pre assignment in project management

Pre-assignment

• Edit source

Pre-assignment of project team members can occur for a few reasons. Sometimes specific people are identified in an agreement with a customer or partner. Another reason for pre-assignment is to plan human resource management for the future or over multiple projects or activities. This is most likely when someone has skills or knowledge that are rare or in high demand. Some organization require pre-assignment as a way of determining whether it will be necessary to hire or contract for additional staff or to delay the project until the right staff will be available.

Pre-assignment is a potential technique used in the PMI process to acquire project teams .

catalyze. collaborate. unleash.

• Impact on Individuals
• Impact on Teams and Projects
• Leadership Implications
• Organizational Implications
• Failures and Mistakes
• Abusive Leadership
• Leadership ‘n’ Communication
• Basic Essentials
• Professional Responsibilities
• Scope Essentials
• Schedule Essentials
• Communication Essentials
• Project HR Essentials
• Project Cost Essentials
• Quality Essentials
• Risk Essentials
• Procurement Essentials
• Integration Essentials
• Project Management Battlefield
• Notes on Project Management Knowledge

Pre-assignment: Ensuring Project Success from the Start

In project management, ensuring the right resources are in place from the outset can be a critical determinant of success. One technique that stands out in this context is pre-assignment. Here’s a deeper dive into the concept and its significance.

Understanding Pre-assignment

Pre-assignment is essentially earmarking specific individuals for roles in a project even before the project kicks off. It’s about clearly defining who will be involved and in what capacity right from the planning phase.

Why Pre-assignment?

• Skill Specificity: Some projects demand highly specialized skills. If there’s a known expert within the organization who fits the bill perfectly, it makes sense to pre-assign them to ensure the project benefits from their expertise.
• Client Expectations: In competitive bidding scenarios, including certain key personnel can be a selling point. If a client has been promised the involvement of specific individuals based on their reputation or expertise, pre-assignment becomes a contractual obligation.
• Resource Optimization: Pre-assignment can be a strategic move to ensure top talent is reserved for high-priority projects, preventing them from being tied up in other, less critical assignments.
• Project Charter Documentation: Pre-assignments might be documented in the project charter as a formal record of who has been designated for specific roles. This can provide clarity and direction as the project progresses.

Benefits of Pre-assignment

• Clarity and Direction: Knowing key team members from the outset provides a roadmap for the project, allowing for more precise planning and execution.
• Boosted Morale: Being pre-assigned can boost individuals’ morale, signaling trust in their abilities and recognizing their value to the organization.
• Streamlined Onboarding: With pre-assignment, the onboarding process can be more efficient. Since roles and responsibilities are defined early on, there’s less ambiguity and a smoother transition into the project phase.
• Client Satisfaction: Meeting client expectations by ensuring promised personnel are involved can enhance client satisfaction and trust.

In Conclusion:

Pre-assignment is more than just a logistical move; it’s a strategic decision that can set the tone for a project’s trajectory. By ensuring the right people are in place from the get-go, project managers can pave the way for smoother execution, optimal resource utilization, and enhanced outcomes.

Share This Story, Choose Your Platform!

Related posts, a synopsis of team management in project leadership, strategies and best practices for effective conflict resolution in project management, conflict resolution in project management, effective decision making in project management.

Pre-order your copy with Exclusive Launch offer

Section 9.2 Acquire Project Team

Acquire Project Team is the process of obtaining the human resources needed to complete the project. The project management team may or may not have control over team members selected for the project.

Section 9.2.1 Acquire Project Team: Inputs

.1 Enterprise Environmental Factors

Project team members are drawn from all available sources, both internal and external. When the project management team is able to influence or direct staff assignments, characteristics to consider include:

Availability. Who is available and when are they available?

Ability. What competencies do people possess?

Experience. Have the people done similar or related work? Have they done it well?

Interests. Are the people interested in working on this project?

Cost. How much will each team member be paid, particularly if they are contracted from outside the organization?

.2 Organizational Process Assets

One or more of the organizations involved in the project may have policies, guidelines, or procedures governing staff assignments ( Section 4.1.1.4 ). The human resource departments also can assist with recruitment, hiring and orientation of project team members.

.3 Roles and Responsibilities

Roles and responsibilities define the positions, skills, and competencies that the project demands ( Section 9.1.3.1 ).

.4 Project Organization Charts

Project organization charts provide an overview regarding the number of people needed for the project ( Section 9.1.3.2 ).

.5 Staffing Management Plan

The staffing management plan, along with the project schedule, identifies the time periods each project team member will be needed and other information important to acquiring the project team ( Section 9.1.3.3 ).

Section 9.2.2 Acquire Project Team: Tools and Techniques

.1 Pre-Assignment

In some cases, project team members are known in advance; that is, they are preassigned. This situation can occur if the project is the result of specific people being promised as part of a competitive proposal, if the project is dependent on the expertise of particular persons, or if some staff assignments are defined within the project charter.

.2 Negotiation

Staff assignments are negotiated on many projects. For example, the project management team may need to negotiate with:

Functional managers to ensure that the project receives appropriately competent staff in the required time frame, and that project team members will be able to work on the project until their responsibilities are completed

Other project management teams within the performing organization to appropriately assign scarce or specialized resources.

The project management team's ability to influence others plays an important role in negotiating staff assignments, as do the politics of the organizations involved ( Section 2.3.3 ). For example, a functional manager will weigh the benefits and visibility of competing projects when determining where to assign exceptional performers that all project teams desire.

.3 Acquisition

When the performing organization lacks the in-house staff needed to complete the project, the required services can be acquired from outside sources ( Section 12.4.3.1 ). This can involve hiring individual consultants or subcontracting work to another organization.

.4 Virtual Teams

The use of virtual teams creates new possibilities when acquiring project team members. Virtual teams can be defined as groups of people with a shared goal, who fulfill their roles with little or no time spent meeting face to face. The availability of electronic communication, such as e-mail and video conferencing, has made such teams feasible. The virtual team format makes it possible to:

Form teams of people from the same company who live in widespread geographic areas

Add special expertise to a project team, even though the expert is not in the same geographic area

Incorporate employees who work from home offices

Form teams of people who work different shifts or hours

Include people with mobility handicaps

Move forward with projects that would have been ignored due to travel expenses.

Communications Planning ( Section 10.1 ) becomes increasingly important in a virtual team environment. Additional time may be needed to set clear expectations, develop protocols for confronting conflict, include people in decision-making, and share credit in successes.

Section 9.2.3 Acquire Project Team: Outputs

.1 Project Staff Assignments

The project is staffed when appropriate people have been assigned to work on it. Documentation can include a project team directory, memos to team members, and names inserted into other parts of the project management plan, such as project organization charts and schedules.

.2 Resource Availability

Resource availability documents the time periods each project team member can work on the project. Creating a reliable final schedule ( Section 6.5.3.1 ) depends on having a good understanding of each person's schedule conflicts, including vacation time and commitments to other projects.

.3 Staffing Management Plan (Updates)

As specific people fill the project roles and responsibilities, changes in the staffing management plan ( Section 9.1.3.3 ) may be needed because people seldom fit the exact staffing requirements that are planned. Other reasons for changing the staffing management plan include promotions, retirements, illnesses, performance issues, and changing workloads.

Project Resource Management According to the PMBOK

August 30, 2018 by Bernie Roseke, P.Eng., PMP Leave a Comment

Managing the project resources is how the project manager spends most of their time.  From ordering supplies, to training team members, to paying bills, the project resources are a seemingly bottomless pit of active management.  Meanwhile, the project team is one of the most important components of project success – Having confidence that your team is going to get the job done right, on time, and under budget, is virtually priceless.  This is included in the Project Management Body of Knowledge ( PMBOK ) Project Resource Management knowledge area.

The 6 processes in this knowledge area are:

Plan Resource Management

Estimate activity resources.

Develop Team

Manage team, control resources.

Before any project can proceed, the project resource requirements need to be defined.  The main part of this initial planning step involves identifying the type and quantity of resources that are required, including people.  Some resources have a grade or skill level associated with them, such as experience level of people, or size of crane.  Job descriptions are created for the project team members. The Project Resource Management Plan, a component of the overall Project Management Plan , summarizes this resource planning step.

• Quality management plan
• Scope baseline
• Project schedule
• Requirements documentation
• Risk register
• Stakeholder register
• Enterprise environmental factors
• Organizational process assets

Tools & Techniques

• Expert judgment
• Hierarchical charts
• Responsibility assignment matrix
• Text-oriented formats
• Organizational theory
• Resource management plan
• Team charter
• Assumption log

The resources required to carry out the project must almost always be estimated during the planning stage.  Resources are classified into type and quantity, as well as other factors that might affect the cost or schedule, such as grade, quality, availability, and so on.  The three primary methods of estimating, Analogous, Parametric, and Three point, are used in conjunction with bottom up or top down estimating to determine the resource requirements.

• Activity attributes
• Activity list
• Cost estimates
• Resource calendars
• Bottom-up estimating
• Analogous estimating
• Parametric estimating
• Alternatives analysis
• Project management information system
• Resource requirements
• Basis of estimates
• Resource breakdown structure
• Lessons learned register

Acquire Resources

Once the project execution phase is underway, the resources identified in the Resource Management Plan must be acquired.  The project schedule is consulted to determine when the resources are needed.  The Procurement Management Plan, a separate component of the Project Management Plan, guides the purchasing process for tools and equipment that must be purchased.  Project team positions are advertised and the workers are hired.

