Changing positions is very often in any project but task is always taken care of either by appointing a new employee in that position or by replacing with a member from the existing team. Prior training is given to the new employee to finish the task successfully. The work is also split between the existing team members if there is not enough time for the new person to get trained in a position.
If someone on the project team was no longer able to perform a critical task for the project, it will require a change to the original project schedule. To make sure that the delay is not too large, the options would be to find someone internally to complete the task, redefine the project schedule such that task is no longer critical, or you might have to find someone externally if no one else in your organization to complete the task. In any of these cases, the preservation of the project time will have a large financial cost.
One way to tackle a loss of an employee in a project is to delegate that task to other employees who may have performed a similar task in the past, until a replacement is found. Transferring an employee’s workload to one employee can be very overwhelming, and very stressful without looking for a replacement shortly after. To delegate an employees tasks to various other employees (depending on the type of organization) can help get a particular critical task accomplished. However, depending on the organization type, one way to tackle such a challenge is to train team members to perform each others roles. That way, if something unfortunate comes up, like a resignation, the other respective team members can pick up where they left off. This would ultimately prevent such challenges in a project and prevent great delays to a project.
Say that someone on your project team changes positions to a different job so that you no longer have said person to perform a critical task for the project. His or her assigned task not being done can greatly slow down the pace of the project so what are ways to manage it so that as little time as possible is added to the project timeline
The best way to handle a scenario where there is a newly vacant spot with accompanying responsibilities on the project team is to split the work load among the remaining group members. This allows the tasks that need to be done to continue being done in a timely fashion. This method can also help team bonding and can be a great way to stay on a time schedule while looking for a replacement for the vacant position. Another way to handle this would be to take into account if there are any areas in within the team that can be changed or removed to increase overall efficiency.
This is a very interesting predicament. If I were in this situation as a Project Manager, I would quickly find a replacement. In cases such as these, while it is unfortunate to lose a member, one must keep moving so as not to slow down the pace of the project. I would be happy that said member found an opportunity that suits his or her lifestyle and, since there is no need in crying over spilled milk and prolonging the situation, I would have to move swiftly with the replacement. In the mean time of finding someone else, I would ask that other members pull together to help pick up the slack so as not to fall too far behind schedule. Life happens however, it is our reactions that ultimately determine the outcome!
If my team was to have a team member switch to a new role during the middle of a project first thing I would do as a team member myself is evaluate how this member changing positions will affect my ability to complete more portion of the project. Then I would reflect on how it affects the team’s overall production. We are aware that if this task not done then it will slow down the pace of the project possibly skewing the project timeline. Well, if it was done that means it had to be approved by the PM so I would expect the PM to provide guidance as to what we are to do as a team and how we will cover down. Other team members should not be responsible for making the decision of how to adjust fire, that is on the shoulders of the Team Leader, that is WHY they are the Team Leader/PM. As a team member if I am requested to adjust my current position to support the loss of the other position if I feel I am capable of successfully completing the task then I will, however, if I am not confident, I would immediately speak up to be fair to the PM and voice my concerns and grievances to them give them time to seek other options.
Say that someone on your project team changes positions to a different job so that you no longer have said person to perform a critical task for the project. His or her assigned task not being done can greatly slow down the pace of the project so what are ways to manage it so that as little time as possible is added to the project timeline
In particular I think it would be important to have members on the team who have capabilities to work in various capacities. Although some individuals may be proficient in a particular area, those same individuals may also have other abilities. Given that people have various abilities and I would plan to have people in position who can fill in when needed, I would utilize those who I feel would be best able to pick up the slack. As a secondary approach I would explore my network to fill the position.
If a team member leaves before a project is over, there are few ways for the team to continue to move forward. The first option would be to assign someone cross-trained to the task since different parts of the project do not necessarily have the same timeline. This situation would have also be accounted for in the initial plan. If the individual who left the position is essential to completing the project on time, there would already be someone designated as a replacement.
Say that someone on your project team changes positions to a different job so that you no longer have said person to perform a critical task for the project. His or her assigned task not being done can greatly slow down the pace of the project so what are ways to manage it so that as little time as possible is added to the project timeline
This may be why cross training employees on all tasks toward the beginning of a project is so important. Having someone that can temporarily pick up the drop tasks until the position can be refilled may be a great way to address this risk. The project may still be slowed, but the tasks arent at a complete standstill. I would even suggest compensating the person that's picking up the extra work with sufficient enough for the work they're able to additionally output
I think it depends on the type of matrix system the company is following. I think as the PM you should always have a back up plan when it come to the employees on your team. I do agree with those who state that communication and pulling someone who is already doing that job to fill in. However, what if that person does not want to take on the responsibility? Do you feel that the person being ask, has a right to say No?
There should be systems in place to mediate the risk of having a valuable employee leave during the middle of the project. There should be other personnel who are also equipped to do the job. During their last two weeks on the job they should be training someone else on the ends and outs of their duties so the replacement will be able to jump in and pick up were the last employee left. The employee could also make written documents and figures to further explain the details of the duties.
Say that someone on your project team changes positions to a different job so that you no longer have said person to perform a critical task for the project. His or her assigned task not being done can greatly slow down the pace of the project so what are ways to manage it so that as little time as possible is added to the project timeline
The best way to manage this situation is to manage it before the employee moves. We should always cross train everyone for the different positions so no task would go unperformed in the case of vacation, or otherwise. If that was not the case, in order to handle this problem, we would have that person train someone else for their role before he/she moves on as soon as possible. We should put in place a policy that every employee has to notify the manager of them moving on to a new position within the company so we could have adequate time to put someone else in that position.
From my experience, I have not seen this happen often. Usually when an employee changes positions, the two departments carefully plan the transition of this person. I’ve seen the transition taking up to 2 months so that everything goes smoothly and the previous department does not get understaffed. However, I am sure this has happened before. There are several ways to manage this. One is to distribute the person’s responsibilities on the rest of the team so that one person does not have to carry all the weight by himself/herself. Another way is hiring a temp employee to avoid getting the rest of the team overwhelmed by extra work. However, there are several disadvantages to this. It’s going to cost the company more money to hire a new employee, and this employee might not be too familiar with the project. It’ll take time for him/her to get used to it.
I doubt that changing positions mid-project is something that happens often. If it does, I would still think that they would continue their role in the project or at the very least assist the person who is taking over their old role. They would oversee and train their replacement. Bear in mind that this will only happen if there is no one else working the role. If there are multiple people doing an aspect of the project, they would take the reins.
I will have to agree with you on this if it is within the same company. I am sure that this person can remain on the project until it is completed or at least assist in the transition of the responsibilities to the oncoming individual.
I would imagine this would not be a surprise. Most people are kind enough to give a notice for when they are leaving. This will allow the project manager to fill this position or distribute the workload throughout the rest of the team members. The PM will do their absolute best to prevent this project from missing the deadline. It may appear the deadline will be missed, but if the team steps up, they should be able to finish on time.
