Project Management For Dummies®

Chapter 6. Establishing Whom You Need, How Much, and When

In This Chapter

• Focusing first on people's abilities

• Accurately planning your project's personnel needs

• Striking a balance among all those commitments

I remember reading the following declaration from a stressed‐out project manager: “We've done so much with so little for so long [that] they now expect us to do everything with nothing!”

The truth is, of course, you can't accomplish anything with nothing; everything has a price. You live in a world of limited resources and not enough time. You always have more work to do than time and resources allow. You need to decide which tasks to pursue and then do everything possible to succeed at those activities. By identifying and planning the resources you need to perform your project, you can

• Explain team members' contributions to the project.

• Ensure that the resources are available when they're needed.

• Develop more accurate and realistic schedules.

• Monitor resource expenditures to identify and address possible overruns.

Some organizations have procedures that detail and track every resource on every project. Other organizations don't formally plan or track project resources at all. However, planning your resource needs is invaluable to your project's success, whether or not your organization requires it.

This chapter helps you figure out whom you need on your project, when, and for how long. The chapter also discusses how you can identify and manage conflicting demands for people's time. ...