• Procurement management plan
• Cost baseline
• Multi-criteria decision analysis
• Negotiation
• Pre-assignment
• Virtual teams
• Physical resource assignments
• Project team assignments
• Change requests
• Enterprise environmental factors updates
• Organizational process assets updates

Most projects require additional knowledge to complete their deliverables.  The project team must obtain this knowledge at the appropriate point in the project timeline.  Unlike tools and equipment, project team members require rewarding work, future opportunities, and career development, or they will leave.

• Communication technology
• Conflict management
• Influencing
• Team building
• Recognition and rewards
• Individual and team assessments
• Team performance assessments

The project team is one of the most important components of project success (actually, any organization’s success).  Project team assignments tend to change as team members learn different project tasks and project managers assess their strengths and weaknesses.  Project issues need to be dealt with by the appropriate project team members, and project work needs to be actively managed.

• Work performance reports
• Decision making
• Emotional intelligence
• Schedule baseline

The project resources require regular, ongoing control procedures to ensure they are being used most efficiently, that they are performing the required tasks, and so on.  The Resource Management Plan must be consulted regularly to ensure that project resource usage is according to plan.  Cost-benefit analysis and alternatives analysis are utilized to optimize the use of resources.

• Work performance information
• Cost-benefit analysis
• Performance reviews
• Trend analysis
• Problem solving

Related posts:

About Bernie Roseke, P.Eng., PMP

Bernie Roseke, P.Eng., PMP, is the president of Roseke Engineering . As a bridge engineer and project manager, he manages projects ranging from small, local bridges to multi-million dollar projects. He is also the technical brains behind ProjectEngineer , the online project management system for engineers. He is a licensed professional engineer, certified project manager, and six sigma black belt. He lives in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada, with his wife and two kids.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

• Project Initiation
• Project Planning
• Project Execution
• Monitoring and Controlling
• Project Closure
• Project Management Tutorial
• Project Scheduling Tutorial
• Earned Value Tutorial
• PMP Exam Tutorial
• Find Talent         
• PRINCE2 Foundation
• PRINCE2 Practitioner
• PRINCE2 Professional
• IPMA Level A
• IPMA Level B
• IPMA Level C
• IPMA Level D
• Learning Videos

Certification

Recent posts.

• PMI Project Knowledge Areas, Video 1: Project Integration
• PMI Project Knowledge Areas, Intro
• Project Risk Checklist
• Creating a Risk Register
• 50 SMART Goals
• Reporting Earned Value
• Analogous Estimating
• Variance at Completion (Earned Value Analysis)
• TCPI (Earned Value Analysis)

FIND IT HERE

Subscibe to ProjectEngineer.NET channel – YouTube

• WordPress.org
• Documentation
• Support Forums

• li:not(.tcb-excluded-from-group-item)"> Home
• li:not(.tcb-excluded-from-group-item)"> About
• li:not(.tcb-excluded-from-group-item)"> Blog
• li:not(.tcb-excluded-from-group-item)"> RMP Courses

How to Deal With Pre-assigned Project Resources

2=Planning, Leadership, Productivity

•  Minute Read

Looking for ways to improve your project success? People matter more than technology and processes. However, project managers rarely choose their teams. Let's talk about how to deal with pre-assigned project resources. 

Are you working in an organization where your project resources are preassigned? Do you feel like you get the left-over resources most of the time? Are you frustrated by the demands to deliver with inadequate resources? Here are some strategies to help you obtain the resources you need.

• Negotiate.  First, determine who assigns the resources? Is it a functional manager? Does your organization have a resource manager? Will a vendor or supplier provide resources? Second, meet to discuss the goals of your project and the knowledge and skills that will be required for success. Third, recommend resources for the team.
• Influence.  What do we do if we work for a large organization where we do not have access to the individuals making the assignments? Someone has access to these people. Does your sponsor have access? Does your manager have the right connections. If so,  influence the people you know  and make your case. Ask your connections to influence the decision makers.
• Acquire outside resources. When your organization lacks staff to complete the required project activities, see if you can acquire outside resources. Here is one reason that project managers need to be involved in projects early. You can make your case and build the resource cost in your budget.
• Develop your teams. At the end of the day, you will be assigned teams. Guess what? The teams will not be perfect. What skills and competencies are lacking? Are the team members motivated? What do you need to do to improve overall project performance ? Look for ways to improve the knowledge and skills, create team building opportunities, build trust, and encourage collaboration.

Doing the Same Things, Expecting Different Results

Many organizations have under-performing projects. Why? Organizations do a poor job of defining their projects and understanding the resource requirements.

Additionally, organizations overcommit – they commit to more projects than they should. Team members are stressed and organizations experience a lot of employee turnover. Furthermore, organizations fail to identify and acquire and develop skills and knowledge for these resource bottlenecks.

I am sometimes asked to take a look at organization’s resource problems and help them find solutions. My response? Do fewer projects better. Unfortunately, most organizations fail to curb their appetites and continue doing the same things and expect different results!

You may also like

What are the project meeting roles, how to master project meeting minutes.

Session expired

Please log in again. The login page will open in a new tab. After logging in you can close it and return to this page.

Excel in Project Management

PRE-ASSIGNMENT – PMP Tools and Techniques

Description

Where it is Used

This tool is used in the following Process Group(s) during the project management.

This tool is used in the following Knowledge Areas during project management.

Related Posts:

• SCHEDULE NETWORK ANALYSIS – PMP Tools and Techniques
• STRATEGIES FOR THREATS – PMP Tools and Techniques
• RESOURCE OPTIMIZATION – PMP Tools and Techniques
• PARAMETRIC ESTIMATING – PMP Tools and Techniques
• KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT – PMP Tools and Techniques
• GROUND RULES – PMP Tools and Techniques
• FUNDING LIMIT RECONCILIATION – PMP Tools and Techniques
• DEPENDENCY DETERMINATION AND INTEGRATION – PMP Tools and Techniques
• DECOMPOSITION – PMP Tools and Techniques
• CONTINGENT RESPONSE STRATEGIES – PMP Tools and Techniques
• CONTEXT DIAGRAM – PMP Tools and Techniques
• ANALOGOUS ESTIMATING – PMP Tools and Techniques

Kailash B is a project management expert. He is passionate about helping people to excel in project and product management, become PMP certified, and progress in their management careers.

Similar Posts

Data Gathering – PMP Tools

Data Gathering Tools   Description Data gathering techniques are used to collect data and information from a variety of sources. There are 9 data gathering tools and techniques. Tools Benchmarking Brainstorming Check sheets Checklists Focus groups Interviews Market research Questionnaires and surveys Statistical sampling    Related Posts: Decision Making – PMP Tools Data Representation – PMP Tools Data…

ASSUMPTION AND CONSTRAINT ANALYSIS – PMP Tools and Techniques

Description Assumption and constraint analysis is a process of identifying the underlying assumptions and constraints that may impact the success of a project. This process is typically performed during the early stages of project planning in order to ensure that all stakeholders have a shared understanding of the potential risks and challenges involved. The PMBOK guide describes…

TEST AND INSPECTION PLANNING – PMP Tools and Techniques

Description   It is about the activity in the planning phase related to the checking of a product or service by test or inspection in order to meet the stakeholder expectations and product specifications. It is an independently-used project management tool.  Where it is Used  Process Groups  This tool is used in the following Process Group(s) during the…

TREND ANALYSIS – PMP Tools and Techniques

Description An analytical technique that uses historical data to predict future results of project parameters. It belongs to the tool category – Data analysis  Where it is Used  Process Groups Monitoring & ControllingClosing Knowledge Areas Project Integration Mgmt.Project Cost Mgmt.Project Procurement Mgmt.Project Resource Mgmt.Project Schedule Mgmt. Activities Control CostsMonitor and Control Project WorkControl ProcurementsControl ResourcesControl ScheduleControl ScopeClose Project or Phase  Process Group Knowledge…

VIRTUAL TEAMS – PMP Tools and Techniques

Description   A team without meeting face to face, who may be physically located anywhere in the world,  connected through communication technologies, working for a common goal in the project. It is used in Resource Management for team development and resource acquisition during the Executing phase. It is an independently-used project management tool.  Where it is Used…

MAKE-OR-BUY ANALYSIS – PMP Tools and Techniques

Description   Make or Buy Analysis This technique involves analyzing data about product requirements and comparing the alternatives between buying and manufacturing. It belongs to the tool category – Data analysis  Where it is Used Process Groups Planning Knowledge Areas Project Procurement Mgmt. Activities Plan Procurement Management  Process Group Knowledge Area Activity Planning Project Procurement Mgmt. Plan Procurement Management   Kailash B, MBA,…

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Project Management Library

Keep Your Project On Track

Acquiring Project Team

The importance of competent Human resource in project

The accomplishment of a project requires a team effort. Once the activities of the project and required human resource to do the project tasks are determined, the next step would be for the PM to develop a cohesive project team with specific skills. According to PMI, acquiring project team is the process of confirming human resource availability and obtaining the team to complete the project tasks. The cost, schedule, quality and customer satisfaction are directly influenced by the human resources competencies and it is less likely for the project to succeed if project team member does not have specific and required skills. PM may not have direct control over the human resource selection process, yet the role of the PM to negotiate the required skill with those who are in charge of acquiring human resource are critically important. In a Matrix organization, where the human resource to accomplish the project task are scarce, PM may face a big challenge to acquire project team in a timely manner. However, when the organizational structure is project-based, there is no labor union involved and no subcontractor needed to be acquired, the level of the control of the PM is maximum in acquiring process.

When does the acquiring process start?

In some scenarios, human resource acquiring process starts earlier, even before the execution phase of the project by Pre-Assignment. Pre-assignment occurs when a certain type of skill is required for planning or when the presence of a person with a certain skill is planned in Project Charter. Project human resource acquiring process starts when the role and responsibility of the positions, skills, and competencies which project demands, the organizational chart and the number of the people of the project, or in another word, when the Project Management plan is developed.

