Importance of People Management as Part of Project Management - Essay Example

Importance of People Management as Part of Project Management s Submitted by s: Projects generally involve a dynamic collection of people who will normally have interests, philosophies, values and approaches that are varying and priorities that may be different from one person to another. In project management, it is very important to make sure that this mix becomes articulate and drives the project forward as much as possible (Hallows, 1998, p. 25). In project management, project human resource management can be considered to be the most operational use of the people that are supposed to be working on the project and it entails the planning that normally takes place in the organization, the hiring of staff and the ultimate development of the team that will be tasked with working on the project all the way to the end (Frigenti and Comninos, 2002, p. 39). The processes and methodology that are associated with projects normally depend on people so that they can be able to work to their conclusion. The nimble approaches consider the views of the individuals more but they both depend on how the people will work together. (Cox, Housden, Parkinson, and McKee, 2012, p. 56) Organisations must make sure that they identify the significance of behavioural factors that are associated with the relationships at the work place. When they have identified this importance, they should be in a position to understand that the project managers are supposed to be hired based on the overall project management competency that they possess and not the technical knowledge and skills only. The project managers that possess behavioural skills that are very strong stand a better chance of making the team that works under them become more involved in the project and the making of decisions as well as shared decision-making that in the end will make the process of project management be a success. In this age, the project managers are more mandated to manage the people that are working in the project more than they actually manage the technology that is involved (Kerzner, 2010, p. 379). A project manager is normally appointed at the very beginning of the project so that he can have the chance to advice and take part in the option appraisal process that is a very important step in the overall development of the project. This is so that it can ensure that there is a management coordination that is done in a professional manner and the project is monitored and controlled in a satisfactory manner from the beginning to the end in a way that the client has prescribed (Chartered Institute of Building, 2011, p. 7). An important attribute that is associated with project management that should be kept in mind is the management of resources that accompany the project. The area that is most problematic to deal with and is the cradle of most of the hitches that might arise is the management of the resource that is characterized by people. Without the people system working well when project management is considered, the whole project is bound to fail terribly. Management can therefore be considered to be the process that is required to get results from people and the way that the project manager will be dealing with the people that are supposed to bring the desired results. A structured methodology for project planning and control of good human relations that involves an effective organization are all very essential for a performance that can be considered to be good in a project but they can in no way be successful if they work in their lonesome. Also, skills that are of a professional nature in the organization, planning and controlling of the project so that it can be fruitful should be developed by the manager so that he can be in a good position to be able to manage the people well (Harrison and Lock, 2004, p. 263). The project manager will requires a variety of skills so that he can be able to deal with the human problems that come up as a result of the normal patterns of the human behaviour which are habitually accelerated and heightened in project work and because of the problems that are particularly associated with the kinds of project organisations that are employed. One of the main problems that has an unpleasant influence on the human behaviour are the types of the project organization which are required in the management of a project, they are normally particular and are more often than not very complex while they are handling undertakings that concern more than one discipline and one company where they may conflict with the theories that are conventional in a lot of ways. Project management is most of the time linked and associated with change management and systems but this is not always the case since the people have to be managed also. It also has the obligation of achieving an effective type of relationship that will be able to facilitate an atmosphere that will cultivate trust that will be mutual and cooperation that will exist between both the project manager and the people that are working on the project (Chartered Institute of Building, 2011, p. 7). Managing people that are working in the projects needs that the conventional human relations tactics are modified and this involved reassessing many of the beliefs that are taught in the schools of business and those that are taught by the human behaviour consultants so that the approach that is used will be based on the reality of the environment that the project exists in (Harrison and Lock, 2004, p. 264). The leader of a group is always mandated to monitor the performance of each member of the group and the whole group that falls under his command but normally this depends on the level of confidence that the leader will have in the member of the group. Depending on the level that the member belongs to, there could be checks that are hourly or those that may even take months to be effected with those that are at a lower level needing more frequent checks than those that are higher. In the management of people, it is impossible to apply models that have a mathematical backing when people are being managed since people are very different from one another and have the ability to change themselves with every passing day depending on the physical or emotional situation that may be trending at that particular time (Lester, 2007, p. 305). The management of the people on the project is no longer considered to be a zero-sum game since its importance keeps rising and increasing. To be successful, the manager will be obligated to position the resource that is associated with knowledge where that worker’s specialized knowledge can be of the biggest contribution to the project (Srikantaiah, Koenig, and Al-Hawamdeh, 2010, p. 4). The manager should also be able to increase the amount of praise that he give to the people that are working in the project while at the same time reward the achievements that they meet as soon as they occur. Encouragement should be demonstrated