PHR / SPHR Exam For Dummies
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Much of human resource planning that you will need to know for the PMP Certification Exam centers around identifying roles and responsibilities of team members and the organizational structure for the team.

Plan Human Resource Management. The process of identifying and documenting project roles, responsibilities, required skills, reporting relationships, and creating a staffing management plan.

Here are three important roles you should know and how they support the project.

Sponsor. The person or group that provides the financial resources, in cash or in kind, for the project.

Project manager. The person assigned by the performing organization to lead the team that is responsible for achieving the project objectives.

Project management team. The members of the project team who are directly involved in project management activities. On some smaller projects, the project management team may include virtually all the project team members.

Project team. A set of individuals who support the project manager in performing the work of the project to achieve its objectives.

Role Responsibilities
Sponsor Provides the initial high-level requirements and information about the project
Provides financial resources
Approves the project charter
Determines the priority among project constraints
Approves major changes to the project
Approves the baselines
Monitors project progress
Champions the project at the executive level
Resolves conflicts outside the project manager’s authority
Provides mentoring and coaching to the PM as appropriate
Manages corporate politics that could impact the project
Reviews all variances outside the acceptable variance threshold
Project manager Accountable for meeting all project objectives
Develops plans to achieve project objectives
Manages the project team to produce results
Establishes systems to manage change
Keeps the project on schedule and within budget
Manages risk
Collects project data and reporting progress
Establishes an environment that supports team members in performing their roles
Manages stakeholder expectations
Project management team Provides leadership for particular aspects of the project
Provides insight to the project manager
Assists in managing the project through the project lifecycle
Project team Assists in planning activities
Provides information to create the work breakdown structure (WBS), schedule, cost estimates, and quality requirements
Conducts activities as assigned
Assists in identifying and responding to risk
Applies knowledge and skills to project activities
Participates in team meetings

Certain fundamental tenets are involved in managing a project, including

  • Project managers often don’t have position authority over team members, such as in a functional or matrix organization. In these situations, project managers must use their influence and negotiation skills to accomplish work.

  • Project managers must operate with the utmost integrity, demonstrate ethical and professional behavior at all times, and require their team members to do the same.

  • Things change. Promised resources won’t always be available, skill sets don’t always match what you need, and some projects might have higher priority. Project managers have to be flexible and adaptable while not losing sight of the end goal.

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