How to acquire project team?

• Review Project Human Resource Management Plan (PHRMP)

PHRMP give the PM guideline as to how the human resource should be identified, managed and be released and it is a reliable source of information for PM.

• Consider the human resource selection criteria

There are certain criteria scoring the project team that PM should consider in the selection process. The level of experience, knowledge and ability, job skills, time zone as well as soft skills of the project team such as communication skills, attitude and the level of interest are examples of criteria which the PM need to investigate and measure when taking a decision.

• Perform Pre-Assignment

It means the selection of certain team member before the start of the project. In some situation, where implementation of the project is highly influenced by a skill of certain human resource who can develop a technically-more-competitive proposal, some project team members might be recruited in advance.

• Negotiate with Functional Manager/resource owner

Particularly in Matrix organization when the human resource is shared between several projects, the PM must negotiate the requested human resource with the Functional Manager or generally the resource owner to prevent raising conflict.

• Acquire alternative human resource

In some situation, the organization is not able to facilitate the PM with the required human resource.  This might be because of the scarcity of the human resource in the desired time or the lack of existence of a human resource with certain skill and expertise in the organization. To cope with, PM might deploy resources from other internal and external organization.

• Acquire virtual team

The availability of electronic communication such as E-mail, video & audio conferencing, web-based meeting has enabled us to form a group of people as a project team who live in different geographic areas and have a minimum obligation to meet face-to-face. Different people with different culture and expertise work together as a team to achieve project objective while reducing the travel expense and including those people with mobility limitation and disabilities.

• Create resource calendar

The project may include various team members with different working hours, time zone and planned holidays and involvement in other projects and activity. Development of a resource calendar which clearly explain the availability of the resources, help project team to plan their activity and task in advance and use their time efficiently.

• Update Project Human Resource Management plan .

Acquiring Human resource is a continuous process in the project. People in the project might leave the organization and new human resources might be recruited in the organization. It is recommended that all changes be documented in the Human Resource Plan as well as Project Management Plan.

Share this:

2 thoughts on “acquiring project team”.

It抯 really a great and helpful piece of info. I抦 glad that you shared this helpful information with us. Please keep us up to date like this. Thanks for sharing.

Like Liked by 1 person

Thanks for you kind word.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

• Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
• Subscribe Subscribed
• Copy shortlink
• Report this content
• View post in Reader
• Manage subscriptions
• Collapse this bar

• The Prestudy phase

The prestudy aims to inform us at an early stage and at minimum cost, as to a potential project’s needs, opportunities, uncertainties and challenges. In the prestudy we work with all four areas; need, results, scope and plan – but focus is on need and results. The aim is to quickly gain the knowledge required to create a good platform for deciding to proceed or not, and in which general direction.

• Describe the background and context.
• Identify stakeholders and document their needs.
• Explore different options for the project, e.g. ’do nothing’, ’do the minimum’, ’do something’ or ’do everything’ along with the corresponding results.
• Actively look for experiences and lessons learned from earlier, similar initiatives.
• Describe the biggest areas of uncertainty per alternative and suggest in which direction to proceed.
• Decide whether to realize the concept as a project, assignment or task, or in some other way.
• Make a rough estimate of the need for skills and resources, and the time required for realization.

• The Preparation phase
• The Realization phase
• The Closure phase
• Utilization
• The workflow from the project sponsor’s perspective
• The project workflow from the project manager’s perspective
• Project team
• Reference network
• Steering group
• Senior Management
• Project manager
• Project team members
• Project sponsor
• Subproject managers
• Customer/User
• Resource owners
• Document templates
• Further interest

Share this page

Terms and conditions.

Anmälan till kurserna hos oss kan göras på telefon 08-545 700 90 eller här på vår hemsida. Anmälan kan också skickas via e-post till [email protected] .

Bekräftelse

Vi bekräftar din plats omgående via e-post eller brev. Skulle kursen vara fulltecknad kontaktar vi dig och föreslår ett annat kurstillfälle. Deltagarna bereds plats i den ordning anmälan kommer in. Vi rekommenderar dig att vara ute i så god tid som möjligt.

Avbokning och eventuella ändringar bör omgående meddelas oss. Vid avbokning senare än 15 dagar före kursens start debiteras hela kursavgiften. Anmälan kan alltid överlåtas på annan person inom samma företag eller organisation, vilket i så fall ska meddelas oss. Om avbokning av internatkurs sker nära utbildningens start kan även hotellet debitera kostnader. Detta sker i så fall enligt respektive konferensanläggnings egna regler.

Vid ombokning senare än 15 dagar före utbildningens start finns möjlighet att gå samma kurs vid ett senare tillfälle, dock skall den ursprungliga fakturan vara betald. Om en kurs inte samlar tillräckligt med deltagare, förbehåller vi oss rätten att ställa in den och vi återbetalar i så fall kursavgiften.

Force majeure

Vi ansvarar ej för de fall då genomförandet av utbildningen hindras direkt eller indirekt genom myndighets åtgärd, strejk, blockad, lockout, krig eller annat som står utanför vår kontroll.

Dokumentation

Dokumentation i form av pärmar/böcker/kompendier ingår i avgiften. Efter genomgången utbildning erhåller du ett intyg, förutsatt att du varit närvarande minst 2/3 av utbildningstiden. Vi förbehåller oss rätten att kontinuerligt utveckla innehållet i kursen för att på bästa sätt möta kundernas förväntningar. Det innebär att utbildningsprogrammet kan avvika från kurskatalogens beskrivning på vissa punkter.

Alla kurser utom Projektledarprogrammet (se nedan) genomförs som dagkurser under normal arbetstid. Eventuell logi ordnas och betalas av deltagaren själv. I priset för dagkurs ingår lunch samt för- och eftermiddagskaffe.

Den sista kursdelen i Projektledarprogrammet (3 dagar) genomförs som internat under dag- och kvällstid. Vi bokar vi rum för alla deltagare. Internatkostnaden (mat och logi) ingår ej i kursavgiften utan betalas av deltagarna direkt till konferensanläggning vid utbildningens slut. Önskas faktura bör detta meddelas konferensanläggningen före kursstart. Normalt gäller att rummen är disponibla t o m sista dagens förmiddag. Vill du behålla rummet längre, eller på annat sätt ändra rumsbeställningen, måste du själv ordna detta med konferensanläggningen.

Kursavgiften faktureras av oss två veckor före kursstart. Moms tillkommer på alla angivna belopp. Betalningsvillkor är 30 dagar netto.

Nöjdkundåtagande

Vi strävar efter att alla deltagare skall vara nöjda med kursens genomförande. Om du, mot förmodan, inte skulle vara nöjd erbjuder vi plats på samma utbildning vid ett senare tillfälle.

Part 77: Pre-Assignment

Part 77: Pre-Assignment (Project Resource Management: Acquire Resources)

• A Pre-Assigned Resource is one that is determined in advance
• A project might have contractual obligations that require us to use specific resources.  For example, we win a contract to build a factory in Dubai, but the government of Dubai requires us to hire local engineering firms, and to source the steel from companies in Dubai.
• The customer may expect specific people to be on the project team.  For example, we are designing a football stadium and our contract is based on having a world-renowned stadium architect on our team.  If we substituted the architect, the customer would consider it to be a breach of contract.

Pre-assignment

Tool/technique.

Advance determination of physical or team resources for a project. This can occur if the project is the result of specific resources being identified as part of a competitive proposal or if the project is dependent upon the expertise of particular persons.

• Acquire Resources (E)

Check out Ace the PMP® Exam

Want to create or adapt books like this? Learn more about how Pressbooks supports open publishing practices.

7. Project Initiation

Adrienne Watt; Merrie Barron; and Andrew Barron

Click play on the following audio player to listen along as you read this section.

The project initiation phase is the first phase within the project management life cycle, as it involves starting up a new project. Within the initiation phase, the business problem or opportunity is identified, a solution is defined, a project is formed, and a project team is appointed to build and deliver the solution to the customer. A business case is created to define the problem or opportunity in detail and identify a preferred solution for implementation. The business case includes:

• A detailed description of the problem or opportunity with headings such as Introduction, Business Objectives, Problem/Opportunity Statement, Assumptions, and Constraints
• A list of the alternative solutions available
• An analysis of the business benefits, costs, risks, and issues
• A description of the preferred solution
• Main project requirements
• A summarized plan for implementation that includes a schedule and financial analysis

The project sponsor then approves the business case, and the required funding is allocated to proceed with a feasibility study. It is up to the project sponsor to determine if the project is worth undertaking and whether the project will be profitable to the organization. The completion and approval of the feasibility study triggers the beginning of the planning phase. The feasibility study may also show that the project is not worth pursuing and the project is terminated; thus the next phase never begins.

All projects are created for a reason. Someone identifies a need or an opportunity and devises a project to address that need. How well the project ultimately addresses that need defines the project’s success or failure.

The success of your project depends on the clarity and accuracy of your business case and whether people believe they can achieve it. Whenever you consider past experience, your business case is more realistic; and whenever you involve other people in the business case’s development, you encourage their commitment to achieving it.

Often the pressure to get results encourages people to go right into identifying possible solutions without fully understanding the need or what the project is trying to accomplish. This strategy can create a lot of immediate activity, but it also creates significant chances for waste and mistakes if the wrong need is addressed. One of the best ways to gain approval for a project is to clearly identify the project’s objectives and describe the need or opportunity for which the project will provide a solution. For most of us, being misunderstood is a common occurrence, something that happens on a daily basis. At the restaurant, the waiter brings us our dinner and we note that the baked potato is filled with sour cream, even though we expressly requested “no sour cream.” Projects are filled with misunderstandings between customers and project staff. What the customer ordered (or more accurately what they think they ordered) is often not what they get. The cliché is “I know that’s what I said, but it’s not what I meant.” Figure 7.1 demonstrates the importance of establishing clear objectives.

