Your Project Management Coach: Best Practices for Managing Projects in the Real World

Chapter 7

Planning Project Resources

For very small projects, resource planning can be fairly informal. A handful of resources is all it takes, so you can identify which resources you need, stop those people in the hallway, and sign them up. However, when the project team grows to hundreds or thousands of people, an informal resource plan won't do. This chapter describes methods and documents you can use to flesh out larger teams.

A resource plan doesn't emerge fully formed. It blossoms over time as planning uncovers more about your project. Early on, you identify which groups are involved in the project, which portions of the project they participate in, and the level to which they're engaged in goings-on. This chapter describes the responsibility matrix — a grid that spells out how groups or individuals are connected to your project.

After you identify the project work that needs to be done and estimate the effort that work will take, you can delve deeper into resource planning. With the resource plan, you identify the skills you need for each task (along with other resources such as materials, facilities, equipment, and money). You see the types and quantities of resources you need, which brings the picture of your team into better focus. Because a project pulls people together temporarily, you also need a project organization chart to show the reporting structure within your team.

Cross-Reference

The information in this chapter relates to the PMP Exam's Domain II: Planning ...