Human resource management in project management refers to the people who are working on the project and how they can be used most effectively to help achieve the goals of the project on time and within budget constraints. As you begin your project, it’s important to understand what human resource management can do for you and how you can implement this into your project plan effectively.
Human resource management in a project
In human resource management, many different activities can take place. The following is a list of activities that are not part of project human resource management:
- hiring and firing employees
- setting employee salaries
- creating employee job descriptions
- conducting performance reviews
- determining employee vacation time
- approving employee expense reports
Project human resource management is concerned with the more strategic aspects of managing a project’s workforce. This includes activities such as identifying the need for new hires, sourcing and recruiting candidates, onboarding new employees and managing employee performance throughout the project. It also includes removing or replacing unproductive employees and then designing effective onboarding processes for newly hired employees to ensure they’re productive from day one.
The four main processes for project human resources are:
- Identification
- Acquisition
- Development
- Management
While all of these processes are important, the one that is not part of project human resource management is identification. This is because identification deals with figuring out who will be working on the project and what their skills and experience are. Once this information is gathered, it can be used to determine which of the other three processes is most appropriate.
5 steps in human resource planning
- The first step in human resource planning is to assess the current workforce. This includes looking at the skills and experience of the employees, as well as the projected growth of the company.
- The next step is to identify the future workforce needs. This includes both the number of employees needed and the specific skills and experience required.
- The third step is to develop a plan to meet those needs. This may include training existing employees, hiring new employees, or outsourcing work.
- The fourth step is to implement the plan. This may involve changes to HR policies and procedures, as well as changes to how work is assigned and performed.
- Finally, the fifth step is to monitor and adjust the plan as needed.
Three Most Important Aspects of Project Human Resource Management
Project human resource management is important for some reasons.
- It ensures that the project has the necessary resources (e.g., people, equipment, and materials) to complete the work.
- It helps to ensure that the project team is properly organized and that roles and responsibilities are clearly defined.
- Project human resource management can help to improve communication and coordination among team members.
However, there are many other aspects of project human resource management beyond these three most important ones. Another common approach is to provide training in new skills when needed as opposed to hiring additional staff for short-term needs. Using this approach saves money in two ways: by not adding an extra person or paying them out at overtime rates and by providing training so that new skills will be available if needed again in future projects.
3 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Ignore Project Human Resource Management
Without proper management, your project is likely to fail. Here are three reasons why you should never ignore project human resource management.
- HR can have a significant effect on employees’ satisfaction and retention rates and will affect their overall productivity levels which in turn impacts profitability.
- HR departments may be responsible for hiring, firing, training, and disciplinary action but they also play a critical role in developing policies that protect both the company and its employees.
- HR departments ensure that workplace policies comply with local laws while also meeting employers’ needs by offering benefits packages tailored to meet each employee’s needs.
Seven things you didn’t know about project human resources that not all of the following are part of project human resource management:
- Hiring and firing employees
- Training and development
- Compensation and benefits
- Employee relations
- Health and Safety
- Job design
- Performance evaluation