Resource

The resource area in ISO21500 covers the resources that delivery the project and also the organisation that will manage it. This subject group comprises six processes.

  ISO21500 process groups
Initiating Planning Implementing Controlling Closing

Resource

4.3.15 Establish project team

4.3.16 Estimate resources

4.3.17 Define project organisation

4.3.18 Develop project team

4.3.19 Control resources

4.3.20 Manage project team

 

 

In the diagram below, these processes are presented as a flow diagram using the inputs and outputs defined in ISO21500.

 

Click on the diagram for more detail on each process.

 

 

This ISO21500 subject group focuses on the deployment of internal resources (i.e. those already employed by the host organisation or employed for the purpose of this project). The acquisition of external resources, suppliers and sub-contractors is covered by the procurement subject area.

The top level resource management function in Praxis deals with resources of both types. The component functions then address the different aspects of internal and external resources.

 

 

4.3.15 Establish project team
Although this process is the first listed, it isn’t the first to be performed.

Praxis deals with this process within mobilisation.

Before the project team can be established it is necessary to understand what human resources will be required; what quantity of resources will be required and how the team will be structured.

This process therefore, has inputs from the two planning processes: estimate resources and define project organisation. These are combined with role descriptions and the availability of the required resources to deliver contracts (for newly recruited staff) and assignments for exiting staff.

It is rare for a project manager to have total control over the resources allocated to a project. In most organisations the question of availability takes priority over having the ideal skills. In this situation the project manager must review any skills gaps and allow for appropriate learning and development to ensure the team has the necessary skills.

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4.3.16 Estimate resources


Praxis addresses this activity in resource scheduling part of schedule management.This relatively simple process is concerned with the identification, quantification and scheduling of resources. The outputs are used by define project organisation, establish project team and develop project team.

 

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4.3.17 Define project organisation
.As a precursor to the establish project team process, this process formalises the structure of the delivery resources identified in estimate resources and produces an organisation structure (often referred to as an organisation breakdown structure or OBS), together with role descriptions where appropriate, for the project team.

Praxis addresses the principles of defining an organisational structure in the organisation management topic.

Responsibilities and authorities will be defined for different levels of the work breakdown structure (WBS). A WBS and an OBS can be brought together in a responsibility assignment matrix (RAM) to illustrate responsibilities and authorities are distributed.

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4.3.18 Develop project team


The main corresponding topic in Praxis is teamwork. However, other interpersonal skills such as leadership, conflict management and influencing are all relevant to the process of developing a group of people into a high performing team.Teams typically go through a cycle of development that eventually builds a high performing team. This process is aimed at achieving those high levels of performance. In reality, a project or programme will probably have multiple ‘teams’. As well as promoting teamwork in multiple co-located teams, the process must also address the issue of virtual teams.

On larger, more complex undertakings it must also address the overall concept of a team that encompasses the entire project or programme.

 

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4.3.19 Control resources
The control step of the resource management procedure on Praxis covers the same actions and these work closely with the schedule management function as schedules are updated with progress information.

Once the resource plans and team structures have been put in place, the delivery work starts. This process is concerned with ensuring resources arrive on time and monitoring the need and availability of resources as the schedule is regularly updated.

When problems occur, corrective action may be taken to get schedules back on track. If issues arise that are forecast to make the resource schedules exceed tolerances the change requests may be necessary to reset the resource baselines.

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4.3.20 Manage project team


As with define project organisation, this process is covered by the teamwork function in Praxis, used in conjunction with many of the other interpersonal skills in Praxis.In the way they are defined in ISO21500, this process and develop project team are very similar. Both are concerned with developing and optimising team performance. If anything, develop project team focuses more on getting the team to the point of high performance whereas manage project team is more about maintaining that performance. But that is a subtle difference.

This process also refers more to the individuals within a team and has outputs that relate to the performance appraisal of individuals.

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