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As you may have guessed, people resource planning involves the personnel needed to complete or manage a project. All the expertise needed for a project must be included in the people resource plan.
These people might be part of the project team, or they might be individuals outside the team, such as consultants, vendors, or suppliers. The project manager is also included in the people resource plan, as are other staff members who manage the project directly.
IN CONTEXT
You are a project manager and your project has the goal of installing a new voicemail system. The people resource plan would include:
As the project manager, you would confirm that the required personnel would be assigned to the project team. If skill gaps exist, then you may need to fill those gaps with new hires, consultants, or other people from outside the team.
- Project manager
- Computer server installers
- On-site consultants from the vendor that provided the voicemail software
- Any quality assurance testers who validate that the system is working.
Non-people resources include technology, materials, and equipment needed to complete the project deliverables. In other words, anything that is not a person that the project needs is included as part of the non-people resource plan.
IN CONTEXT
For the voicemail project, the non-people resource plan would include:
To successfully manage your voicemail project, you may include project management software to build the schedule and assign and monitor tasks. If the resource must be obtained, then it has a cost to the project and must be included in the project budget.
- Purchase of voicemail software
- Computer system necessary to run the software
- Any phone or network wiring needed to install the system.
For non-people resources, you should identify any tools needed for the management, communication, or success of the project. It should be noted whether the organization already owns the resources, or whether they need to be obtained. If they do need to be purchased, sources for the resource should be listed.
To find people or non-people resources, the project manager should review the WBS, and document anyone or anything needed to complete each task. Remember that the project manager must include all resources in the project plan.
Source: This work is adapted from Sophia Author Jeff Carroll.