Exam Domain I: People (42%)
This domain is all about those crucial soft skills and leadership abilities needed to effectively lead and inspire your project team and stakeholders.
Task 1: Manage Conflict
As the project manager for Heart of Harmony, you’ll need to mediate disagreements and find resolutions. For example, you might need to facilitate a discussion between the lead architect and the site preparation manager over a schedule conflict caused by new permitting requirements.
Task 2: Lead a Team
Your role is to set the vision, inspire your team, and choose the right leadership style. Mr. Ali Karray, as the project manager, would need to articulate the clear project vision—to create a central hub for the community—to motivate the diverse team of architects, engineers, and community liaisons.
Task 3: Support Team Performance
You’ll ensure your team performs well by recognizing achievements and providing constructive feedback. When the initial site clearing team for the Heart of Harmony project completes their work ahead of schedule, you would publicly acknowledge their effort and provide feedback to help them maintain that momentum during the next phase.
Task 4: Empower Team Members and Stakeholders
Give your team the authority and autonomy to make decisions. For the Heart of Harmony project, this means trusting the architectural lead to make key design decisions within the established scope and budget, or giving the community liaison officer the authority to address minor public relations issues directly.
Task 5: Ensure Team Members/Stakeholders are Adequately Trained
Identify skill gaps and provide necessary learning opportunities. Given the potential for a digital platform component with online booking and a donation portal, you might need to arrange a course for the development team on advanced cybersecurity protocols to address a potential skill gap.
Task 6: Build a Team
You are responsible for assembling the right mix of skills and personalities, and keeping them engaged. This task could involve recruiting a diverse group of experts—including local artisans, a sustainability consultant, and a fundraising specialist—to form a new project task force for the interior design phase.
Task 7: Address and Remove Impediments, Obstacles, and Blockers for the Team
Clearing the path so your team can work efficiently is a key task. When the “Permitting Delays” (Risk ID RH002) threaten the schedule, you must escalate the issue to the municipality on behalf of the project team to remove this critical blocker.
Task 8: Negotiate Project Agreements
You’ll need to reach mutually agreeable terms with stakeholders and vendors. This could involve negotiating the contract terms with the architectural firm to find a win-win solution that aligns their billing with key project milestones.
Task 9: Collaborate with Stakeholders
Working together effectively with everyone involved in the project is crucial for success. You would organize a cross-departmental workshop with the local council, community leaders, and the Mahres diaspora to align on the project’s phased delivery approach and funding schedule.
Task 10: Build Shared Understanding
Ensure everyone is on the same page and communicating transparently. You would facilitate a kickoff meeting to ensure all stakeholders, from the project sponsor to the construction team, agree on the project’s critical success criteria as defined in the Project Charter.
Task 11: Engage and Support Virtual Teams
For a project like Heart of Harmony with international stakeholders, you’ll manage dispersed teams effectively, bridging cultural and geographical gaps. You would set up a regular video conference schedule with representatives from the Mahres diaspora in France to maintain their engagement and provide transparent updates.
Task 12: Define Team Ground Rules
Establish clear expectations for how the team will work together. For the Heart of Harmony project, you would facilitate a session where the team collectively agrees on communication protocols, like using a specific platform for all project updates and setting clear expectations for meeting etiquette.
Task 13: Mentor Relevant Stakeholders
Guiding and supporting individuals involved in the project is a vital part of your role. You could spend time coaching a newly assigned site supervisor on effective resource management techniques to help them grow into their role.
Task 14: Promote Team Performance through the Application of Emotional Intelligence
Use awareness of emotions to foster a positive and productive team environment. If you notice a team member is stressed due to the recent permitting delays, you would recognize their emotional state and offer support, perhaps by re-prioritizing their tasks or offering a brief break.
