CAPM Exam Study Guide.

Chapter 4: Organizing and Staffing the Project Office and Team PMBOK® Guide Sixth Edition knowledge area Project Resource Management, and chapters 1 through 3. 1. List at least eight personal characteristics or skills a project manager should possess to be successful in managing a project team and achieving project objectives. Eight of any of the following: ● Honesty and integrity ● Understanding of personnel problems ● Understanding of project technology ● Business management competence ● Alertness and quickness ● Versatility ● Energy and stamina (toughness) ● Leadership ● Conflict resolution ● Decision-making ability ● Ability to evaluate risk and uncertainty ● Communications ● Planning ● Interface management ● Team building ● Organizing ● Creativity and entrepreneurship 2. The project manager is usually selected and assigned to a project by the: The project manager is usually selected by the project sponsor or project executive. For most projects, especially large, complex projects that may impact an organization's reputation, this is an executive decision. 3. What characteristics and personality traits would be desirable to you when selecting your project team? List at least six traits or characteristics. Any six of the following: ● Technical ability and competence ● Willingness to work with the team ● Willingness to accept changes ● Flexibility, good listener ● Honesty ● Reliability ● Understanding and acceptance of their responsibilities ● Accuracy 4. What problems or obstacles may be encountered by the project manager when attempting to staff his or her project team? Review the list of problems or issues that may be experienced when staffing a project, and provide a recommendation for managing and resolving the issue. Consider the project or projects you are currently assigned to manage. What issues have you encountered? What were the root causes? How did you respond to those issues? 5. PM Quick Check: In which organizational structure will the project team members encounter a situation known as the "two boss syndrome"? Matrix structure. 6. Describe the major responsibilities of the project manager: ● Integration of project work across functional lines ● Ensure the project plan is developed. ● Direct the preparation of the project budget. ● Direct the preparation of the project schedule. ● Establish monitoring and control procedures. ● Create the project organizational chart. ● Explain duties and responsibilities of the project team. ● Set expectations with the project team and sponsor. ● Select the project team, communicate project objectives. ● Estimate resource requirements. ● Direct the project work. ● Develop a high-performing team. 7. In addition to the desired personal characteristics listed in question one, a project manager must fully understand the needs of the project team members. The project manager must provide the appropriate level of training, support, and motivation to ensure the team has the ability to perform the project work efficiently and will commit to completing the objectives. To create an effective and motivated team, what information should the project manager communicate to the project team? Consider the expectations a project manager should establish with the team at the start of a project. ● Project objectives ● Contractual requirements ● Quality requirements ● Constraints ● Assumptions ● Customer/client information ● Relationship of the project to organizational objectives ● Status reporting ● Change management process ● Milestone dates, sponsor expectations 8. A team will perform more effectively if the project manager provides a positive atmosphere that is conducive to teamwork. List the actions a project manager may take to ensure he or she creates a positive team environment that will contribute to the development of a high-performing team. ● Clearly define roles and responsibilities ● Empower the team members to perform their responsibilities ● Regularly reward and recognize excellent job performance ● Provide coaching and mentoring ● Avoid aggressive control of the team members ● Avoid doing functional manager work ● Establish a supportive environment ● Avoid personal recognition and assuming credit for the work done by the team ● Ensure the team receives credit for achievements ● Invite participatory decision making when possible 9. The following criteria are sometimes used to select and assign a project manager. For each item listed, explain why the criterion may be used and why it may actually result in the assignment of the "wrong" project manager. Criterion Explanation Maturity (age) Age is not always an indicator of strong experience. Age is often confused with work maturity, ability, and experience. Decisions should be made based on an assessment of performance and competency. Hard-nosed tactics (forcing, controlling) This type of manager may achieve some results in the short term but may create interpersonal conflicts that will affect project performance later, including low morale and poor productivity. Availability (waiting for an assignment) An "available" person may not have the appropriate skill set or experience. Sometimes referred to as the "accidental" project manager, a person is assigned to manage a project but has no actual experience or training in project management. This may result in serious project issues throughout the project life cycle. Technical expertise (technically proficient) Technically strong project managers may tend to manage the technical details of the project instead of the crossorganizational issues and overall integration of project deliverables. Customer orientation (customer desires a person because they are familiar with him/her) The person selected may have a personality desired by the customer but may not possess the necessary project management skills for the project. New exposure (to become familiar with the project environment) Some projects, due to their complexity, may not be suitable for use as "training ground" for new project managers. This type of assignment may be perceived as short term and may result in a lack of commitment from the project team. Company exposure (the person has experience in many areas or business units within the organization) This type of action is often referred to as "ticket punching." The assignment is associated with career advancement, and the project manager may not be fully committed to the project. This type of assignment may be perceived as short term and may result in a lack of commitment from the project team. 10. PM Quick Check: What is the definition of a "stakeholder"? PM Quick Check. A stakeholder is any person or organization that is directly involved in or in some way impacted, either positively or negatively, as a result of the project. 11. Many project managers experience situations in which some team members become difficult to manage or create conflicts that may disrupt the entire project team and jeopardize the project. These situations include but are not limited to: Non-acceptance of rules, policies, and procedures Non-acceptance of established formal authority Focusing on technical aspects at the expense of the budget and schedule Failing to contribute to the planning process Delays in providing project information Incompetence or inability to perform assigned activities Unwilling to perform assigned project work What actions could be taken by the project manager to prevent or resolve these issues? There may be many answers to this question. Screen project personnel before adding them to the team, set expectations early, establish roles and responsibilities early, explain the integrative project management process and communicate the importance of teamwork; set vision and goals. 12. Why is it important for the project manager to prepare and distribute a project organizational chart to the project team and other stakeholders? Provide at least three reasons. The organizational chart defines the various relationships within the project team and defines at a high level the roles and responsibilities of the team members. It assists in the overall communications process with the project team and organizes the project. 13. PM Quick Check: What is the project manager's primary function? Remember The staffing process usually involves asking the following questions: What people resources are required? What skill levels are needed? What organization will provide the resources? When will the resources be needed? How many resources are needed? When will the resources be available? When should the resources be released? What type of project organizational structure will be best? PM Quick Check. Project manager's primary function is the integration of project activities. 14. A challenge faced by most project managers is the selection of the "right" people for the project team and the use of appropriate managerial, motivational, and leadership skills to keep the team focused on project objectives and the completion of deliverables. This means managing a variety of personality types. Review each type of person that may become part of the project team and match the characteristics of each type.