PM0013 – Managing Human Resources in Projects / Assignment Set- 1Q.1. Write short notes ona. Matrix Organizational chartAns: Superimposing a group or interdisciplinary team of project specialists, such as scientific and engineering personnel, on a functional organizational design. In a matrix organization members have dual allegiance, to a particular assignment or project and to their organizational department.

An advantage to the matrix structure lies in the efficient use of resources because of ease of access. This structure also demonstrates efficient communication both vertically and horizontally. Because of this, once the projects have ended, the team members are likely to receive a job elsewhere in the organization.A disadvantage of the matrix structure is complexity, which can be difficult to manage. For example, if the functional manager and the project manager do not communicate well, the team members can be caught in the middle, causing confusion.

Q.1.b. Hierarchical Organizational chartAns: In a hierarchical organisation employees are ranked at various levels within the organisation, each level is one above the other. At each stage in the chain, one person has a number of workers directly under them, within their span of control. A tall hierarchical organisation has many levels and a flat hierarchical organisation will only have a few. The chain of command (i.e. the way authority is organized) is a typical pyramid shape.

Above: A traditional hierarchy, senior managers make up the board of directors and are responsible for establishing strategy and overall business direction, whilst middle managers have responsibility for a specific function such as finance

or marketing.A traditional hierarchical structure clearly defines each employee’s role within the organisation and defines the nature of their relationship with other employees. Hierarchical organisations are often tall with narrow spans of control, which gets wider as we move down the structure. They are often centralised with the most important decisions being taken by senior management.

In the twentieth century as organisations grow bigger, hierarchical organisations were popular because they could ensure command and control of the organisation. However with the advent of globalisation and widespread use of technology, in the 1990’s tall hierarchical organisations began to downsize and reduce their workforce. Technology was able to carry out many of the functions previously carried out by humans.

Q.1.c. Horizontal Organizational chartAns: The definition of a company organizational structure refers to how people and processes are managed. Vertical structures the decision making at the top. Horizontal structures have more of a team approach.

- Building a Team: In vertical organizations, where power comes from the top, work can become very fragmented and communication is lost. Building a team that is empowered to solve problems and make decisions is part of the horizontal organizational structure.

- Designing the Process: Getting the work done is critical. A horizontal structure provides employees with the tools and skills needed. Cross function (from department to department) communication and creative thinking is encouraged.

- Evaluating Results: Evaluating results of a horizontal structure is important. Questions need to be answered such as how the work is getting done, are the teams working well together, and is everyone engaged.

- Increased Employee Satisfaction: Horizontal structures offer many different opportunities to employees. Where some companies have somewhat rigid job descriptions, the horizontal organization strives for performance improvement and new learning through the cross functional projects.

- Continuous Improvement: Continuous improvement may be a major initiative of companies. The horizontal structure brings many positive changes, but no structure is perfect. Reviews of processes and procedures can identify weaknesses in the structure.

Q.2 Explain staffing management plan. Also describe Responsibility Assignment Matrix

Ans: A. Staffing Management Plan: After employing individuals to work for your company, 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 a detail, each staffing management plan is 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.

B. Responsibility Assignment Matrix: The act of putting together the detailed project plan that will eventually drive the overall management of the engagement can be an arduous process. Unless your projects are always straightforward and always the same, you can’t really just apply a cookie cutter template to it. You have to re-invent the wheel for each project most of the time.

Time is always a critical factor because up front planning on the project is something that the sales guy who priced the project for the customer rarely takes into consideration. So, as the project manager, you’re often already behind the eight ball just as you get the project handed to you. You have some time / effort built into the original estimate for planning, but not as much as you probably need. But as we all know, good up front planning can go a long way in determining the success of your project.

If you have the time, putting together a Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) can be very beneficial in ensuring that all aspects of the project and associated tasks and responsibilities are well covered before you actually start work on the engagement. The RAM is a tool that identifies how project participants interact with the activities of the project. The most common type of interaction is responsibility for completing an activity. But consider other situations, such as these: a technical expert who must be consulted on several activities, management approvals that are required before initiating an activity, or a client representative who must be notified when certain activities have been completed. The RAM provides an opportunity for documenting these types of people-project interactions. The figure above illustrates an example of a Responsibility Assignment Matrix.

Q.3. Describe in brief the following HR theories:a. Maslow’s theory: Ans: In 1943, Abraham Maslow's article A Theory of Human Motivation appeared in Psychological Review, which were further expanded upon in his book: Toward a Psychology of Being In this article, Abraham Maslow attempted to formulate a needs-based framework of human motivation and based upon his clinical experiences with humans, rather than prior pyschology theories of his day from leaders in the field of psychology such as Freud and B.F. Skinner, which were largely theoretical or based upon animal behavior. From Maslow's theory of motivation, modern leaders and executive managers find means of employee motivation for the purposes of employee and workforce management.

