 11

Name: Abhishek Jain Roll No.: 511035358
10. Resource allocation skill: Once the project begins, different types of resources are needed at
different stages. The project manager must understand this need for varying resources and be
capable of allocating resources as and when wanted.
In many cases, the project manager will just have to take a calculated risk that the team member
possesses these characteristics even though the individual has not previously demonstrated that he
or she has them. It will become obvious very quickly whether or not the individual possesses these
characteristics. If not, and if those characteristics are critical to the team member's role in the
project, the project manager or the team member's line manager will have to correct the team
member's behavior.
Thus the project manager must be both socially and technically aware to understand how the
organization functions and how these functions will affect the project organization of the particular
job to be done. The project manger must also understand the culture and value system of the
organization he is working with.
These business developments resulted in a profound change in organizational structures and how
work was being managed. The traditional hierarchical structure was replaced with natural teams,
self managed. The traditional hierarchal structure was replaced with natural teams; self managed
teams, cross functional teams, employee networks, and project team. A team operated as a group
of people with shared objectives and process and possessed complementary skills, knowledge and
experiences.
Some of these team structures such as project teams and cross functional teams were not
necessarily new, but how the teams operated and the impact of these teams on organizations were
far different and much more empowered than in the past to make changes. The team-based
structure quickly become a norm in organizations Business and projects benefited when people
together well as a team. Successful team based companies saw higher employee morale,
innovation, and financial success. But creating a productive, sustainable team environment took
more work.
In the past decade, the focus on strategies and process has significantly shifted to team behaviors
and project executions. It has been recognized that successful execution requires a stronger
emphasis on people skills such as leadership and collaborations, and team behaviors around
decision making, problem solving, and conflict resolution. To help, companies began personalizing
their value statements by defining specific behaviors that supported those values. These values
define how people work together on a day to day basis.
Having balance on the team in all of the characteristics discussed in the previous section is certainly
a worthy goal, but it is a goal not likely to be reached. In reality, the team is formed more on
availability than on any need to balance its membership. That means that teams are not balanced,
but they are the team nevertheless. What's a project manager to do?
First of all, the project manager had better know where the imbalance exists. What characteristics
does the team have? Where are its strengths and where are its weaknesses? For example, suppose
a confrontation has arisen with the client. We would much rather send an accommodator than a
converger to resolve the confrontation. However, there might not be an accommodator on the
team.
Teams are most likely to be formed without knowledge of this kind of information. It is only after the
fact that these imbalances are discovered. On a larger scale, the project manager needs to
determine which team members have a greater likelihood of success on which types of work
assignments. Build the strategy. If you still have gaping holes, you need a team development plan.
That is the topic of the next section.

Q.5 Explain staffing management plan. also describe Responsibility Assignment Matrix
Ans: The staffing management plan, a part of human resources plan within the project
management plan, describes when & how human resource requirements will be met. The staffing
management plan can be formal or informal, highly detailed or broadly framed, depending upon
the needs of the project. The plan is updated continually during the project to direct ongoing team
member acquisition & development actions. Information in the staffing management plan varies by
application areas & project size, but items to consider include:
 Staff acquisition
 Resource Calendars
 Staff release plan
 Training needs
 Recognition & Rewards

Managing Human Resources in Projects - PM0013 Page 8 of 11

Name: Abhishek Jain Roll No.: 511035358
 Compliance
 Safety
After acquiring the project team, you must create a proper Project Management procedure that
allows feedback and maximum productivity to occur. A staffing management plan or process is
ultimately a document that explains the various human resources requirements that will be met for
both staff management and employees alike. The plan is essentially a portion of the project
management plan in which allows projects to be successful by properly managing various teams to
complete tasks effectively and efficiently. A project management plan is created to showcase
specific target goals as well as project deadlines for various tasks that your company may need to
complete. A staffing management plan can be created in two ways – whether informal and broad,
or formal and details, each staffing management plan are tailored to the various needs of each
specific project. The information provided within said staffing management plan is determined by
the application being completed as well as the size of the project. Thus, creating a staffing
management plan that is tailored to your business is imperative to its overall success in your daily
operations.

Responsibility Assignment Matrix

A Responsibility assignment matrix (RAM) is a chart displaying the resources assigned to a project. It
also shows the assignments that are responsible for. The RAM allows easy identification of all
responsibilities for a given resource.
A specific type of RAM is the RACI matrix. This shows the resources that are responsible,
accountable, consulted, and informed in project activities. Table 1 shows a typical RACI matrix
Table 1
Activity Person
A B C
Design Responsible Consult Accountable
Build Accountable Responsible Consult
Test Inform Accountable Consult
The matrix is typically created with a vertical axis (left-hand column) of tasks (e.g., from a work
breakdown structure or WBS) or deliverables (e.g., from a product breakdown structure or PBS), and
a horizontal axis (top row) of roles (e.g., from an organizational chart) – as illustrated in the image of
an example responsibility assignment (or RACI) matrix.
There is a distinction between a role and individually identified people: a role is a descriptor of an
associated set of tasks; may be performed by many people; and one person can perform many
roles. For example, an organization may have 10 people who can perform the role of project
manager, although traditionally each project only has one project manager at any one time; and a
person who is able to perform the role of project manager may also be able to perform the role of
business analyst and tester. The responsibility assignment matrix is commonly known as a RACI matrix.
RACI is an acronym derived from the four key responsibilities most typically used:
Responsible:
Is the one who has the liability to give account of his/her action towards accomplishing the task.
There is typically one role with a participation type of Responsible, although others can be
delegated to assist in the work required (see also RASCI below for separately identifying those who
participate in a supporting role).
Accountable (also Approver or final Approving authority):
Those who are ultimately accountable for the correct and thorough completion of the deliverable
or task, and the one to whom Responsible is accountable. In other words, an Accountable must sign
off (Approve) on work that Responsible provides. There must be only one Accountable specified for
each task or deliverable.
Consulted:
Those whose opinions are sought; and with whom there is two-way communication.
Informed:
Those who are kept up-to-date on progress, often only on completion of the task or deliverable and
with whom there is just one-way communication.