by making sure that the mistakes that have been committed are openly discussed without necessarily criticizing any of the people directly or apportioning the blame on a particular person. The adoption of phase monitoring and a feedback mechanism that is well structured should be able to highlight the problem before it can escalate and get out of control. It should be considered with importance that the project manager and the people that work under him are always on the same side and that no one is working against the other so that the project can run as smoothly as possible. This will go a long way in reducing the instances that errors are bound to occur and solving of problems will be easier since they will be dealt with early enough whenever they will occur (Lester, 2007, p. 305). When the people that are working on the project have a fear of criticism, they most likely will not disclose any problems or mistakes that may be happening in the project. These mistakes will continue getting once unless they can be identified and confronted in time and the measures that are needed to rectify and correct them initiated early enough. The project managers that are confident of the abilities that they possess are in a good position to implement the low-task, low-support model where they can be able to delegate without rely relinquishing their own accountability. This delegation therefore entails transferring both the responsibility and the authority that the project manager holds to another person but making sure that he remains with the right to monitor the performance of the people that are working on the project whenever it requires that he does so. This is very critical since if all the control is given away, then the project manager will not be able to control how the project will be running and this is a recipe for disaster. If the monitoring will be scheduled that is takes place too often or too frequently, it will make the confidence that the people that are working on the project have will continue to be diminished and undermined. In a general point of view, a report that is done monthly is a method that is reasonable and will go a long way in retaining the overall control only if the reports will be updated, made in a way that is honest and also technically correct (Lester, 2007, p. 306). Organisations are supposed to have a clear focus that is directed at the customer the same way that tribes are supposed to have a focus that will not only concentrate on the external customer but also the internal customer too. This is the best situation where the project manager can be able to make a huge difference in whatever they will be working on. If the project manager can be able to make the people a priority, then the people will emulate this example without necessarily having any problems with it. The project manager can decide to use recognition programs, expand the training programs or make the communication become better and clearer but then this may not be able to be the approach that a larger organization will use since it might tend to overlook some of the elements that are involved with it. It is important to understand though, that there is no one thing that can be able to make the difference and therefore the project manager should make sure that he instils a culture in the people that will enable them to look at each other as a team and so that they can be able to get the required results that the project expects. In most of these circumstances, the people that will be under the project manager will most probably follow the example that has been set by the project manager in the manner that they will carry themselves but not what the organization will be doing as a whole (Curlee and Gordon, 2011, p. 300). Project managers are sometimes mandated to assume the roles of both the leader and the manager and a good project manager will have insight how the power to make or break a project actually depends on the people that are working on the project. A good project manager also has the obligation of making sure that the people that are working under him or her are focused on getting the job done by paying attention to every small detail and the daily operations of each and every task that should be carried out. It is therefore not correct to think as the leaders and managers as specific people since it is better to look at people in terms of the leadership qualities that they actually possess such as having an inspiration and a strong vision for success and the overall management skills that they exhibit such as being organized and effective. Therefore, the best project management is one where there exists leadership and management attributes which are visionary yet focused on the goal that is to be achieved while achieving results that are positive (Schwalbe, 2000, p. 25). In conclusion, it is the people that run projects; therefore the individual characteristics of the project team are most vital for the success of the project. Organisations will always try to invest in this people that work on the project, the tools that these people will need in the project and the process that will be used in governing this people so that the project can be completed in good time and the way that the client wants it (Badiru, 2008, p. 7). It is therefore important to note that the people factor is not only important in the design and operations, but also in the way they will be able to work together in a particular system where the system entails things that are interrelated that are required to operate and function together in this case a project (Wong, 2007, p. 2). References Badiru, A., B.. 2008. Triple C Model of project management. Boca Raton: CRC Press, Print. Chartered Institute of Building. 2011. Code of Practice for Project Management for Construction and Development. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons. Print. Cox, E., Housden, M., Parkinson, L., and McKee, F. 2012. CIM Coursebook: Project Management in Marketing. Hoboken: Taylor & Francis. Curlee, W. and Gordon R. 2011. Complexity theory and project management. Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley. Print. Frigenti, E. and Comninos D. 2002. The Practice of Project Management. London: Kogan Page. Print. Harrison, F. L and Lock D. 2004. Advanced project management. Aldershot, England: Gower. Print. Hallows, J., E. 1998. Information systems project management. New York: AMACOM. Print. Kerzner, H. 2010. Project management best practices: Achieving global excellence. Hoboken, N.J: John Wiley & Sons. Lester, A. 2007. Project management, planning and control. Amsterdam: Elsevier/Butterworth-Heinemann. Print. Schwalbe, K. 2000. Information technology project management. Cambridge, Ma.: Course Technology. Print. Srikantaiah, T., Koenig, M. E., and Al-Hawamdeh, S. 2010. Convergence of project management and knowledge management. Lanham, Md: Scarecrow Press. Wong, Z. 2007. Human factors in project management. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Print. Read More