Cracking the Code- Overcoming Project Resourcing Challenges for Success

Resources are the backbone of any project. Let us talk about the most crucial of all resources namely the ‘Human Resources’ – perhaps more crucial and challenging ?than other resources like Equipment, Materials, Facilities and Financial. Crucial because it is the Human Resource which manages other resources to drive the Project to its Success, equipped with its set of skills and experience.

Let us take a look at the Challenges-

A Project manager usually walks into and takes charge of a project on appointment by the Project Sponsor.

1.???? Getting the right resources- If you are an internal Project Manager (ie someone who is internal to the organization), you are aware of the organization culture and know whom to contact for the right resources. It is a greater challenge if the PM walks in to the Project from outside. Getting to understand the culture and where to turn to for resources can take some time. My experience has been to work closely with the sponsor who usually is very obliging as it is ‘his/her’ project. The challenge is in getting the sponsor’s time as usually a sponsor is part of the leadership team where he/she is always pressed for time! In one of my projects, I always had to ‘catch’ the sponsor going in or coming out of a meeting, for any urgent & important updates or approvals. Having the Sponsor’s Executive Assistant on my side saved me tons of time!

2.???? Managing the ‘Resource Managers’. Most organizations adapt a matrix project structure for its projects (Employees come together from various functions to man the project and go back to their departments/functions once their work on project is done). Getting commitments from the Resource or Functional Managers (Ex- Accounts Manager, Sales Manager etc) is just the beginning- usually happens without any hiccups under the umbrella of the sponsor. The real challenge comes while onboarding the resources. What seemed like ‘I can easily spare two of my experienced staff’ a month back at the initiation of the project, seems impossible now! I am yet to see any department in an organization (where I have managed projects) which is not busy or short staffed! This is where your rapport with the resource managers come in. It is a good idea to cultivate a good relationship with the resource managers. I once had to borrow an accounts supervisor for a week during their annual closing. It was like pulling teeth from a Gorilla!

3.???? Team dynamics!- This is perhaps the most interesting part. Just because you have the best personnel to man your project, do not expect them to start delivering from day one. The challenge is how to get them to work and deliver as a team. Multiple dynamics come into play- seniority, inter-department politics, personal beliefs to name a few. Creating a shared Project Vision actually helps get the team members’ commitments. One of my projects was once under threat of being called off mid-stream for some external reason. I was pleasantly surprised to see all the team members support each other and develop a good sense of camaraderie to ?make the project a success. Every project has been a new learning for me in team dynamics.

4.???? Incentives- do contribute well towards better performance. Remember, your team member is bringing his/her experience, time and expertise to your project. Incentivising them goes a long way. My experience with group incentives has been more rewarding than individual incentives.

5.???? Attrition and turnover?can disrupt project timelines. When key team members leave, valuable knowledge and momentum is lost, requiring extra effort in training and onboarding replacements. The more your team ‘buys in’ into your project vision, less is the probability of losing key manpower.

6.???? Project Governance- It is a good idea to set the ‘rules’ for work on the project and get it accepted by each team member. It then becomes the team’s rules and not something which is thrust on them. Each team member is a part of your project to gain some good project experience which can help them in their careers. Hence be prepared to support your team members after the project too. I still get request for reference from past project team members.

?7.???? Training the Resources- Training takes time- some precious project time. It is a good idea to build in some training time into the project schedule where it is necessary. Training done right, can help quality of output and save time in the long run.

?The challenges stated above apply as much to an agile project as it does to a project using predictive (waterfall) approach.

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