The basis of Maslow's theory of motivation is that human beings are motivated by unsatisfied needs, and that certain lower needs need to be satisfied before higher needs can be addressed. Per the teachings of Abraham Maslow, there are general needs (physiological, safety, love, and esteem) which have to be fulfilled before a person is able to act unselfishly. These needs were dubbed "deficiency needs." While a person is motivated to fulfil these basal desires, they continue to move toward growth, and eventually self-actualization. The satisfaction of these needs is quite healthy while preventing their gratification makes us ill or act evilly.

As a result, for adequate workplace motivation, it is important that leadership understands which needs are active for individual employee motivation. In this regard, Abraham Maslow's model indicates that basic, low-level needs such as physiological requirements and safety must be satisfied before higher-level needs such as self-fulfilment are pursued. As depicted in this hierarchical diagram, sometimes called 'Maslow's Needs Pyramid' or 'Maslow's Needs Triangle', when a need is satisfied it no longer motivates and the next higher need takes its place.

Q.3.b. McGregor theoryAns: Douglas McGregor’s theory of motivation or XY theory proposes that organisations follow one of two approaches in their management of people. Below is a summary of each theory.Theory X: This theory is also referred to as “the authoritarian management style”, as it states that the average person needs to be coerced (even threatened with punishment), into working towards organisational objectives.

- The average employee does not like work and will attempt to avoid it. - As employees are lazy they do not want responsibility and have no ambition. - Individuals prefer to be directed and want security above everything else.- Individuals need to be closely supervised and controlled.Theory Y: Also known as “the participative management style”, a theory Y organisation’s view of people is the opposite of an organisation applying theory X.- The average employee likes work, and is self-motivated.- Employees can learn to not only accept but seek greater responsibility.- Individuals are ambitious not lazy, and work is as natural as rest and play.- Individuals exercise self control and self-direction to achieve objectives that they are committed to. Threats of

punishment are unnecessary.- The rewards of achievement generate commitment from employees.- If individuals are given freedom there is opportunity to increase productivity.Managers applying theory Y believe that if employees are given the opportunity, they will develop a desire to be imaginative and creative at work. They will therefore try and remove obstacles that prevent employees from realising their potential. They believe that negative attitudes such as avoidance of responsibility are caused by experience and are not “inherent characteristics”. Therefore by creating the positive experiences and conditions such negatives can be banished.

McGregor’s theory of X and Y represents two extremes, which probably aren’t applied in full by today’s organisations. However the theory has provided the foundations for today’s management strategy and elements of it can be seen in other management evaluations

Q.4 List and explain in brief the six phases of the business knowledge areas to be processes by a project manager.Ans: The business analysis body of knowledge defines 6 knowledge areas, which group together related sets of tasks and techniques. Each of these tasks and techniques describes the typical knowledge, skills, processes, and deliverables that the business analyst requires to be able to perform those tasks competently.

1. Business analysis planning and monitoring: how business analysts plan the tasks and activities for business analysis. It covers stakeholder analysis, selecting an approach to managing issues, risks and requirements; deciding how to monitor and report on requirements activities; and negotiating how to manage change on a project.

2. Elicitation: how business analysts work with stakeholders to help them understand their requirements within the scope of a project. It covers eliciting requirements; brainstorming; analysing documents; running focus groups; analysing system interfaces; interviewing; observing; prototyping; facilitating requirements workshops; reverse engineering existing systems; and collecting input via surveys and questionnaires.

3. Requirements management and communication: how business analysts ensure that the project team and stakeholders stay in agreement on project scope. It covers communicating requirements; resolving conflicts; gaining formal approval; base lining and tracking requirements through to implementation.

4. Enterprise analysis: how business analysts take a business need: define that need; identify gaps in current capabilities that stop that need being met; then if change is required, to propose an approach and scope for finding a solution and building the case to justify the work. It explores assessing business architecture; undertaking capability gap analysis; feasibility studies; defining the solution scope; and developing a business case.

5. Requirements analysis: how business analysts work with the whole project team towards defining a solution that should meet the agreed requirements. It covers documenting and analysing business, stakeholder, functional, and non-functional (quality of service) requirements; modelling the business domain using process diagrams, flowcharts, data models; exploring behaviour models using use case, user experience design, storyboards, wireframes, user profiles and user stories; and finally verifying and validating requirements.

