Managing Projects in Human Resources, Training and Development

225 Pages·2006·2.31 MB·English

MANAGING
PROJECTS
IN HUMAN
RESOURCES,
TRAINING AND
DEVELOPMENT
Vivien Martin
MANAGING PROJECTS
IN HUMAN
RESOURCES, TRAINING
AND DEVELOPMENT
Vivien Martin
London and Philadelphia
Publisher’s note
Every possible effort has been made to ensure that the information contained in this
book is accurate at the time of going to press, and the publishers and authors cannot
accept responsibility for any errors or omissions, however caused. No responsibility
for loss or damage occasioned to any person acting, or refraining from action, as a
result of the material in this publication can be accepted by the editor, the publisher
or any of the authors.
First published in Great Britain and the United States in 2006 by Kogan Page Limited
Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of research or private study, or criticism
or review, as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, this
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© Vivien Martin, 2006
The right of Vivien Martin to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted
by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
ISBN 0 7494 4479 7
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A CIP record for this book is available from the British Library.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Martin, Vivien, 1947-
Managing projects in human resources, training and development /
Vivien
Martin.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-7494-4479-7
1. Project management. 2. Personnel management. I. Title.
HD69.P75.M365 2006
658.3’12404—dc22
2005020322
Typeset by Digital Publishing Solutions
Printed and bound in the United States by Thomson-Shore, Inc
Contents
Figures and tables vii
Acknowledgements viii
Introduction 1
1. What is a project? 7
Projects and change 7
Features of a project 8
Aims 10
Setting clear objectives 11
Key dimensions of a project 12
People in projects 14
Projects in HR, training and development 15
Outcomes and multiple outcomes 16
Achieving outcomes 17
2. Scoping the project 19
Why scope a project? 20
The life of a project 21
3. Questions, evidence and decisions 29
Does this project meet a need? 29
iv Contents
Does it help to achieve organizational goals? 32
Have we considered all the options? 32
Option appraisal 34
Cost-effectiveness 35
Opportunities and threats 35
Is this project feasible? 36
Should we do a pilot study? 39
Is the benefit worth the cost? 41
4. Defining the project 45
Working with the sponsor 45
Will the project be supported? 47
Stakeholder mapping 49
Working with your stakeholders 52
Creating the project brief 54
Structure of the project brief 56
5. Managing risk 59
Risk and contingency planning 59
Preparing to manage risks 61
Risk assessment and impact analysis 63
Strategies for dealing with risk 64
A contingency plan 65
A framework for managing risk 66
Influencing stakeholders 67
6. Outline planning 71
Where do you start? 72
Developing a project plan 74
Using a logic diagram 75
Identifying deliverables 79
7. Estimating time and costs 85
Estimating time 85
Work breakdown structure 86
Staff costs 90
Avoiding abusive practices 91
Equipment costs 93
Materials costs 94
Estimating revenues and intangible benefits 95
Who should estimate? 95
Planning for quality 96
Contents v
8. Scheduling 97
Timing and sequence 97
Drawing up a Gantt chart 98
Using computer programs to plan and schedule 99
Identifying the critical path 100
9. Implementing the project 107
Drawing up the implementation plan 107
Team structure 108
Planning team responsibilities 110
Making it happen 111
Resourcing 112
Managing project activities during implementation 112
Keeping an overview 114
10. Monitoring and control 117
Monitoring 118
Milestones 121
Maintaining balance 122
Controlling change 124
11. Communications 125
Communications in a project 125
Why is good communication needed? 127
How can communication be provided? 128
Managing the flow of information 129
Providing information for those who need it 130
Where is information needed? 135
Access to information and confidentiality 136
What might hinder communication? 137
12. Leadership and teamworking 139
The nature of leadership 139
Leadership in a project 140
Power in leadership of projects 141
Style in leadership of projects 143
Leadership roles in a project 144
Motivation and teamworking 146
Team development 147
Managing yourself 150
13. Managing people and performance 151
Preparing for good performance 151
vi Contents
Managing performance of teams in a project 153
Managing relationships and conflict 154
Making requirements explicit 157
Ensuring that the team have the necessary skills and experience 157
Developing collaboration 159
Dealing with poor performance 160
14. Completing the project 163
Handover and delivery 164
Delivering with style 166
Planning for a successful conclusion 166
Closing the project 167
Closure checklists 168
Dismantling the team 169
Project drift 170
15. Evaluating the project 173
Evaluation during a project 174
Evaluation at the end of a project 175
Designing a formal evaluation 176
Planning an evaluation 177
Analysing and reporting the results 181
Follow-up to the report 182
16. Reporting the project 183
Writing a project report 183
Characteristics of a good report 185
Style, structure and format 186
Reporting the project to gain an academic or professional award 188
Making effective presentations 190
Understanding your audience 191
Who is in your audience? 192
Purpose and content 193
Delivery 195
17. Learning from the project 199
Organizational learning about management of projects 199
Sharing learning from a project 202
Individual development from a project 204
Management development through leading a project 205
References 209
Index 211
Figures and tables
FIGURES
2.1 A project life cycle 21
6.1 Logic diagram for directory production 77
8.1 A Gantt chart to design a new assessment centre 99
8.2 Critical path for relocation of an office 103
10.1 A simple project control loop 119
TABLES
5.1 Risk probability and impact 64
5.2 Format for a risk register 66
5.3 Stakeholder analysis, stage 1 67
5.4 Stakeholder analysis, stage 2 68
7.1 Work breakdown structure for implementation of a new
appraisal system 89
8.1 Part of the work breakdown structure for relocation of
an office 101
8.2 Time estimates for relocation of an office 102
Acknowledgements
I would like to acknowledge the contribution made to this book by
colleagues in the Open University Business School who helped to shape
my ideas and writing in the field of project management. Some of the
material in this book was published in a similar form but in a different
context as Managing Projects in Health and Social Care, published by
Routledge in 2002. Acknowledgement is also due to Eddie Fisher, Stephen
Oliver and others who have contributed ideas from their experience.
Introduction
This book will provide you with a practical approach to managing a project
in an HR, training or development setting. People are often expected to man-
age projects as part of their day-to-day work but few receive special training
to help them to take on this task. If you are one of these people, help is at
hand!
This book will help you to manage your first project and will be a useful
handbook for use in any future projects you find yourself invited to manage.
It focuses on projects that might be carried out by staff at an operational level
but will also be attractive to more senior people who are managing projects
for the first time. Each chapter discusses an aspect of project management
and includes examples drawn from HR, training and development settings.
Techniques are introduced and applied to examples, and there are ‘pauses
for thought’ to encourage you to think ideas through. Further references are
provided for those who want to learn more about project management.
Successful management of a project is quite a balancing act and can only
be learnt through reflection on experience, supported by thoughtful consid-
eration of the ideas, processes and techniques that have become recognized
as the expertise of project management. The opportunity to take responsibil-
ity for a project offers personal and career development as well as the
opportunity to contribute to achieving a worthwhile change.