HRM517 Assignment 5

Planning Considerations for the HR Project

Asianna Johnson

Dr. Tony Denkins

Managing Human Resource Project

11/11/19

In project management, several tasks are involved. Some of these tasks include scope and schedule. Scope, when used in project management, refers to the procedure of gathering data or information required to start a specific project and using such information to come up with a detailed sort or kind of project and product. Scope incorporates learning the characteristics of the product that will align with the desires or the expectations of the stakeholder. Scope in project management is essential because the product or the service will be described based on the requirements that will be incorporated and integrated into the scope of the project. Scope also includes which tools, methods, inputs, and outcomes will be utilized for a specific project. Preparing a detailed statement of a project is significant for the project to thrive well and produce desirable results. Therefore, it is beneficial for the scope of the project to be sampled and clarified during the planning of the project (Kendrick, 2015). This will help identify and bring to board any present threats and other problems.

Scheduling, on the other hand, in project management refers to the sampling of the actions, the final products, and the milestones present in a project. The schedule also incorporates the set commencement and finish date or time, time taken, and resources set for each task. Proper project scheduling is a vital requirement for ineffective management of time (Huang, 2019). When scheduling, individuals should take into consideration the functions which are involved, the available resources, the time needed to complete the project, and how the schedule will be managed.

Scheduling in project management is very advantageous since it helps in tracking, identifying, and providing reports as well as giving information on the progress of the project. This process makes sure every individual is on the same page and in alignment with the activities and deadlines. Scheduling also aids in detecting a lack or shortage of resources and also can help identify problems or risks which could occur.

For a project to be successful several resources should be available. Some of the resources include people, capital, and time. These resources should be mobilized. For a project manager to be able to conduct project resourcing effectively, he/she should have, possess, and be able to use different behavioral skills (Kerzner, 2017). These behavioral skills include relational personality, patience, and understanding, having an open-door policy, politeness, and courtesy, making the workplace more engaging, appreciating the team for the efforts they put for the project, and getting corporate training.

Out of these seven behavioral skills associated with project resourcing, four are very much critical. These four critical behavioral skills include appreciating the team for the efforts that they put in for the project, making the workplace more engaging, politeness and courtesy, patience, and understanding. This is very vital simply because they will determine the outcome of the project at a very high rate. For instance, appreciating the team for the efforts that they put in for the project will help them work more extra harder, and then the team will also be motivated to give their best. This turns out to be the dream of every project manager. Politeness and courtesy portrayed by the project manager will help him/her create a strong bond with the other project members. The team members will be able to share their opinions and ideas, which will be useful for the success of the project (Hopkinson, 2017). Through sharing new ways of doing things will be provided, and also underlying problems that could affect the performance of the project will be brought to the board.

Moreover, making the working environment more engaging is another crucial behavioral skill. The project manager must engage his/her team to be able to monitor the changes that are relevant to them. The manager is also entitled to be honest and transparent with the team members. This will help eliminate cases of fraud and corruption, which could affect the availability of some of the resources. Some of the resources which can be affected by fraud and corruption include the capital allocated for the smooth running of the activities within the project. Lack of capital or inadequate capital will hinder the performance of the project and will lead to a poor outcome.

The project manager should also be able to understand and be patient with every team member. The team members likewise should possess this skill. This will ensure that there no conflicts while working. This is because disputes will lead to wastage of time hence slowing down the activities which need to be carried out within the project. It also through being understanding and patient with each other that the team members will get to acquire the right skills needed to carry out various activities in the project. The project manager will have an easy time while training the group members (Coleman, & Bourne, 2018). Possession of the right skills will also ensure that the outcome of the project is attractive and pleasant.

For a project to be successful, it has to have a budget. Several concepts determine the budget of a project. These include the schedule of the project, scope baseline, task activity cost estimates, resource calendars, and contracts. For each activity, there should be an estimate of the amount of money needed for that particular activity. Funds for direct labor, all materials required, including machines required, should be estimated. A proper estimate will ensure that the project will not lack funds before it is completed.

Estimates of these funds which are required should not be made without a common ground or basis. There must be documents supporting the estimate decisions. Resource calendars are also used to determine which resources are assigned to the project. Contracts for products and services will also be used to assess their costs and should be included in the project budget.

All these are essential and determines the budget associated with the project costs. For instance, in the HR project employee wages and salaries, cost of employee benefits, cost of training and development as well as paid time off are vital areas of consideration. They have been used in determining the budget of the project.

Costs are aggregated depending on the activities which need to be carried out. Determining cash flows in the project will also be essential to ensure that the project does not lack funds to facilitate its activities. Therefore, learning of cash flows will be done by considering the amount of money or input spend on carrying out each activity in comparison with the output derived from each activity (Che Ibrahim, Costello, & Wilkinson, 2018). This will ensure that the project is not making a loss since cash flow statements will detect it and can be corrected before it escalates.

A project can be faced with various risks. These risks need to be identified and managed so that they may not lead to adverse effects on the project. There are multiple ways in which a project manager can identify possible project risks. Some of these ways in which the project manager can be able to identify potential project risks include; interviews, use of affinity diagrams, and brainstorming. The project manager can pick some of the key stakeholders in the project and interview them by asking them some questions concerning the performance of the project (Boudreau, John, Cascio, Wayne, Fink, Alexis, Chicago 2019). The project manager can also ask them to explain why they think that the project is doing good or poor and what should be done to improve the performance of the project

The project manager can also decide to brainstorm on the risks hindering the achievement of the set objectives. He/she can also brainstorm on the risks which could be related to the activities being carried out within the project. This way, the manager will be able to identify some of the underlying risks facing the project. All the participants can also be asked to brainstorm risks and write them down as notes. The chances then are sorted into groups. This will help to know the most perceived risks which could be affecting the project presently or which could change the project in the future (Akram, Ihsan, Zafar, & Hayat, 2018). Engaging all the participants will help the manager recognize some of the risks which he/she could not think about as being threats to the performance of the project.

References

Akram, R., Ihsan, S., Zafar, S., & Hayat, B. (2018). Survey Paper for Software Project Team, Staffing, Scheduling and Budgeting Problem. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ADVANCED COMPUTER SCIENCE AND APPLICATIONS, 9(1), 479-484.

 Boudreau, John W.; Cascio, Wayne F.; Fink, Alexis A. Chicago :(2019) Society for Human Resource Management.

Che Ibrahim, C. K. I., Costello, S. B., & Wilkinson, S. (2018). Making sense of team integration practice through the “lived experience” of alliance project teams. Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, 25(5), 598-622.

Coleman, S., & Bourne, M. (2018). Project leadership: skills, behaviours, knowledge and values. Association for Project Management.

Hopkinson, M. (2017). The project risk maturity model: Measuring and improving risk management capability. Routledge.

Huang, W. (2019). Developing a Better Planning, Budgeting, and Accounting System. In Built on Value (pp. 303-328). Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore.

Kendrick, T. (2015). Identifying and managing project risk: essential tools for failure-proofing your project. Amacom.

Kerzner, H. (2017). Project management: a systems approach to planning, scheduling, and controlling. John Wiley & Sons.