The need for establishing clear project objectives cannot be overstated. An objective or goal lacks clarity if, when shown to five people, it is interpreted in multiple ways. Ideally, if an objective is clear, you can show it to five people who, after reviewing it, hold a single view about its meaning. The best way to make an objective clear is to state it in such a way that it can be verified. Building in ways to measure achievement can do this. It is important to provide quantifiable definitions to qualitative terms.

For example, an objective of the team principle (project manager) of a Formula 1 racing team may be that their star driver, “finish the lap as fast as possible.” That objective is filled with ambiguity.

How fast is “fast as possible?” Does that mean the fastest lap time (the time to complete one lap) or does it mean the fastest speed as the car crosses the start/finish line (that is at the finish of the lap)?

By when should the driver be able to achieve the objective? It is no use having the fastest lap after the race has finished, and equally the fastest lap does not count for qualifying and therefore starting position, if it is performed during a practice session.

The ambiguity of this objective can be seen from the following example. Ferrari’s Michael Schumacher achieved the race lap record at the Circuit de Monaco of 1 min 14.439 sec in 2004 (Figure 7.2). However, he achieved this on lap 23 of the race, but crashed on lap 44 of a 77-lap race. So while he achieved a fastest lap and therefore met the specific project goal of “finish the lap as fast as possible,” it did not result in winning the race, clearly a different project goal. In contrast, the fastest qualifying time at the same event was by Renault’s Jarno Trulli (1 min 13.985 sec), which gained him pole position for the race, which he went on to win (Figure 7.2). In his case, he achieved the specific project goal of “finish the lap as fast as possible,” but also the larger goal of winning the race.

The objective can be strengthened considerably if it is stated as follows: “To be able to finish the 3.340 km lap at the Circuit de Monaco at the Monaco Grand Prix in 1 min 14.902 sec or less, during qualifying on May 23, 2009.” This was the project objective achieved by Brawn GP’s Jenson Button (Figure 7.2).

There is still some ambiguity in this objective; for example, it assumes the star driver will be driving the team’s race car and not a rental car from Hertz. However, it clarifies the team principal’s intent quite nicely. It should be noted that a clear goal is not enough. It must also be achievable. The team principal’s goal becomes unachievable, for example, if he changes it to require his star driver to finish the 3.340 km lap in 30 sec or less.

To ensure the project’s objectives are achievable and realistic, they must be determined jointly by managers and those who perform the work. Realism is introduced because the people who will do the work have a good sense of what it takes to accomplish a particular task. In addition, this process assures some level of commitment on all sides: management expresses its commitment to support the work effort and workers demonstrate their willingness to do the work.

Imagine an office manager has contracted a painter to paint his office. His goal or objective is to have the office painted a pleasing blue colour. Consider the conversation that occurs in Figure 7.3 after the job was finished.

This conversation captures in a nutshell the essence of a major source of misunderstandings on projects: the importance of setting clear objectives. The office manager’s description of how he wanted the room painted meant one thing to him and another to the painter. As a consequence, the room was not painted to the office manager’s satisfaction. Had his objective been more clearly defined, he probably would have had what he wanted.

Comparing Options Using a Weighted Decision Matrix

Sometimes we have multiple options to choose from when determining requirements and deciding which project to work on. To select the best option, we can use tools such as a weighted decision matrix.

A basic decision matrix consists of establishing a set of criteria for options that are scored and summed to gain a total score that can then be ranked. Importantly, it is not weighted to allow a quick selection process.

A weighted decision matrix operates in the same way as the basic decision matrix but introduces the concept of weighting the criteria in order of importance. The resultant scores better reflect the importance to the decision maker of the criteria involved. The more important a criterion, the higher the weighting it should be given. Each of the potential options is scored and then multiplied by the weighting given to each of the criteria to produce a result.

The advantage of the weighted decision matrix is that subjective opinions about one alternative versus another can be made more objective. Another advantage of this method is that sensitivity studies can be performed. An example of this might be to see how much your opinion would have to change in order for a lower-ranked alternative to outrank a competing alternative.

A weighted  decision matrix  therefore allows decision makers to structure and solve their problem by:

• Specifying and prioritizing their needs with a list a criteria; then
• Evaluating , rating , and comparing the different solutions; and
• Selecting the best matching solution.

A weighted decision matrix is a decision tool used by decision makers.

A decision matrix is basically an array presenting on one axis a list of alternatives , also called options or solutions , that are evaluated regarding, on the other axis, a list of criteria , which are weighted depending on their respective importance in the final decision to be taken.

Weighted Decision Matrix Sample

The example in Figure 7.4 shows a weighted decision matrix that compared three options for a web development project (SJS Enterprises). This method is especially useful when choosing purchase alternatives and comparing them against specific desirable system requirements.

Financial Considerations

In many new project endeavors, we need to find out if our project is financially feasible.  We do that by using net present value (NPV), rate of return (ROI), and payback analysis.

A dollar earned today is worth more than a dollar earned one or more years from now. The NPV of a time series of cash flows , both incoming and outgoing, is defined as the sum of the present values (PVs) of the individual cash flows of the same entity.

In the case when all future cash flows are incoming and the only outflow of cash is the purchase price, the NPV is simply the PV of future cash flows minus the purchase price (which is its own PV). NPV is a standard method for using the time value of money to appraise long-term projects. Used for capital budgeting and widely used throughout economics, finance, and accounting, it measures the excess or shortfall of cash flows, in present value terms, once financing charges are met.

NPV can be described as the “difference amount” between the sums of discounted cash inflows and cash outflows. It compares the present value of money today to the present value of money in the future, taking inflation and returns into account.

The NPV of a sequence of cash flows takes as input the cash flows and a discount rate or discount curve and outputs a price.

Each cash inflow/outflow is discounted back to its present value (PV). Then they are summed. Therefore NPV is the sum of all terms.

• t   is the time of the cash flow
• i  is the discount rate (the rate of return that could be earned on an investment in the financial markets with similar risk; the opportunity cost of capital)
• R t  is the net cash flow (i.e., cash inflow − cash outflow, at time t ).

NPV is an indicator of how much value an investment or project adds to the firm. With a particular project, if NPV is a positive value, the project is in the status of positive cash inflow in the time  t . If NPV is a negative value, the project is in the status of discounted cash outflow in the time t . Sometimes risky projects with a positive NPV could be accepted. This does not necessarily mean that they should be undertaken since NPV at the cost of capital may not account for opportunity cost (i.e., comparison with other available investments). In financial theory, if there is a choice between two mutually exclusive alternatives, the one yielding the higher NPV should be selected.

NPV Example

The following example is calculating the NPV of a project at a discount rate of 12%. The project takes five years to complete with given benefits and costs for each year. In Year 0, there is no benefit to the organization, just an initial cost of $75,000 with no discount rate. In Year 1, the discount rate is 89%. This means that at 12% assumed interest, the time value of money says that the $1 today is worth $0.89 in one year, $0.80 in two years, etc. By calculating the NPV for the benefits and the costs, you subtract the NPV of all costs from the NPV of all benefits. The final result is a positive value of $105,175.

Return on investment (ROI) is a performance measure used to evaluate the efficiency of an investment or to compare the efficiency of a number of different investments. It is one way of considering profits in relation to capital invested.

This is calculated by subtracting the project’s costs from the benefits and then dividing by the costs. For example, if you invest $100 and your investment is worth $110 next year, the ROI is (110 − 100) ÷ 100 = 0.1 or a 10% return.

In our example: (306,425 − 201,175) ÷ 201,175 = 0.52, or a 52% return. That’s considered a nice return on investment.

Payback Analysis

Payback analysis is important in determining the amount of time it will take for a project to recoup its investments. This is the point at which the benefits start to outweigh the costs. The best way to see that is by charting the cumulative benefits and costs. As you can see in the example in Figure 7.5, the cumulative benefits outweigh the cumulative costs in the second year.

Project Charter

A project charter, project definition, or project statement is a statement of the scope, objectives, and participants in a project. It provides a preliminary delineation of roles and responsibilities, outlines the project objectives, identifies the main stakeholders, and defines the authority of the project manager. It serves as a reference of authority for the future of the project.

The purpose of a project charter is to:

• Provide an understanding of the project, the reason it is being conducted, and its justification
• Establish early on in the project the general scope
• Establish the project manager and his or her authority level. A note of who will review and approve the project charter must be included.

Example of a Project Charter

Sample Project Charter

Identification Section

List the project name, the date of the current version of the project charter, the sponsor’s name and authority, and the project manager’s name.

Project Name: Rice University Computer Store Creation

Project Sponsor: Jane Ungam, Facilities Manager

Date: Jan 12, 2010

Revision: 1

Project Manager: Fred Rubens

Overview of the Project

Provide a simple but precise statement of the project.

Example : Rice University is planning to create a store to sell computer supplies.

State the objectives of the project clearly and ensure they contain a measure of how to assess whether they have been achieved. The statement should be realistic and should follow the SMART protocol:

• Specific (get into the details)
• Measurable (use quantitative language so that you know when you are finished)
• Acceptable (to stakeholders)
• Realistic (given project constraints)
• Time based (deadlines, not durations)

Example : The objective of this project is to implement a campus store that is ready to sell computer supplies such as memory sticks, mouse pads, and cables, when class starts in August 2010, with enough inventory to last through the first two weeks of classes.

Specify the scope of the project by identifying the domain or range of requirements.