6. Solution assessment and validation: how business analysts assess proposed solutions to help the stakeholders select the solution which best fits their requirements, and once selected how the business should prove that the solution meets those requirements and ultimately whether the project has met its objectives. It covers evaluating alternate solutions, quality assurance processes, support through implementation, and post-implementation reviews.

Q.5. Write short notes on the following knowledge areas:a. Time managementAns: Time management is the act or process of exercising conscious control over the amount of time spent on specific activities, especially to increase efficiency or productivity. Time management may be aided by a range of skills, tools, and techniques used to manage time when accomplishing specific tasks, projects and goals. This set encompasses a wide scope of activities, and these include planning, allocating, setting goals, delegation, analysis of time spent, monitoring, organizing, scheduling, and prioritizing. Initially, time management referred to just business or work activities, but eventually the term broadened to include personal activities as well. A time management system is a designed combination of processes, tools, techniques, and methods. Usually time management is a necessity in any project development as it determines the project completion time and scope.

Q.5.b. Human resource managementAns: Human Resource Management (HRM) is the function within an organization that focuses on recruitment of, management of, and providing direction for the people who work in the organization. Human Resource Management can also be performed by line managers. Human Resource Management is the organizational function that deals with

issues related to people such as compensation, hiring, performance management, organization development, safety, wellness, benefits, employee motivation, communication, administration, and training.

Human Resource Management is also a strategic and comprehensive approach to managing people and the workplace culture and environment. Effective HRM enables employees to contribute effectively and productively to the overall company direction and the accomplishment of the organization's goals and objectives.

Q.5.c. risk managementAns: Risk Management is the name given to a logical and systematic method of identifying, analysing, treating and monitoring the risks involved in any activity or process. It is a methodology that helps managers make best use of their available resources. Risk management encompasses three processes: risk assessment, risk mitigation, and evaluation and assessment.

Minimizing negative impact on an organization and need for sound basis in decision making are the fundamental reasons organizations implement a risk management process for their IT systems. Effective risk management must be totally integrated into the SDLC.

Step 1: Risk assessment: Risk assessment is the first process in the risk management methodology. Organizations use risk assessment to determine the extent of the potential threat and the risk associated with an IT system throughout its SDLC. The output of this process helps to identify appropriate controls for reducing or eliminating risk during the risk mitigation process.

Step 2: Threat Identification: A threat is the potential for a particular threat-source to successfully exercise a particular vulnerability. Vulnerability is a weakness that can be accidentally triggered or intentionally exploited. A threat-source does not present a risk when there is no vulnerability that can be exercised. In determining the likelihood of a threat, one must consider threat-sources, potential vulnerabilities, and existing controls.

Step 3:

Q.6 Explain effect of an individual’s behaviour in work environmentAns: Every company asks how they can make lazy employees into hard workers. Once in awhile there are workers that just seem to be getting lazy. It is generally found that the employees were not lazy when they were hired on, but have become so with the passing of time. To know how to make lazy employees into hard workers, a company must understand why the employees have become lazy. One can’t motivate employees but can only remove the barriers to motivation. People motivate themselves. The more de-motivator we remove, the less lazy employees become barriers to motivation are the following- a. Misalignment of values, b. Lack of respect for employees, c. Poor boss-employee relationship, d. Lack of employee self–actualization.

It’s an established fact that there are many differences between the work environment, attitude, perspective etc of a public sector and private sector employees and both can’t be handled with the same stick and hence it’s necessary first of all to take into account the differences and then only we can discuss about the measures to be taken for motivating the employees.

The study by Eleni T. Stavrou, Christakis Charalambous and Stelios Spiliotis utilizes an innovative research methodology (Kohonen’s Self-Organizing Maps (SOMs), Neural Network Analysis) to explore the connection between human resource management as a source of competitive advantage and perceived organizational performance in the European Union’s private and public sectors. While practices in these two sectors did not differ significantly, three diverse but overlapping HRM models did emerge, each of which involved a different set of EU member states. Training & Development practices were strongly related to performance in all three models and Communication practices in two. These results show the usefulness of an innovative technique when applied to research so far conducted through traditional methodologies, and brings to the surface questions about the universal applicability of the widely accepted relationship between superior HRM and superior business performance.

According to the empirical research finding, high-intensity internal marketing generates positive impact upon employee involvement and low-intensity internal marketing results in negative impact upon employee involvement; the effect of sentiment relationship upon employee involvement is prominent and positive; employees with personality traits of internal control reveal higher level of involvement than those with external control.

A. Learning and forgetting phenomena: A learning curve could be defined as a graph that reflects the fact that as workers repeat their jobs, they improve performance. The idea of the learning curve is that improvement occurs because workers learn how to do a job better as they produce more and more units. Nevertheless, it is generally accepted that other related factors such as job redesign, work and time analysis, and worker motivation also improve performance overtime.

