With the admixture of two words and phrases, the term Project Human Resource Management refers to the application of project management skills and principles for the management of human resources available to meet the project goals. Human resources are one of the foremost essentials to lead the project to the final expected deliverable. Project HRM delineates the processes and principles that guide the project managers to lead the project team members. Project HR managers are responsible for managing human resources, project resources, deadlines, budgets, staffing change management plans, and many more. Among the several roles and responsibilities of a project manager, one of the crucial roles is to manage the project team managing project-related human resources to ensure that the project activities are carried on smoothly until its completion.
In project management, several entities play pivotal roles from the first phase of planning to its completion. Some of the crucial members of human resources include:
i) Project Sponsors
ii) Stakeholders
iii) Line or Functional Managers
iv) Project Managers
v) Team members
Project Human Resource Management infers managing every human resource involved with an ongoing project so that every project operation moves on efficiently. With a well-conditioned HRM plan before the execution of the project, hiring, retaining, and motivating the diverse workforce will be a lot easier. The responsibilities of human resources or project team members under each category should be assigned the specific position and required responsibilities with a skill set so that the workforce can work efficiently with confidence and no confusion on work division and roles’ appointment. To make project HRM more manageable and ongoing, the project manager or team head has to understand the following requirements:
i) Outlining the project goal and objectives before the execution of the project
ii) Identifying the roles and responsibilities of each team member
iii) Evaluating training and staffing needs and introducing L and D opportunities for developing the skill set
iv) Establishing easy communication strategies between team members for the flow of information in a serene way
v) Evaluating the performance of the project team members and facilitating criticism and feedback
vi) Analyzing costs related to the management of human resources, recruitment, hiring, Training, and Development opportunities
vii) Ensuring project risk management techniques with the application of legal requirements
viii) Reviewing the HRM plan and implementing changes whenever required.
In a nutshell, project HRM is the process of identifying the right person at the right place at the right time, assigning the required roles and responsibilities to the workforce based on skill set and caliber, creating an efficient staffing management plan, preparing organizational charts, and more. Planning a project human resource management plan possesses multiple benefits such as:
i) Human resources or manpower involved in the project are known about their position, roles, and responsibilities and this clarity of work responsibilities eliminates the confusion on work division and helps to maintain the project on track.
ii) With the ramification of HR processes into understandable units such as recruitment, onboarding, and training initiatives, the workforce can work with lucidity and identify any logjams in optimizing the workflow procedure.
iii) With the clarity in the project plan, the project resources such as time, budget, and workforce can be managed saving time and wastage of resources for the project objectives’ fulfillment.
iv) With the usage of project management tools and software such as Kanban boards, Gantt charts, and other essential technologies, collaboration and teamwork with two-way communication and cross-functional collaboration lead to strong team cooperation and innovation.
v) With the robust project HRM plan, there is the identification of potential risks regarding recruitment, compliance, budget overruns, and scope creep probabilities due to which mitigation and preventive strategies can be planned earlier on a proactive basis.
vi) Project HRM plan focuses on regular feedback, recognition of team members’ achievements, escalating employees’ performance that enhances employee engagement and boosts employees’ morale.
Generally, the project HRM processes can be split up into four major processes.
The first and foremost job of the project manager is to identify the project team members required for the job and assign them the roles and responsibilities that fit their qualifications, experience, knowledge, and caliber. The HRM plan must include a clear routine of the project resources that the team will utilize to let the project move on the right track. It’s like a blueprint to achieve the project objectives. To make the team members understand the roles and responsibilities assigned to them. Responsibility Assignment Matrix, RACI charts, organizational charts, timelines for staff acquisition, and release-like tools can be used to provide clear information on the roles and tasks of the project team members.
Furthermore, the project manager must write a staffing management plan so that every task starting from talent acquisition to rewards and recognition programs for deserved employees, the planning and execution are done in a productive way.
After the planning of HRM, the second process is to confirm the availability of human resources assigned for the specific tasks. The identification comes as the first part but the main process that comes after the HRM plan is the selection of the team members after their testimonials of availability so that the project may not face challenges of breaks due to a lack of human resources in the middle of the project, budget overruns and more. Before the project gets initiated, there should be an advance selection of team members and there should be an examination of who possesses the necessary skill set to perform that particular task.
Email, virtual team meetings, personalized interactions, and audio conferencing tools can be used to communicate the shared goal between the team members. The acquisition of the team members then involves project HRM updates, resource calendars, project assignments, feedback for progress, etc.
The third step is to make the team competent enough so that the tasks assigned can be completed on time with fruitful results. The team members’ interaction, building up HR competencies, motivating employees, networking through luncheon meetings, symposia, conferences, Training and Development programs are initiated for the escalating improved performance of employees and reducing staff turnover rates.
Also, the employee recognition programs add more value to this process as being valued and recognized makes the employees more engaged in their tasks. Several team-building activities are to be organized for stalwart bonding of the team members.
It’s important to track the performance of each employee. The supervisor and project manager need to provide feedback on their performance so that they may know in which sector they are lacking and what should be improved. If there are any issues of conflict among the team members, they can be quickly solved before any big problem comes up. The project manager can analyze the team behavior, resolve conflicts, and provide feedback on the existing performance of employees.
Work performance reports, conflict reports, etc are generated under this process. The team leader can come up with proactive plans to avoid any Gargantuan issue that may exist in the upcoming days.
Many inputs are required under each process of project HRM such as organizational process, assets, issue log, environmental factors, and many more but the ultimate output is to achieve the targeted project goal. Project HRM thus, implies the first process of recruiting the right human resources to enhance their competencies for desired project goals. The ultimate objective is to complete the assigned project on the stipulated time with the capable human resources with other required resources for the benefit of all stakeholders involved in the project.