Tools & Techniques used for Human Resources Planning

ORGANIZATIONAL CHARTS and Position Descriptions are hierarchical, matrix, or text-oriented formats that ensure each work package has an unambiguous ‘owner’ and that all team members clearly understand their roles and responsibilities, and how they fit into the organizational structure and team. A solid PMP prep course will contain examples of organizational charts. THE TRADITIONAL HIERARCHICAL-TYPE ORGANIZATIONAL CHART shows positions and relationships in a top-down format. Charts may be broken down to show work, resources, or the organization. TOOLS & TECHNIQUES USED FOR HUMAN RESOURCES PLANNING: WBS (WORK BREAKDOWN STRUCTURES) are organizational breakdown structures primarily designed to show how project deliverables are broken down into work packages. They provide a way of displaying high-level areas of responsibility. PMP Exam prep must contain examples of this. ORGANIZATIONAL BREAKDOWN STRUCTURES (OBS) are primarily designed to show an organization's existing departments, units, or teams, and the project activities or work packages listed under each department. A department sees all of its responsibilities. RESOURCE BREAKDOWN STRUCTURES (RBS) are organizational breakdown structures designed to show project resources. For example: all welders and welding equipment used in different areas, or excavation crews and dozers, backhoes, etc. used by different crews. RBS contains more resource categories than human resources. MATRIX-BASED RAM (RESPONSIBILITY ASSIGNMENT MATRIX) shows relationships between work to be done and team members. High-level RAM show project team groups or units and what WBS component(s) they are responsible for. Lower-level RAM shows connections within a group, such as roles, authority, and responsibilities for specific activities. TEXT-ORIENTED FORMATS (also called position descriptions and role-responsibility-authority forms) are usually outlines which provide team member responsibilities that require detailed descriptions. They provide information about: responsibilitiesrnrolesrnauthorityrncompetenciesrnqualifications NETWORKING is a type of informal, interpersonal, and constructive interaction with others within an organization that impacts the effectiveness of various staffing management options. Proactive correspondence, lunch meetings, informal conversations, and trade conferences are typical (informal) human resource networking activities. ORGANIZATIONAL THEORY provides information about how teams and organizational units react and behave. Proven principles are applied to shorten time needed to create human resource planning outputs and to improve the likelihood that planning will be effective. A PROJECT ORGANIZATION CHART may be formal or informal and graphically displays project team members and their reporting relationships, based on the needs of the project. THE STAFFING MANAGEMENT PLAN, which is a subset of the project management plan, describes when and how human resource requirements will be met. It may be formal or informal, detailed or broadly based on the needs of the project. It is continually updated during the project. The staffing management plan includes necessary time frames for project team members and acquisition activities.