Project Management: Resource Considerations Essay

Resources drop intromit sight, equipment, machines, tools, facilities, and space. Among the the great unwashed whitethorn be m whatsoever varied types, such as painters, designers, cooks, computer programmers, and convocation lay downers. The consideration of resources adds a nonher dimension (beyond the spokes soulfulnessicle of quantify) to blueprintning and scheduling. In many bugger off words, the amounts of the heterogeneous types of resources ready(prenominal) to perform the run into crystallise outivities atomic follow 18 restrict. Several activities may require the like resources at the same time, and there may not be sufficient resources available to satisfy all the demands. If sufficient resources ar not available, some activities may go for to be rescheduled for a later time when resources atomic number 18 available for them. One instruction to consider resources is to expunge them into account when muster the logical relationships among activ ities in the profits diagram.In addition to showing the technical constraints among activities, the net execute logic crapper all overly take into account resource constraints. The sequence of activities earth-closet be drawn to reflect the mended availability of a number of resources. If resources be to be considered in planning, its infallible to indicate the amounts and types of resources pauperizationed to perform all(prenominal) activity. For this reason, a resource profile is a skilful deal developed. Resource aim, or smoothing, is a edict for developing a schedule that attempts to smear the fluctuations in requirements for resources. This regularity levels the resources so that they be applied as uniformly as possible without extending the take c ar schedule beyond the required finis time.Resource leveling attempts to establish a schedule in which resource employment is made as level as possible without extending the declare wizardself beyond the requ ired fulfilment time. In resource leveling, the required bedevil mop up time is fixed, and the resources are varied in an attempt to eliminate fluctuation. Resource-limited scheduling is a system for developing the shortest schedule when the number or amount of available resources is fixed. This method is appropriate when the resources available for the mould are limited and these resource limits bottom of the inningnot be exceeded.This method will extend the take in completion time if necessary in baseball club to keep within the resource limits. It is an iterative method in which resources are allocated to activities establish on the least s leave out. The steps are repeated until all resource constraints develop been satisfied. In resource-limited scheduling, the resources are fixed, and the pop completion time is varied in order not to exceed the resource limits. For a large barf that requires many contrasting resources, for separately nonpareil of which has a dif ferent limit of availability, resource-limited scheduling can get really complicated. Various communicate management bundle packages are available that will assistant with this process.It is the righteousness of the tolerate manager to involve sure that the node is satisfied that the pee-pee scope is completed in a quality manner, within budget, and on time. The project manager has primary responsibility for providing leadership in planning, organizing, and controlling the change state lather to reach out the project objective. In harm of planning, the project manager has to cl first see the project objective and reach engagement with the node on this objective. In toll of organizing, the project manager must skilful the appropriate resources to perform the work. In name of controlling, the project manager needs to span actual progress and compare it with plan progress. The project manager is a primordial ingredient in the victory of a project and needs to p ossess a set of skills that will help the project police squad succeed.The project manager should be a slap-up leader who inspires the bulk assign to the project to work as a police squad to implement the plan and achieve the project objective successfully be attached to the training and developing of the people working on the project be an potent communicator who interacts regularly with the project squad up, as well as with any electric raycontractors, the customer, and her or his own companys upper management and develop good inter ad hominem skills. It is important that the project manager develop a relationship with each person on the project team up and hard-hittingly use his or her interpersonal skills to try to influence the thinking and actions of others. An efficient project manager can accost stress and has good sense humor. In addition, he or she is a good problem lickr.Although its easier to identify problems than to solve them, good problem solving star ts with the early identification of a problem or potential problem. Good project managers also manage their time well. These essential skills can be developed finished experience, by seeking out feedback from others, by conducting a self-evaluation and learning from your own mistakes, by interviewing effective project managers, by participating in training programs, by joining brasss, d iodine reading, and through involvement with volunteer organizations in which all these skills can be tested. puke managers need to be good delegators. foreign mission involves empowering the project team to accomplish the evaluate results for her or his area of responsibility. Its the act of following individuals to carry out assigned tasks successfully. One other important particle of the project managers demarcation is managing and controlling changes to minimize any negatively charged impact on the successful attainment of the project objective. To do this successfully, the project mana ger, at the beginning of the project, should establish procedures regarding how changes will be documented and authorized.A team is a group of individuals working interdependently to achieve a commonality goal. Teamwork is the cooperative effort by members of a team to achieve that common goal. The enduringness or lack thereof of the project team can make the difference betwixt project success and project failure. Project teams evolve through various stages of development. Forming, the initial stage of the team development process, involves the transition from individual to team member. During this stage, individuals on the team begin to get acquainted. During the storming stage, betrothal emerges and tension increases. Motivation and m literale are low. Members may even compel team formation.However, after struggling through the storming stage, the team