Janei ResendeProject Manager| National Service for Rural Learning - SENARBrasilia, Distrito Federal, Brazil
In some organizations, especially those with functional structures, project managers need to live with "imposed" teams, that is, managers have not had the opportunity to choose the members of their teams. Inevitably, in some teams, there are lazy people. How to get rid of these people? Is training enough to engage them? Should the project manager act as a leader or as a boss in these situations of laziness on the team? Saving Changes...
Cheikh FAYE Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Expert, CEO and owner| Eurêka TechnologiesDakar, Senegal
Hi Janei, when you fail to staff, you fail to succeed.Whether the organization is a functional, a matrix or a projectized one, the minimum right for a project manager is to have his word to say when choosing his staff.By not doing so,he is fully responsible and the only outcome will be defeat.
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1 reply by Adrian Carlogea
Oct 12, 2017 12:58 PM
Adrian Carlogea
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In many if not in most cases organizations can't afford the luxury to choose specific employees to work on specific projects.
Organizations have a limited number of employees and they are usually assigned to projects according to their availability. When a project has to start employees that are available and have the required domain knowledge would end up working on the project.
Organizations usually don't impose project teams to project managers because they like to do this but because they can only assign the resources that they have available. In many cases not even the functional managers have a choice.
But even if organizations had had unlimited human resources, in most cases project managers wouldn't have been the most competent people for choosing the best project team members. This is true because the main criteria for choosing the best team members is the technical knowledge the potential members have.
If the team members lack soft skills or other type of non-technical skills it is still possible to complete the project with them, the lack of technical skills on the other hand would lead to the project failure for sure.
So in inclusion if there is a choice the functional managers and not the project managers are the most competent people for choosing the best project team members.
Hi Janei, when you fail to staff, you fail to succeed.Whether the organization is a functional, a matrix or a projectized one, the minimum right for a project manager is to have his word to say when choosing his staff.By not doing so,he is fully responsible and the only outcome will be defeat.
In many if not in most cases organizations can't afford the luxury to choose specific employees to work on specific projects.
Organizations have a limited number of employees and they are usually assigned to projects according to their availability. When a project has to start employees that are available and have the required domain knowledge would end up working on the project.
Organizations usually don't impose project teams to project managers because they like to do this but because they can only assign the resources that they have available. In many cases not even the functional managers have a choice.
But even if organizations had had unlimited human resources, in most cases project managers wouldn't have been the most competent people for choosing the best project team members. This is true because the main criteria for choosing the best team members is the technical knowledge the potential members have.
If the team members lack soft skills or other type of non-technical skills it is still possible to complete the project with them, the lack of technical skills on the other hand would lead to the project failure for sure.
So in inclusion if there is a choice the functional managers and not the project managers are the most competent people for choosing the best project team members. Saving Changes...
Dave HamelPM I| Société Québécoise des InfrastructuresShannon, Quebec, Canada
Oct 12, 2017 6:29 AM
Replying to Drew Craig
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Based on what has been shared, it is a matter of attempting improved motivation tactics, one to one discussions with the individual (repeat if necessary), empathy (personal situation), escalate to individuals manager, set-up and discuss performance plan - document everything.
Excellent summary, this could be in the textbook :) Saving Changes...
Jim BrandenSenior Project Manager| Retired from UNC Charlotte - IT Services - PPMOCharlotte, Nc, United States
Mounir, Amen to your last statement. When team members don't perform up to expectations I approach them with three points:
#1 - The "PM Plan for Success" may have not estimated the effort correctly
#2 - We have to live with the "PM Plan for Success" to become successful
#3 - What can I do as PM to influence or intervene to help this person succeed?
If Parkinson's Law has hypnotized the person, maybe asking if they can handle more responsibility will engage them! (Or run them off!!)
Jim Saving Changes...
