PROJECT RESOURCES 2

Project Resources

You have been asked to replace the project manager who was heading up your firm’s new
compensation and benefits system. One of the reasons the project manager is being
replaced is because the project schedule had the wrong resources assigned (e.g., resources
who do not fully understand compensation and benefits). You have been asked to solve this
problem quickly by either replacing the resources or getting the resources up-to-speed on
compensation and benefits. Present your recommendation for solving this critical resource
problem by reviewing the pros and cons of each option.
The two options provided for solving this problem (replacing the resources or getting
resources up-to-speed) have advantages and disadvantages. For the first option, replacing the
resources, one of its key pros is the potential of getting highly knowledgeable, skilled, and
experienced resources (Kloppenborg, Anantatmula, & Wells, 2019). Additionally, replacing
current resources with new ones from other organizations may bring in resources that offer a
fresh perspective that may allow the company to approach various matters in a more efficient
and innovative manner.
On the cons side, replacing current resources with new ones is likely to take a lot of time.
A lot of time will be taken to post the jobs, read resumes, interview shortlisted candidates, and
offer some form of training to the new employees (Kloppenborg et al., 2019). In addition,
bringing in new resources is also likely to be costly. Depending on the organizations that they are
being hired from, the new resources are likely to require higher salaries than current resources.
There will also be costs associated with work delays and finding temporary resources to perform
tasks of the released resources during the process of replacement.

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As for the second option, getting current resources up-to-speed, its main pro is time
saving. Compared to hiring new resources, training current ones until they get the required skills
is likely to take a much shorter time. It is also less costly since after training the current resources
may not need salary increases. Another pro is that training current resources will enable the
company to have resources that fit into the culture of the organization (Kloppenborg et al., 2019).
The cons of this option include interference with operational work and the possibility of
the resources not acquiring all the relevant skills within a short time. Training current resources
means that the resources will have to spend less time performing their daily duties. This may
have a negative impact on daily operations of the organization. Additionally, even if the current
resources are fast learners, they may not be able to a acquire all the desired skills and experience
within the short time set aside for training.
Having reviewed the two options, I would recommend the second option – getting current
resources up-to-speed. The option costs less and targets resources that perfectly fit into the
organization’s culture. More importantly, it takes much shorter time than the first option. Since
the problem has to be solved quickly, this option achieves this objective because it is not time-
consuming.

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References

Kloppenborg, T. J., Anantatmula, V. S., & Wells, K. N. (2019). Contemporary Project
Management. Cengage.