Example : The scope of Rice’s school supplies store project includes the activities listed below:

• Determine what supplies will be sold in the store.
• Establish competitive prices for the computer supplies.
• Source and secure supply vendors.
• Establish marketing, procurement, operations, and any other necessary departments, schools, centres, and institutes.

It is equally important to include in the scope what is not included in the project.

Example : The scope of the project does not include:

• Development of any other school store departments
• Store design or construction

Major Milestones

List all major milestones needed to ensure successful project completion.

• All vendors selected
• Contracts or orders completed with all vendors
• Supplies delivered to the store
• Pricing determined

Major Deliverables

List and describe the major deliverables that will result from the project.

• Supplies procured
• Operations, procurement, marketing, and other teams established
• Store supplies stocked and displayed
• Store staffing completed, including work schedules
• Store operations policies, including hours of operation, established

Assumptions

Outline the assumptions made in creating the project. An assumption is a fact you are unsure of but can either confirm at a later time or are simply stating so that the project can proceed as if the statement were true.

• Only computer supplies will be sold in the store.
• Customers will be the Rice University student body and faculty.
• Rice University students will manage the project and be responsible for ongoing operations.
• A store sponsor from the university faculty or staff will be assigned to mentor students and provide oversight.
• Store hours of operation will be approved by the Rice University students or store sponsor.
• Supplier deliveries will be arranged or the store sponsor will pick them up with students.
• Students will be empowered to contact vendors for order placement and inquiries via telephone.

Constraints

Define any and all constraints on the project or those working on the project. This is an important part of the project charter. A constraint is anything that limits the range of solutions or approaches.

• Student availability to meet for project planning is limited to school hours.
• Software is not available for project planning and control.

Business Need or Opportunity (Benefits)

Provide a concise statement of the business need or opportunity that led to the creation of the project. Why was it created?  What are the benefits? How does the project contribute to organizational objectives?

Example : The goal of this project is to provide income for the Rice Student Centre while supplying necessary items to students and faculty at competitive prices. The school store will be a convenience to students since necessary supplies will be available on campus. This will help students learn to manage their personal supplies.

Preliminary Cost for the Project

Provide a statement indicating how the cost of the project will be defined and controlled.

Example:  The procurement team will assemble a proposal based on expected costs for review by the Dean of Undergraduate Studies.

Project Risks

A risk is anything uncertain that may occur that will reduce or decrease the chances of project success.

• There is a state election coming and the new government may change the taxation rules for private university retail outlets.
• The cloud is changing student demand for media such as flash drives in somewhat unpredictable ways. If this happens faster than we forecast, we may be building a store that students don’t need.
• Deliveries of store shelves, etc. will be delayed if a major hurricane occurs.

Project Charter Acceptance

Provide the names, titles, and signature lines of the individuals who will sign off on the project charter.

Project Stakeholders

Provide the key stakeholders and team members by function, name, and role.

Image Descriptions

Figure 7.3 image description: A conversation between an office manager and a contractor.

Office manager: Not only did you paint my office walls blue, but you painted the ceiling blue as well.

Contractor: You asked me to paint the room blue, and now you’ve got a blue room.

Office manager: But the ceiling is oppressive! Ceilings should never be the same colour as the walls. They should always be a lighter colour.

Contractor: You asked for a blue room. You’re lucky I didn’t paint the floor blue as well.

[Return to Figure 7.3]

Figure 7.4 image description:

[Return to Figure 7.4]

Text Attributions

This chapter adapted and remixed by Adrienne Watt from the following sources:

• Text under “Project Initiation ” was adapted from ” Project Initiation ” in Project Management by Merrie Barron and Andrew Barron. Licensed under a CC BY 4.0 licence
• Text under Decision Matrix Method , Project Charter , and Net Present Value adapted from Wikipedia. Licensed under a CC BY-SA 3.0 licence .

Media Attributions

• Project Management © Andreas Cappell is licensed under a CC BY-NC-SA (Attribution NonCommercial ShareAlike) license
• Figure 7.2 © Cord Rodefeld (top), ph-stop (middle), Evoflash (bottom) is licensed under a CC BY-SA (Attribution ShareAlike) license
• Unclear Objective Comic © Barron & Barron Project Management for Scientists and Engineers is licensed under a CC BY (Attribution) license
• Weighted Decision Matrix for Game Delivery © Adrienne Watt is licensed under a CC BY (Attribution) license
• NPV Example © Adrienne Watt is licensed under a CC BY (Attribution) license
• Payback Analysis Chart © Adrienne Watt is licensed under a CC BY (Attribution) license

7. Project Initiation Copyright © 2014 by Adrienne Watt; Merrie Barron; and Andrew Barron is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

Share This Book

• Product overview
• All features
• App integrations

CAPABILITIES

• project icon Project management
• Project views
• Custom fields
• Status updates
• goal icon Goals and reporting
• Reporting dashboards
• workflow icon Workflows and automation
• portfolio icon Resource management
• Time tracking
• my-task icon Admin and security
• Admin console
• asana-intelligence icon Asana AI
• list icon Personal
• premium icon Starter
• briefcase icon Advanced
• Goal management
• Organizational planning
• Campaign management
• Creative production
• Content calendars
• Marketing strategic planning
• Resource planning
• Project intake
• Product launches
• Employee onboarding
• View all uses arrow-right icon
• Project plans
• Team goals & objectives
• Team continuity
• Meeting agenda
• View all templates arrow-right icon
• Work management resources Discover best practices, watch webinars, get insights
• What's new Learn about the latest and greatest from Asana
• Customer stories See how the world's best organizations drive work innovation with Asana
• Help Center Get lots of tips, tricks, and advice to get the most from Asana
• Asana Academy Sign up for interactive courses and webinars to learn Asana
• Developers Learn more about building apps on the Asana platform
• Community programs Connect with and learn from Asana customers around the world
• Events Find out about upcoming events near you
• Partners Learn more about our partner programs
• Support Need help? Contact the Asana support team
• Asana for nonprofits Get more information on our nonprofit discount program, and apply.

Featured Reads

• Project planning |
• What is project planning? (Plus, 7 ste ...

What is project planning? (Plus, 7 steps to write a successful project plan)

Organize your projects with project plans to keep things on track—before you even start. A project plan houses all the necessary details of your project, such as goals, tasks, scope, deadlines, and deliverables. This shows stakeholders a clear roadmap of your project, ensures you have the resources for it, and holds everyone accountable from the start. In this article, we teach you the seven steps to create your own project plan.

Project plans are essential to keeping your project organized and on track. A great project plan will help you kick off your work with all the necessary pieces—from goals and budgets to milestones and communication plans—in one place. Save yourself time (and a few headaches) by creating a work plan that will make your project a success.

What is project planning?

Project planning is the second stage in the project management process, following project initiation and preceding project execution. During the project planning stage, the project manager creates a project plan, which maps out project requirements. The project planning phase typically includes setting project goals, designating project resources, and mapping out the project schedule.

What is a project plan?

If you're still unsure about what a project plan is, here's how it differs from other project elements:

Project plan vs. work plan: A project plan and a work plan are the same thing. Different teams or departments might prefer one term or another—but they both ultimately describe the same thing: a list of big-picture action steps you need to take to hit your  project objectives .

Project plan vs. project charter: A project charter is an outline of your project. Mostly, you use project charters to get signoff from key stakeholders before you start. Which means your project charter comes before your project plan. A project charter is an outline of a simple project plan—it should only include your project objectives, scope, and responsibilities. Then, once your charter has been approved, you can create a project plan to provide a more in-depth blueprint of the key elements of your project.

Project plan vs. project scope: Your project scope defines the size and boundaries of your project. As part of your project plan, you should outline and share the scope of your project with all project stakeholders. If you’re ever worried about scope creep , you can refer back to your pre-defined scope within your project plan to get back on track.

Project plan vs. agile project: Agile project management is a framework to help teams break work into iterative, collaborative components . Agile frameworks are often run in conjunction with scrum and sprint methodologies. Like any project, an Agile project team can benefit from having a project plan in place before getting started with their work.

Project plan vs. work breakdown structure: Similar to a project plan, your work breakdown structure (WBS) helps you with project execution. While the project plan focuses on every aspect of your project, the WBS is focused on deliverables—breaking them down into sub-deliverables and project tasks. This helps you visualize the whole project in simple steps. Because it’s a visual format, your WBS is best viewed as a Gantt chart (or timeline), Kanban board , or calendar—especially if you’re using project management software .

Why are project plans important?

Project plans set the stage for the entire project. Without one, you’re missing a critical step in the overall project management process . When you launch into a project without defined goals or objectives, it can lead to disorganized work, frustration, and even scope creep. A clear, written project management plan provides a baseline direction to all stakeholders, while also keeping everyone accountable. It confirms that you have the resources you need for the project before it actually begins.

A project plan also allows you, as the person in charge of leading execution, to forecast any potential challenges you could run into while the project is still in the planning stages. That way, you can ensure the project will be achievable—or course-correct if necessary. According to a study conducted by the  Project Management Institute , there is a strong correlation between project planning and project success—the better your plan, the better your outcome. So, conquering the planning phase also makes for better project efficiency and results.

7 steps to write a project plan to keep you on track

To create a clear project management plan, you need a way to track all of your moving parts . No matter what type of project you’re planning, every work plan should have:

Goals and project objectives

Success metrics

Stakeholders and roles

Scope and budget

Milestones , deliverables , and project dependencies

Timeline and schedule

Communication plan.

Not sure what each of these mean or should look like? Let’s dive into the details:

Step 1: Define your goals and objectives

You’re working on this project plan for a reason—likely to get you, your team, or your company to an end goal. But how will you know if you’ve reached that goal if you have no way of measuring success?