Q.6 Why we need HR skills in a project manager-Comment

Ans: Projects are often complex and multidimensional. Managing these projects or Programs
represents a challenge requiring skills in several areas of management especially in the areas of

Managing Human Resources in Projects - PM0013 Page 9 of 11

Name: Abhishek Jain Roll No.: 511035358
People management, technical aspects to handle employees, effective leadership abilities etc.,
some of such skills are explained below.
4. Team Building: Building the program is one of the prime responsibilities of the project manager.
This involves maintaining
d. Effective Communications
e. Sincere interest in professional growth of team members.
f. Commitment to the project.
5. Leadership: It involves the ability to integrate individual demands, requirements and limitations
into decisions that benefit the overall project performance.
6. Conflict resolution: This includes understanding the determinants of conflicts so as to respond to
the conflicts effectively. Dysfunctional conflicts result in poor program decision making, lengthy
delay over issues and disruption of the team’s effort. Thus, the manager needs a “Sixth sense”. To
determine when a conflict is desirable what kind of conflict will be useful and how much conflict
is optional for a given situation.
11. Technical Skill: It is essential for the project manager to understand the technology, markets and
the business environment to participate effectively in the search for integrated solution and
technological innovations. Technical expertise is necessary to evaluate technical concepts and
solutions, to communicate effectively in technical terms with the project teams and to assess the
risks and make tradeoff between cost, schedule and technical issues.
12. Planning skill: It requires the ability to negotiate the necessary resource and commitments from
key personnel in the various supporting organizations with little or no formal authority. The
planning must be done such that at any point of time in the project, the plan remains viable.
13. Organizational skill: The project manager must be a social architect, that is, he must understand
how the organization works. And how to work with the organization. Organizational skills are
particularly important during the project formation when the project manager establishes the
project organization by integrating people from different discipline into an effective work team.
14. Entrepreneurial Skill: The project manager needs a general management perspective. For
example, economic considerations are one component area that normally affects the
organization’s financial performance. Thus the project manger must understand the importance
of reducing costs in the project.
15. Administration skill: The project manager must be experiences in planning, staffing, budgeting,
scheduling and other control techniques‟
16. Management support building skill: The project manager is surrounded by a variety of
organizations that either support him or control his activities. An understanding of these
interfaces is important to a project management as it enhances their ability to build favorable
relationship with senior managements.
17. Resource allocation skill: Once the project begins, different types of resources are needed at
different stages. The project manager must understand this need for varying resources and be
capable of allocating resources as and when wanted.
In many cases, the project manager will just have to take a calculated risk that the team member
possesses these characteristics even though the individual has not previously demonstrated that he
or she has them. It will become obvious very quickly whether or not the individual possesses these
characteristics. If not, and if those characteristics are critical to the team member's role in the
project, the project manager or the team member's line manager will have to correct the team
member's behavior.
Thus the project manager must be both socially and technically aware to understand how the
organization functions and how these functions will affect the project organization of the particular
job to be done. The project manger must also understand the culture and value system of the
organization he is working with.
These business developments resulted in a profound change in organizational structures and how
work was being managed. The traditional hierarchical structure was replaced with natural teams,
self managed. The traditional hierarchal structure was replaced with natural teams; self managed
teams, cross functional teams, employee networks, and project team. A team operated as a group
of people with shared objectives and process and possessed complementary skills, knowledge and
experiences.
Some of these team structures such as project teams and cross functional teams were not
necessarily new, but how the teams operated and the impact of these teams on organizations were

Managing Human Resources in Projects - PM0013 Page 10 of 11

Name: Abhishek Jain Roll No.: 511035358
far different and much more empowered than in the past to make changes. The team-based
structure quickly become a norm in organizations Business and projects benefited when people
together well as a team. Successful team based companies saw higher employee morale,
innovation, and financial success. But creating a productive, sustainable team environment took
more work.
In the past decade, the focus on strategies and process has significantly shifted to team behaviors
and project executions. It has been recognized that successful execution requires a stronger
emphasis on people skills such as leadership and collaborations, and team behaviors around
decision making, problem solving, and conflict resolution. To help, companies began personalizing
their value statements by defining specific behaviors that supported those values. These values
define how people work together on a day to day basis.
Having balance on the team in all of the characteristics discussed in the previous section is certainly
a worthy goal, but it is a goal not likely to be reached. In reality, the team is formed more on
availability than on any need to balance its membership. That means that teams are not balanced,
but they are the team nevertheless. What's a project manager to do?
First of all, the project manager had better know where the imbalance exists. What characteristics
does the team have? Where are its strengths and where are its weaknesses? For example, suppose
a confrontation has arisen with the client. We would much rather send an accommodator than a
converger to resolve the confrontation. However, there might not be an accommodator on the
team.
Teams are most likely to be formed without knowledge of this kind of information. It is only after the
fact that these imbalances are discovered. On a larger scale, the project manager needs to
determine which team members have a greater likelihood of success on which types of work
assignments. Build the strategy. If you still have gaping holes, you need a team development plan.
That is the topic of the next section.

Managing Human Resources in Projects - PM0013 Page 11 of 11