Chapter 9: Introducing Project Human Resource Management

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Overview

Project human resource management is multifaceted. It is the ability to lead, direct, and orchestrate the project team, the customers, project partners, contributors, and any other stakeholders to achieve the desired results for the project purpose.

Project managers cannot, and must not, do everything. They must rely on the project team to complete the project work. Have you ever worked on a project where the project manager wanted to do the work? Or the project manager assigned the mundane tasks to the project team and did the most important activities himself? Or the project manager completed the activities with the highest exposure? Not good. Project managers must delegate activities.

Project human resource management relies on the general management skills we discussed in Chapter 2:

• Leading

• Communicating

• Negotiating

• Problem solving

• Influencing

Project managers must find ways to motivate the project team to complete the work. There is a tendency, in many projects, for the project team to be very excited about the project at the start and then the excitement wanes as the project moves toward completion. The project manager must coach and mentor to develop the project team to ensure the excitement, willingness, and dedication to the project work continues.

Throughout the project the project manager will have to address project team retention, labor relations, performance appraisals, and, depending on the nature of the project work, health and safety issues. As most projects are new and temporary, so too are the relationships between the project team members and the project manager.

As the project progresses, the number of stakeholders in the project may change. The project manager and the project team will need to be aware of the coming flux of stakeholders and how this change may affect the dynamics of the project team and the project work. An approach to project human resources may work well in one phase of the project but not in another due to the stakeholders that have become involved.

Project human resource management may not be completely in the hands of the project manager. The performing organization's HR department may have control over the majority of the assignment and recruitment of the project team, but the project manager will need some knowledge as to the responsibility, power, and autonomy in order to comply with the organization's policies.

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