Every successful project plan should have a clear, desired outcome. Identifying your goals provides a rationale for your project plan. It also keeps everyone on the same page and focused on the results they want to achieve. Moreover, research shows that employees who know how their work is contributing to company objectives are 2X as motivated . Yet only 26% of employees have that clarity. That’s because most goal-setting happens separate from the actual work. By defining your goals within your work plan, you can connect the work your team is doing directly to the project objectives in real-time.

What's the difference between project goals and project objectives?

In general, your project goals should be higher-level than your project objectives. Your project goals should be SMART goals that help you measure project success and show how your project aligns with business objectives . The purpose of drafting project objectives, on the other hand, is to focus on the actual, specific deliverables you're going to achieve at the end of your project. Your project plan provides the direction your team needs to hit your goals, so you can create a workflow that hits project objectives.

Your project  plan  provides the direction your team needs to hit your goals, by way of your project objectives. By incorporating your goals directly into your planning documentation, you can keep your project’s North Star on hand. When you’re defining your project scope, or outlining your project schedule, check back on your goals to make sure that work is in favor of your main objectives.

Step 2: Set success metrics

Once you’ve defined your goals, make sure they’re measurable by setting key success metrics. While your goal serves as the intended result, you need success metrics to let you know whether or not you’re performing on track to achieve that result. The best way to do that is to set  SMART goals . With SMART goals, you can make sure your success metrics are clear and measurable, so you can look back at the end of your project and easily tell if you hit them or not.

For example, a goal for an event might be to host an annual 3-day conference for SEO professionals on June 22nd. A success metric for that goal might be having at least 1,000 people attend your conference. It’s both clear and measurable.

Step 3: Clarify stakeholders and roles

Running a project usually means getting  collaborators  involved in the execution of it. In your project management plan, outline which team members will be a part of the project and what each person’s role will be. This will help you decide who is responsible for each task (something we’ll get to shortly) and let stakeholders know how you expect them to be involved.

During this process, make sure to define the various roles and responsibilities your stakeholders might have. For example, who is directly responsible for the project’s success? How is your project team structured (i.e. do you have a project manager, a project sponsor , etc.)? Are there any approvers that should be involved before anything is finalized? What cross-functional stakeholders should be included in the project plan? Are there any  risk management factors  you need to include?

Consider using a system, such as a  RACI chart , to help determine who is driving the project forward, who will approve decisions, who will contribute to the project, and who needs to remain informed as the project progresses.

Then, once you’ve outlined all of your roles and stakeholders, make sure to include that documentation in your project plan. Once you finalize your plan, your work plan will become your cross-functional source of truth.

Step 4: Set your budget

Running a project usually costs money. Whether it’s hiring freelancers for content writing or a catering company for an event, you’ll probably be spending some cash.

Since you’ve already defined your goals and stakeholders as part of your project plan, use that information to establish your budget. For example, if this is a cross-functional project involving multiple departments, will the departments be splitting the project cost? If you have a specific goal metric like event attendees or new users, does your proposed budget support that endeavor?

By establishing your project budget during the project planning phase (and before the spending begins), you can get approval, more easily track progress, and make smart, economical decisions during the implementation phase of your project. Knowing your budget beforehand helps you with resource management , ensuring that you stay within the initial financial scope of the project. Planning helps you determine what parts of your project will cost what—leaving no room for surprises later on.

Step 5: Align on milestones, deliverables, and project dependencies

An important part of planning your project is setting milestones, or specific objectives that represent an achievement. Milestones don’t require a start and end date, but hitting one marks a significant accomplishment during your project. They are used to measure progress. For example, let’s say you’re working to develop a  new product for your company . Setting a milestone on your project timeline for when the prototype is finalized will help you measure the progress you’ve made so far.

A project deliverable , on the other hand, is what is actually produced once you meet a milestone. In our product development example, we hit a milestone when we produced the deliverable, which was the prototype. You can also use project dependencies —tasks that you can’t start until others are finished. Dependencies ensure that work only starts once it’s ready. Continuing the example, you can create a project dependency to require approval from the project lead before prototype testing begins.  

If you’re using our free project plan template , you can easily organize your project around deliverables, dependencies, and milestones. That way, everyone on the team has clear visibility into the work within your project scope, and the milestones your team will be working towards.

Step 6: Outline your timeline and schedule

In order to achieve your project goals, you and your stakeholders need clarity on your overall project timeline and schedule. Aligning on the time frame you have can help you better prioritize during strategic planning sessions.

Not all projects will have clear-cut timelines. If you're working on a large project with a few unknown dates, consider creating a  project roadmap  instead of a full-blown project timeline. That way, you can clarify the order of operations of various tasks without necessarily establishing exact dates.

Once you’ve covered the high-level responsibilities, it’s time to focus some energy on the details. In your  work plan template , start by breaking your project into tasks, ensuring no part of the process is skipped. Bigger tasks can even be broken down into smaller subtasks, making them more manageable.

Then, take each task and subtask, and assign it a start date and end date. You’ll begin to visually see everything come together in a  cohesive project timeline . Be sure to add stakeholders, mapping out who is doing what by when.

Step 7: Share your communication plan

We’ve established that most projects include multiple stakeholders. That means communication styles will vary among them. You have an opportunity to set your expectations up front for this particular project in your project plan. Having a communication plan is essential for making sure everyone understands what’s happening, how the project is progressing, and what’s going on next. And in case a roadblock comes up, you’ll already have a clear communication system in place.

As you’re developing your communication plan, consider the following questions:

How many project-related meetings do you need to have? What are their goals?

How will you manage project status updates ? Where will you share them?

What tool will you use to manage the project and communicate progress and updates?

Like the other elements of your project plan, make sure your communication plan is easily accessible within your project plan. Stakeholders and cross-functional collaborators should be able to easily find these guidelines during the planning and execution phases of your project. Using project planning tools or task management software that integrates with apps like Slack and Gmail can ensure all your communication happens in one easily accessible place. 

Example project plan

Next, to help you understand what your project management plan should look like, here are two example plans for marketing and design projects that will guide you during your own project planning.

Project plan example: annual content calendar

Let’s say you’re the Content Lead for your company, and it’s your responsibility to create and deliver on a content marketing calendar for all the content that will be published next year. You know your first step is to build your work plan. Here’s what it might look like:

Goals and success metrics

You establish that your goal for creating and executing against your content calendar is to increase engagement by 10%. Your success metrics are the open rate and click through rate on emails, your company’s social media followers, and how your pieces of content rank on search engines.

Stakeholders and each person’s role

There will be five people involved in this project.

You, Content Lead: Develop and maintain the calendar

Brandon and Jamie, Writers: Provide outlines and copy for each piece of content

Nate, Editor: Edit and give feedback on content

Paula, Producer: Publish the content once it’s written and edited

Your budget for the project plan and a year’s worth of content is $50,000.

Milestones and deliverables

Your first milestone is to finish the content calendar, which shows all topics for the year. The deliverable is a sharable version of the calendar. Both the milestone and the deliverables should be clearly marked on your project schedule.

You’ve determined that your schedule for your content calendar project plan will go as follows:

October 15 - November 1: The research phase to find ideas for topics for content

November 2 - November 30: Establish the topics you’ll write about

December 1 - January 1: Build the calendar

January 1 - December 31: Content will be written by Brandon and Jamie, and edited by Nate, throughout the year

January 16 - December 31: Paula will begin publishing and continue to do so on a rolling basis throughout the year.

You’ll have a kick-off meeting and then monthly update meetings as part of your communication plan. Weekly status updates will be sent on Friday afternoons. All project-related communication will occur within a  project management tool .

How ClassPass manages project plans from start to finish

Kerry Hoffman, Senior Project Manager of Marketing Operations at  ClassPass , oversees all marketing projects undertaken by the creative, growth, and content teams. Here are her top three strategies for managing project plans:

Identify stakeholders up front: No matter the size of the project, it’s critical to know who the stakeholders are and their role in the project so you ensure you involve the right people at each stage. This will also make the review and approval process clear before the team gets to work.

Agree on how you want to communicate about your project: Establish where and when communication should take place for your project to ensure that key information is captured in the right place so everyone stays aligned.

Be adaptable and learn other people’s working styles: Projects don’t always go according to plan, but by implementing proper integration management you can keep projects running smoothly. Also, find out how project members like to work so you take that into account as you create your plan. It will help things run smoother once you begin executing.

Write your next project plan like a pro

Congratulations—you’re officially a work planning pro. With a few steps, a little bit of time, and a whole lot of organization, you’ve successfully written a project plan.

Keep yourself and your team on track, and address challenges early by using project planning software like Asana . Work through each of the steps of your project plan with confidence, and streamline your communications with the team.

Related resources

How Asana uses work management for employee onboarding

4 ways to establish roles and responsibilities for team success

Cost control: How to monitor project spending to increase profitability

How to use a feasibility study in project management

Jump to section

Aug 15 , 2023

6 Project Pre-Planning Essentials to Organize and Budget Projects

Carl Torrence

August 15 , 2023

Planning is essential to keeping your project organized and on track. But, it can be challenging to know where to start.

From defining the scope of work and delivery timelines to putting together a team and assigning responsibilities to relevant stakeholders, a lot goes into building the project foundation.

Additionally, you must anticipate the roadblocks from third parties (such as vendors, freelancers, etc.) you may encounter during the project and plan ahead. Vendor risk management is essential in this context as it ensures potential risks related to third-party suppliers are identified.

Put simply, you have to be highly meticulous in project planning. In this article, we will discuss everything you should know and do before starting a new project.

