There are two options that I have for this project. The first is taking the replacement person and Russell Smith. The other is taking Katy Jones and the replacement person. The replacement person has been agreed on while Russell and Jones have different capabilities and availabilities.
The staffing decision that I recommend is the mix between the replacement person and Russell Smith. This is the best decision since Jones plays the role of the replacement person. Therefore, having the replacement and Jones would duplicate duties in this project which may hinder its overall success (Cascio & Boudreau, 2011).
The possible risks and difficulties from my decision are based on the relative inexperience from the two individuals (Harris, 2012). Russell has been in such a project, but the junior positioned was limiting in terms of acquisition of skills. The other difficulty is that the project may be limited in marketing aspects since the replacement is design oriented while Russell is a design specialist.
I will address the difficulties by leveraging on the availability of these individuals. Since they are available for over 15 hours each, they will handle the project requirements although at a slow pace. In addition, such an amount of time will allow me to assign them other duties for the project. I will use 2 hours to motivate and guide them for improved productivity.
I will attract Russell into the project by encouragement and motivation. In addition, I will convince Russell that this will be the first time to engage in the project at a senior position. To buy in on the charter for this project, I will convince Russell that the project is set for success and joining such a team will impact positively on the career (Drake, 2012)
References
Cascio, W., & Boudreau, J. W. (2011). Investing in People: Financial Impact of Human Resource Initiatives. New Jersey: Pearson Education Inc.
Drake, S. (2012). Staffing, Employees and Motivation. The Businessweek, 86-89.
Harris, C. (2012). Problems of Organizing and Staffing. Journal of Management, 868-897.