B. Skill improvement and deterioration curves: Generalizing the concept of learning and forgetting phenomena, the following relationship can be established between the amount of time a worker performs a particular operation and his (her) skill improvement. Once a worker is assigned to a workstation, his (her) skill improves as he (she) performs the same operation for an extended period of time.

C. Motivation (boredom recovery) and boredom curves: The importance of emotions in the workplace is being growingly recognized (Ashkanasy et al., 2002). However, the study of boredom at work is still a neglected issue

as pointed out by Fisher (1993) more than a decade ago (Game, 2007). Boredom at work is a common complaint among employees. It is defined as an undesirable transient state in which individuals feel an extreme lack of interest in their current activity (Fisher, 1993). Boredom has been criticized for employee’s absenteeism, accidents, performance variation, and lack of job satisfaction.

Q.6 List & explain the 3 major issues related to delegation which need close scrutiny.Ans: To reduce the risk a manager should select the tasks to be delegated carefully and select the right people to do them. You should be very careful when delegating tasks that have already been delegated - to you. The person delegating the task has already reduced their direct control and may be very reluctant to reduce it further. When delegating, tasks that should be considered first include: routine tasks where progress is measurable, tasks that can be planned clearly well in advance and tasks that one of your team has expressed a genuine interest in taking on. Don't delegate only unpleasant tasks. In order to bring out the best in your subordinates you should offer them a mix of tasks. Conversely, don't keep all the unpleasant tasks for yourself. It is important not to hold back all the jobs that you personally dislike, considering it unfair to give these to others. Make sure that you set aside sufficient time to actually specify delegated tasks and go through them with the relevant members of staff. Ensure that tasks are not delegated at the last minute, each member of staff have their own responsibilities into which they must find the time for the delegated work. Work delegated at the last minute may not be done properly, if at all. Tasks can be viewed as easy to delegate, difficult to delegate, high risk to delegate or low risk to delegate.

Difficult EasyLow Risk

Do not rush, set aside the time needed Make sure it is a good investment of time

(i.e pay back in the long term) Encourage questions to promote

understanding

Can enrich people’s roles Balance ‘boring’ & ‘interesting’ Encourage them to ‘pull’ advice from you rather

than ‘pushing’ advice onto them Recognise efforts

High Risk

Don’t delegate • Choose ‘delegatee’ carefully• Build rapport and trust• Build in check-points• Offer experience and guidance• Advise what Critical Success Factors and warning

flags to look for• Operate an ‘open door’ policy

Delegation MatrixAs a general guide you could choose to delegate those items that are easy to delegate and are of low risk, and to keep those items that are difficult to delegate and are of high risk.

When delegating, remember to:o Delegate the outcome, not the processo Recognise that different people will achieve things via different routeso Recognise what you need to feel comfortable in the delegation process, and making sure to meet that in

some way so that it is a 'winwin' situationo Anticipate what might go wrong, and ask enough questions in the 'delegation discussion' to allow you both

to put in contingency planso Summarise clearly what was agreed and to put this in writing if appropriateo Clearly communicate the importance of the task, the reason it needs doing and why they have been chosen

to do itDo delegate:

o The authority to do the tasko The responsibility to get the task completedo The outcome that you want to see

Do not delegate:o The process by which the task should be achievedo The accountability (if it all goes wrong the buck stops with the ‘delegator’ not with the ‘delagatee’)

In the case of high risk tasks:o Offer your experience for recommended steps or processeso Only impose processes if they are regulatory or recognised procedureso Encourage them to ask for information and advice from you rather than you pushing unwanted advice onto

themo Make sure that what you think you communicated to them is actually what was heard.

Always manage expectations at the outset during the ‘delegation discussion’: Precise timescales for completion of the task including:

o Dateo Time (including time zone if appropriate)

Agreed ‘checkpoints’ that accommodate both working styleso A micro manager may need to compromise by agreeing on check points a little less frequently than s/he

would like if working with someone who prefers a more hands-off approach, and vice versao What do you expect to see at the checkpoint meetings?o Should they prepare outputs or just be prepared to talk about progress?

o How long will the checkpoint meetings last? Explain the ‘conditions’ that would meet the satisfactory outcome of the delegation.

o How precisely do you need to define the outcome?o What would not meet the needs of the delegation?o What would over meet the needs and so potentially be a waste of effort or even counter productive?o What would be just right?o Which sources of information have to be consulted?o If they get stuck or come across a problem or aren’t able to fulfil their obligation what action should they

take?