While every project is different, there are a few general things to do in the pre-planning stage:

1. Plan the scope of your work and set SMART goals

First things first, set goals for your project. Provide as much detail as possible when setting them, and list all the tasks and responsibilities that you want the project team to shoulder. Follow the OKR methodology or apply the SMART technique to avoid any ambiguity in goal-setting:

• Specific: Be specific about your project. What is it?
• Measurable: Define the parameters to measure the success of the project goals.
• Attainable: Keep the goals achievable.
• Relevant: Make sure they are realistic and relevant to the project.
• Time-bound: Set practical deadlines ; you should be able to finish all tasks promptly.

Next, create a Statement of Work (SOW) that defines the entire work scope for the internal project team and clients.

Include details like deadlines, work location, payment terms, other invoicing conditions and so on. It is incredibly useful when you are dealing with suppliers and want to minimize vendor risk management by setting expectations upfront.

2. Identify the skills required and assemble a team

When considering who you want in the team and how many, you must get an understanding of their skills and strengths and whether they will be able to work with clients and stakeholders. Run through the following checklist when shaping your team:

• Skills.  What are they required to do?
• Budget . Can you afford them for the job?
• Stakeholders. Are they a right fit for coordination?
• Availability. Will they have the time to give to the task?
• Experience. Have they worked on similar projects before?

Do not do this activity in isolation. Speak to various department heads to get their help in outlining resource requirements and make a decision accordingly.

3. Decide who does what in the team and manage expectations

Managing everyone involved in the project can be an overwhelming task. That’s because when cross-functional team members work together, each brings with them their own vision, strengths, and approach to the project.

This can be counterproductive if expectations are not defined early on. Thus, list all the required activities, the expected project duration, and the end goal.

You can use a responsibility assignment metric or RACI chart to determine who is accountable, informed, and consulted for each task. This improves overall team efficiency.

Source: softwareadvice

Once these details have been finalized, sit down with the team to tell them as much as you know about the project and ask for questions or feedback. Write down all the considerations people bring up — the good and the bad. This helps you do two things:

• Change the resource if there is a fitment or vision alignment issue.
• Alter or modify the workflow to help the team members do their job.

In addition, do more than just have one meeting before the project kick-off. Have smaller refresher sessions instead spread throughout the weeks or months leading up to the project.

In this case, it would help if you had a fluid project communication plan to keep track of multiple independent resources or departments involved.

Lastly, set a cadence for meetings and fetching status reports, then schedule interdepartmental collaboration time so people can share their progress, exchange ideas, and resolve queries.

4. Budget your project in the most detailed manner possible

Even though the budget is not the only determinant of project success, it still massively influences it. If you had a bigger budget, you would obviously get more people to do the job, get all the best tools possible, and quickly deliver the project.

However, it does not matter how big or small the task is; ascertaining the bottom line will always be the same. Often, there is already an expectation of a project’s cost.

Estimating without knowing what you want to do or achieve can result in financial missteps and inaccurate projects. Here are four tools you can use for more accurate budget planning:

Cost of quality

Identify the cost of all your quality-related tasks in the overall budget. If something needs to be done right at the very start of the project, then make sure that happens.

Reserve analysis

Set aside some money for cost overruns. If your project could hit a specific roadblock, you should have the financial resources to deal with it when and if the time comes.

Resource cost rates

Consider the specific rate at which different team members will be working. Are there any software solutions you need for the project? If you are hiring freelancers or specialists, include their costs too.

Vendor bid analysis

Sometimes, you must work with an external supplier or vendor to complete the project. If you have multiple vendors bidding, choose one that fits your budget. But pay attention to factors such as compatibility, quality, and reliability.

It is vital to keep all supporting estimate info handy. That way, you will know the assumptions made when you come up with the numbers.

5. Define the deliverables and set a timeline for the tasks

Once you have the scope of work and the project team in place, it is much easier to set deliverables with deadlines. To start, divide the project into phases or components and create specific tasks:

• List who is responsible for creating, reviewing, and submitting the deliverable.
• Put a deadline against it. Keep some time aside for making amends and getting approvals.
• Identify any discrepancies that might hinder deliverable creation or delivery.

A timeline can help you streamline the tasks because everyone knows exactly what to do and when. Use a Gantt chart to visualize your entire project if you have multiple milestones.

You could also use project management software like Paymo to track progress, assign tasks, and ensure everyone stays on the same page. Enable real-time updates and foster collaboration within the team.

What is also important to note here is that projects change and evolve. So you need to be ready to adapt and shift the timelines and responsibilities accordingly.

For future reference, you must also document all project-related documents, such as the project plan, scope of work, and budget planning. You can also share these with the team members so that they have something to refer to whenever they face an obstacle.

6. Finalize core KPIs and establish benchmarks for success

Numbers speak louder than words. Metrics tied directly to the bottom line communicate the success or failure of a project more quickly than everything else. So before starting a project, decide the metrics you want to track. Some of them could be:

Earned value (EV)

Earned value (EV) is a key performance indicator (KPI) used to measure project performance. This metric shows the value earned from the money you have spent to date on a project. It compares the value of work completed within a specific timeline concerning the approved project budget.

The earned value is calculated by multiplying the total project budget by the percentage of project completion , like so:

EV = total project budget * percentage of project completion

where you express percentage of project completion as 1.00 for 100%, 0.90 for 90% and so on.

For example, a $50,000 project budget that is 60% done results in an earned value of $30,000.

The earned value helps provide deeper information on the project, and it can be used to answer three questions:

• Where were we?
• Where are we now?
• Where are we going?

The earned value is one of the critical few best practice areas for monitoring project performance from both a cost and schedule perspective.

Cost variance (CV)

Cost variance compares the budget that was set before the project started and what was spent. It is calculated by finding the difference between the earned value of work performed (EV) and the actual cost of work performed (AC).

CV = EV – AC

It shows the difference between the actual costs and the planned budget by a specific date. Cost variances can be positive or negative, depending on how closely the ACWP matches up to the BCWP. If the costs are over budget, the variance is negative.

Let’s take, for example, a $50,000 budgeted project that has an earned value of $30,000 and actual costs of $37,500. Using the formula, the cost variance for the project is -$7,500, which means that the project is over budget by $7,500.

Schedule variance (SV)

Schedule variance (SV) is a measure of the deviation between the planned schedule and the actual schedule. This examines whether the project is running ahead or behind the planned budget. How? A positive schedule variance indicates that the project is ahead of schedule, while a negative schedule variance indicates that the project is behind schedule.

Let’s break it down.

SV is derived by subtracting the budgeted cost of work actually scheduled , namely the planned value (PV), from the budgeted cost of work performed , or the earned value (EV).

SV = EV – PV

Taking our $50,000 project with an earned value (EV) of $30,000 and a planned value (PV) of $35,000 by August 15, the schedule variance for the project is -$5,000, which means that the project is behind schedule. In other words, you should have made more progress towards completion by another $5,000.

What is the difference between cost variance and schedule variance ? Cost variance is based on costs spent, while schedule variance is based on time spent. CV helps track finances as the project progresses, while SV helps measure project schedule performance.

Resource utilization

Resource utilization refers to the measurement of how effectively resources, such as team members or employees, are being utilized within a project or organization.

Basically, it reflects how efficiently the resources have been used in the project. By monitoring this, you can find out which resources may be under or fully booked and make adjustments as necessary.

Here are common methods to measure resource utilization:

• Hours worked vs. total hours allocated. Divide the number of hours worked by the total number of hours allocated to the team to get a percentage. For example, 32 hours worked out of a 40-hour week equals 0.80, which is 80% utilization. This method may be the easiest, but it only tracks time, not efficiency.
• Opt for a project planning and tracking tool . Organize projects, set milestones, and monitor the progress of tasks according to the planned schedule (SV) using a Gantt chart or Kanban board for better visualization. The focus of this method is on tasks completed and milestones reached by your team. If your team is consistently behind schedule, make sure it’s not because of scope creep .
• Use resource scheduling software . When working on different projects, or your team is juggling billable and administrative tasks or strategic initiatives, you may want to use dedicated software when planning their work, such as Paymo’s Team Scheduler . The focus of this method is on optimized employee performance.

How do you track resource utilization? The simplest way is for your team to use a time tracker that automatically generates timesheets , add time entries to their weekly timesheet , or add time in bulk. Even widgets automatically calculate time utilization:

Ultimately, achieving optimal utilization enhances profitability . Read this guide on how to ensure profitability for your business .

Return on Investment (ROI)

Return on Investment (ROI) is a measurement tool that businesses use to gauge how successful they have been in achieving specific goals and objectives.

ROI is a financial KPI that specifically looks at the amount earned (net profit) for the amount invested (investment cost) in a project.

ROI = ((Net Profit / Investment Cost) * 100)

Net Profit is the total profit generated from the investment. This can be calculated by subtracting the total costs (including expenses, taxes, and other relevant costs) from the total revenue or income generated.

Investment Cost is the total cost incurred to make the investment, including initial investment, ongoing expenses, and any additional costs associated with the investment. Costs may include resources, team training, software overheads, and so on.

For example, let’s say a marketing campaign generated a net profit of $10,000, and the total investment cost for the campaign was $50,000.

Using the formula for our example, ROI = (($10,000 / $50,000) * 100) = 20%,  the ROI for the marketing campaign would be 20%.

This means that for every dollar invested, the campaign generated a return of 20 cents.

Tip : Speak to team members, stakeholders, and vendors to specify the metrics they think are most critical to them, as each would bring in a unique perspective and insight. When people have a say in what is being measured, they will likely feel a greater sense of commitment. This buy-in can significantly influence project success.

Always remember three things:

1. factor in time for meetings and delays.

It is highly unlikely you are the only person working on a project. Most such undertakings require a team effort, meaning frequent interaction with people.

You may need to order supplies from a vendor, speak with a subject matter expert, gather market info from the sales team, or manage the physical space where the work is being conducted. All of this takes time.