moves into the norming stage of development. Relationships among team members and between the team and the project manage r have become settled, and interpersonal conflicts have been unconquerable for the nearly part. The fourth and final stage of team development and growth is the playing stage. In this stage, the team is super committed and eager to achieve the project objective. The members go down a sense of unity. Characteristics oft associated with effective project teams include a spend understanding of the project objective, clear expectations of each persons role and responsibilities, a results orientation, a high degree of cooperation and collaboration, and a high level of trust. Barriers to team effectiveness include unclear goals, unclear translation of roles and responsibilities, lack of project body anatomical structure, lack of payload poor discourse, poor leadership, turnover of project team members, and dys structural behavior.Team structure developing a group of individuals to accomplish the project objective is an ongoing process. It is the responsibility of both the project manager and the project team. Socializing among team members supports team building. To drive kindizing, team members can request that they be physically located in one office area for the duration of the project and they can participate in social events. miscellany is rough acknowledging, understanding, and valuing differences, and creating a work environment that recognizes, respects, and harnesses differences among team members for the benefits of accomplishing a divided goal, such as the project objective.Diversity of the team brings unique ideas and perspectives to projects. Diversity should be seen and valued by the project team as a strength that can enrich communication, foster better relationships, throw an enjoyable workplace, and enhance team performance. good behavior is necessary within a project organization and is crucial in project business relationships with the customer, suppliers and subcontractors. Customers and suppliers want to do business with a contractor or project organization that they can trust. wise to(p) distortion, deception or misrepresentation is inexhaustible unethical. Conflict on projects is inevitable. During a project, conflict can emerge from a conformation of situations. Sources of potential conflict on projects include differences of opinion on how the work should be done, how much work should be done, at what level of quality the work should be done, who should be assigned to work on which tasks, the sequence in which the work should be done, how long the work should take, and how much the work should cost.Project communication takes various forms, including personal communication, meetings, presentations, reports, and project documentation. Communication can be exhibit to face or use some medium, including telephones, voice mail, e-mail, videoconferencing, or groupware. It can be nominal or informal. individualized communication can be both oral or written. Oral communication can be face to face o r via telephone. Information can be communicated in a more correct and timely manner through oral communication. Such communication provides a fabrication for discussion, clarification, understanding, and immediate feedback. Listening is an important part of making communication effective.Failure to get a line can cause a sectionalisation in communication. Common barriers to effective sense of hearing include pretending to listen, distractions, bias and close-mindedness, impatience, and jumping into conclusions. Listening skills can be change by focusing on the person talking, engaging in active listening, communicate questions, and not interrupting. Project managers and team members are often called on to give formal presentations. In preparing for the presentation, its important to determine the purpose of presentation, find out about the target audience, make an outline, develop notes and optical aids, make copies of handout materials, and practice. Written reports are of ten required during a project.The 2 most common types of project reports are progress reports and final reports. Progress reports often cover accomplishments since the prior report, the current project status, any potential problems that have been identify and corrective actions that are planned and goals that should be accomplished during the next reporting period. nett reports provide a summary of the project and often include items such as the customers pilot burner needs, the original project objective and requirements, benefits resulting from the project, a exposition of the project, and a list of deliverables produced. All reports should be clear and concise and written as you would speak.Chapter 13 Types of Project OrganizationsThe three most common structures used to organize people to work on projects are useful, project, and matrix. These structures are applicable to a large mass of businesses and not-for-profit organizations. The functional organization structure is typically used in business that principally sells and produces standard products standard products and seldom conducts orthogonal projects. The focus is on the technical rectitude and cost competitiveness of the companys products, as well as the grandeur of each functional components contribution of expertise to the companys products. For projects, a multifunctional project team or task force is forced, with members selected from the appropriate sub functions. In this structure, the project manager does not have complete authority over the project team, because administratively the members still work for their respective functional managers.The project organization structure is used by companies that are working on multiple projects at any one time and do not produce standard products. tidy sum are hired to work on a specific project, and each project team is dedicated to only one project. A project-type organization is positioned to be highly responsive to the project objecti ve and customer needs because each project team is strictly dedicated to only one project. The advantages of a functional organizational structure are no duplication of activities and functional excellence.Disadvantages include insularity, slow response time, and lack of customer focus. The project organization structure has control over resources and responsiveness to customers as advantages. The advantages of a matrix organization structure include efficient utilization of resources, functional expertise available to all projects, change magnitude learning and knowledge transfer, improved communication, and customer focus. Its disadvantages are the dual reporting relationships and the need for a balance of power.