Project Management Framework
Execution - Staffing
Best practices in staff management are simply the processes of ensuring that the right people, with the right skills and tools, are performing the right tasks, at the right time. Effective staff management is arguably the single most important factor in managing a project to a successful outcome.
For Best Results
- Maintain the following staff management related controls:
- Inventory of available staff (resource pool).
- Inventory of staff's knowledge, skills, and abilities (skills assessment).
- Inventory of workload capacities of available staff (duration and breadth of current work assignments and future commitments).
- Inventory of tools and other non-people resources available to project staff.
- Schedule and Task Plans with work breakdown structures (WBS) that lists project objectives, their related deliverables, and the tasks that create the listed deliverables.
- Maintain a staffing profile by mapping the tasks in the Project Plan to the resource availability. The Staffing Profile should also reflect when other types of resources are needed (development tools, testing labs, training facilities, etc.)
- Use the staffing profile to maintain the project's critical path priorities at all times through out the project and make resource assignments accordingly.
- Monitor assigned project team roles and responsibilities and ensure that they are being exercised appropriately. Keep the project organization chart up to date.
- Recognize that dedicated project staffing represents reduced risk for the project and that staff obtained from operational service units may not consider your project their top priority.
- Keep the staff tracking controls simple and at a high level. Avoid excessive detail. Simplicity is strength.
- Ensure that staff tracking controls are reported on regularly, that they are transparent in their content, and that they are available to all project stakeholders.
- Make staff assignments with a 20% contingency for unexpected problems.
- Acknowledge that unexpected loss of key staff represents risk to your project. Risk Mitigation Plans, Investment Plans, Issues Management Plans, and Change Management Plans should reflect and address these losses when they occur.
- Track and verify that staff planning assumptions are correct by comparing task time estimates against the actual time it takes to complete the task.
- Account for, and keep up with vacations, flex schedules, family obligations, illnesses, and other staff absences.
- Work with your organization's Human Resource Office to ensure that you are using staff in a manner that is consistent with established rules, policies, and personnel practices.
- Periodically validate that project staff understand and accept roles, responsibilities, and assigned tasks.
Also Consider
- Maintaining project controls in project management software for large and complex projects.
- Giving project assignments as staff development opportunities. In doing so, allow extra time for learning. Avoid this practice for critical tasks whose completion are mission critical for the project.
- Keeping staffing contingencies such as vendor convenience contracts in place.
- Providing project staff with regular feedback and performance reviews.
- Using Issues Management processes to resolve unplanned staffing conflicts and ensure that all managers providing staff to the project are aware that these processes are how resource conflicts are resolved.
- Using Status Reporting as means of flagging emerging staffing issues.
- Celebrating completion of major milestones
- Releasing staff that were obtained for the project but not needed. Do not hoard people or other resources that are needed elsewhere in your organization.
Related Links:
Staffing Plan
Staff Planning Template
Checklists