What is more — it is very rare for either of the interactions to go off without a hitch. You may have to deal with shipping delays, the submission of incorrect data, or miscommunication. Lots of things can go wrong.

That is why it is essential to set aside buffer time to reduce stress, avoid missed deadlines, and handle unexpected situations more effectively.

2. List all possible threats and prepare for them

As tedious as it may sound, doing so will prevent you from dealing with more hiccups than necessary.

In addition, determine an appropriate protocol to follow if you face a problem. Resolve it quickly and move on so you do not disrupt the flow of your project.

3. Do not chase perfection

Instead, focus on the smallest steps required to progress the project.

Do not overthink; get them out of the way.

This advice is specifically relevant for projects that are likely to be tweaked after finishing — for example, writing a whitepaper.

If you’re finding it difficult to complete your unfinished tasks , try out these tips.

Set the ball rolling on Day 1 of your project.

By following the pre-planning steps outlined above, you can kick off the project with clarity and confidence. Also, take the time to arrange a team meeting on Day 1.

It can be a quick session to discuss the first step or task that everyone in the team needs to undertake. This results in higher productivity levels and efficient project completion.

Plus, when you have spent considerable time planning for the project, Day 1 automatically becomes easy and exciting.

First published on August 15, 2023.

Carl Torrence is a Content Marketer at Marketing Digest. His core expertise lies in developing data-driven content for brands, SaaS businesses, and agencies. In his free time, he enjoys binge-watching time-travel movies and listening to Linkin Park and Coldplay albums.

Alexandra Martin

Drawing from a background in cognitive linguistics and armed with 10+ years of content writing experience, Alexandra Martin combines her expertise with a newfound interest in productivity and project management. In her spare time, she dabbles in all things creative.

April 29 , 2024

20 Best Project Management Software & Tools for 2024

December 6 , 2022

How to Estimate and Calculate a Project Budget

Praveen Malik

Your Guide to Project Profitability

Integrations

Knowledge base.

Copyright © 2024 Paymo LLC

Cookies help us deliver our services. By continuing to use the website, you consent to the use of cookies.

Learn more about the cookies in Our Privacy Policy.

• Recent Topics
• Forum Policy

TOPIC: Is pre-assignment a project constraint?

Is pre-assignment a project constraint 11 years 4 months ago #3162.

Is pre-assignment a project constraint? 11 years 4 months ago #3163

Is pre-assignment a project constraint? 11 years 4 months ago #3164

Is pre-assignment a project constraint? 11 years 4 months ago #3166

• Our Mission
• Our Partners
• Terms & Conditions
• Privacy Notice
• Corporate Project Management Training
• Group Discounts
• PM PrepCast Discount Coupon
• Scholarships
• Free PMP® Newsletter
• Free PMP® Questions
• Free PMI-ACP® Questions
• Free CAPM® Simulator
• Project Management Basics
• Mastering Business Analysis
• PMP® Exam Simulator
• PMP® Formulas
• PMI-ACP® Exam Training
• CAPM® Exam Training
• PMP® Exam Prep
• PrepCast PMP® Practice Exam
• Forgot your password?
• Forgot your username?
• Order The PM PrepCast
• PM PrepCast Product Details
• PMP Exam Agile Booster Course
• The PMP® Exam Simulator
• The PM Formulas
• The PM StudyCoach (recorded)
• The PM StudyCoach Guidebook
• The PM FlashCards
• All PMP® Products Overview
• PM Basics Course
• Corporate PMP Training
• Order the Agile PrepCast
• Agile PrepCast Product Details
• The ACP StudyCoach Guidebooks
• The PMI-ACP® Exam Simulator
• Corporate PMI-ACP Training
• Order The PM PrepCast for CAPM
• The PM PrepCast for CAPM®
• The CAPM® Exam Simulator
• 60 PMP PDUs - From The PM PrepCast
• 60 PMP PDUs - From The PDU Podcast
• 15 PMP Power Skills PDUs
• 17 PMP Leadership PDUs
• 30 PMI-ACP PDUs
• 17 PMI-ACP Leadership PDUs
• 15 CAPM PDUs
• 5 PDUs Business Analysis Course
• Artificial Intelligence for Project Managers
• Free PM PrepCast Training
• Free PM PrepCast Exam Simulator
• Free PMP® Practice Exam
• The Free PM PrepCast
• Free PMP® Exam Guides
• Free PMP® Exam Newsletter
• Free PMP® Webinars
• All Free PMP® Exam Resources...
• The Free Agile PrepCast
• Free PMI-ACP® Exam Newsletter
• All Free PMI-ACP® Exam Resources...
• Free CAPM® Exam Newsletter
• All Free PDU Resources...
• Explore Corporate Training Offers
• Unlocking Corporate Efficiency
• How PM Training Transform Businesses
• PM Training for Shifting Market Demands
• PM Training for Your Business
• Student Success with PMP Simulation
• PMP® Study Guide
• PMP® Certification Cost
• 35 Hours of Project Management Education
• Knowledge Areas & Process Groups
• How to Fill in the PMP Application
• PMP® Certification Exam
• How to get PMP Certification
• PMP® Exam Questions
• PMP® Certification Bangalore
• Failed PMP Exam
• PMI-ACP Certification Study Guide
• CAPM Certification Study Guide
• 12 Project Management Principles Explained by Experts
• Project Management Certifications Career Advancement
• PMP vs Certifications
• Project Management Organization Company Benefits
• Project Management Organizations Importance
• PM PrepCast Reviews
• PM PrepCast Reviews on Google
• PM Exam Simulator Reviews
• Agile PrepCast Reviews
• PMP® Exam Coaching Reviews
• Exam Prep Essentials eBook Reviews
• Add Your Review
• Student Profiles
• Successful Students
• PMP® Exam Discussion
• PMP® Exam Lessons Learned
• Free PMP® Exam Questions
• PMI-ACP® Exam Discussion
• PMI-ACP® Exam Lessons Learned
• CAPM® Exam Discussion
• CAPM® Exam Lessons Learned
• PDU Questions and Answers
• CIPP/E® Exam Discussion
• CIPP/E® Exam Lessons Learned

Project Manager – PM Analyst

Pre-assignment

“Pre-assignment” is a tool/technique for the process “Acquire project team “. When project team members are selected in advance, they are considered pre-assigned. This situation can occur if the project is the result of specific people being identified as part of a competitive proposal, if the project is dependent upon the expertise of particular persons, or if some staff assignments are defined within the project charter.

This definition was found in the PMBOK V5

Go back to the Glossary or to the Mapping

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

1. Project Team Acquiring

The process of acquiring project team is an activity that allows selecting and approving human resource availability according to the list of required skills and criteria for choosing human resource for the purpose of obtaining the team necessary to accomplish project work.

The process is managed by the project management team. The project manager is a person who has an authority to manage the recruiting process and decide on team members. While selecting and deciding on team members, the following acquiring project team criteria should be considered:

• Required level of experience at appropriate projects and activities. The project manager gathers all information about current experience level of team member to compare it with the required experience level.
• Interest level. The project manager defines whether team member is interested in participating in project and why.
• Personal qualifications. By means of interviews and questionnaires, the project manager look at personal skills and talents of team member and measure how this individual team member will work with other project team members.
• Availability. The project manager identifies whether project team member desired for the project is available. The project manager should decide with functional managers on the availability of potential team members.
• Knowledge. The project manager identifies the competency and proficiency of available project team members.

By using the acquiring project team criteria, the project manager and members of the project management team select a method of team acquisition. There are several standard acquiring project team methods , including the following:

• Method of pre-assignments allows selecting team members in advanced, before project starts. The method is used in situations when implementation of project depends on the expertise of specific people who deliver a competitive proposal to project.
• Method of virtual team building is used when the whole project or a significant part of it is to be fulfilled by groups of people who carry out their roles and responsibilities with little or no time spent on face to face communication and collaboration. Virtual teams use electronic means of communication (such as email and video conferencing) to fulfill project tasks. A virtual team environment is based on communication planning so the project manager needs to ensure virtual teams have all required communication tools to participate in project.
• Method of negotiations allows making staff assignments between multiple projects in order to ensure each of the projects has appropriately competent human resources within the required time frame. The method entails development and use of delegation and re-assignment models to make efficient staff assignments considering the benefits and visibility of competing projects.

The team acquisition methods can be used separately or taken together to acquire project team. Project gets staffed when all team members have appropriate assignments. Then the process of acquiring project team comes to an end and generates the following acquiring project team outputs:

• Project staff assignment documentation – includes names of project team members, memos to team members, and a project team directory.
• Work schedules – document team member availability and include time periods that every team member can work on project considering schedule conflicts, such as vacation time and commitments to other projects.
• Updates to the project management plan – concern such elements of the plan as human resource plan and staffing requirements.

Jump to the nest step of the human resource management process:

• Project Team Acquiring
• Project Team Developing
• Project Team Managing

Worth Reading

Personal Finance and Career Development Tips for Project Managers

April 21, 2021

Project Scope Statement

November 15, 2010

Creative Marketing Strategies to Promote Your eCommerce Business

November 17, 2021

Ten Meeting Management Tips for Markedly Improved Productivity

March 28, 2014

4 Ways to Streamline Your HR Management Strategy

December 9, 2021

Teamwork & Leadership

Project Manager’s Top 10 Skills to Be an Effective Leader

Top Advantages and Risks of IT Outsourcing for Small Businesses

Project initiation stage – Project Initiation Document (PID). Duties of project owner and project team

Organizing Procurement and Purchasing Activities in a Project

Two Common Mistakes in Project Procurement Contracts

Project Sponsor – The Role and Responsibilities