Competence-based team development for engineering projects with focus on soft skills

Matching the right team to the right project can heighten the chances of success, not only with respect to the individual project but also the organisation as a whole. The research outlined in this proposal aims to advance the state of the art in project scheduling and bridging the gap between theory and practice by taking a more realistic view on the concept of “competences” into account. Established and formulated problems only take simple competence definitions (quantified in skill areas and levels) for single staff members into account. However, the research on competences in project management indicates a more complex concept. In general, there are competence profiles of individual team members which cumulatively scale up to the competence profile of the team. Projects are associated with a required competence profile and the difference between team competence profiles and project competence profile is a competence gap which needs to be minimised. Adding to the complexity, competences can also change during a project’s runtime (a dynamic aspect which may be intended for team development) and competences are interrelated with other competences (they might amplify or inhibit each other). The research outlined in this proposal will enhance existing project scheduling and staffing methods with a more complex competence-based approach. This requires research into formalised models for competence profiles which enables the “adding” and “subtracting” of competences. The dynamic behaviour of competences also needs to be respected. The result should provide a better match between people, teams and projects, leading to better project outcomes.