Project Resource and Team Management

What this unit covers

The page follows the project resource cycle: planning, estimating, acquiring, developing and managing people. The overview mind map on project resource management sets out the process to estimate, acquire, manage and use physical and team resources. It lists Plan Resource Management, Estimate Activity Resources and Acquire Resources as its first branches.

Where to start

Begin with that overview map to see the whole sequence. Then open the flashcard deck on project human resource management. It covers planning, acquiring, developing and managing the team, and defines terms such as virtual teams and colocation, also called the tight matrix.

After that, work through the process maps in order:

1. Planning: the Plan Human Resource Management Process map covers organisation charts, position descriptions, networking and organisational theory. The RACI map sits alongside it.
2. Acquiring: the Acquire Project Team maps cover negotiation with functional managers, virtual teams, pre-assignment and multicriteria decision analysis. Staff Acquisition is a further map on this step.
3. Developing: the maps on developing the project team cover training, team-building, ground rules, recognition and rewards. One map covers the Tuckman ladder model of team formation.
4. Managing: look at the conflict management map, which sets out collaborating, compromising, withdrawal, smoothing and forcing.

Using maps and quizzes together

Read a map, close it, then try to recall its branches from memory. Next, take a quiz such as Modulo 9 or Q IX to see which areas need another look. Go back to the matching map for anything you missed. The flashcard deck on project resources management terms helps with vocabulary.

Some maps are in Spanish, so those with Spanish titles may suit you if you study in both languages. Motivation theory and interpersonal skills and leadership also have their own maps, and there is a slide set on Human Resource Management Processes.

Where it fits

This unit sits in the Project Management strand of Business administration and management (incl. project management). Its resources mention the PMP, so candidates for that exam will find familiar process names.

Choose one process, open its map and see how far you get. Then make a few flashcards of your own.