HR Project Management

Introduction

Naturally, getting a project to deliver on time, within budget, and in line with quality standards requires savvy management. And, the bigger the project, the more challenging good management becomes. As a professional, you’re expected to transform a vague concept into a measurable outcome by channeling a broad array of knowledge, skills, and resources toward a critical organizational goal.

This workshop is a practical and comprehensive introduction to the many facets of project management specifically designed for the human resource professional. As a participant, you will be introduced to the fundamental principles behind the nuts and bolts of planning, scheduling, and budgeting. You’ll strengthen your skills and understand how to generate valuable benefits for your organization by achieving crucial results that align with organizational objectives. You'll discover the communication skills it takes to get ideas, instructions, and requests across quickly and accurately thereby minimizing development time. You will learn how to effectively use your resources to stay on top of deadlines and expenses, ways to rebound quickly from surprises and setbacks, and how to get the best from people who don't normally report to you. Everyone who attends this workshop will come away in a strong position to lead any project with confidence and discipline — from conception to completion.

Objectives

• Learn the imperative questions to ask before you even begin — get the information that will make certain you key in on what is expected, by when, and at what cost
• Practice using the planning and scheduling tools that professional project managers use (GANTT charts, the critical path method, work breakdown structures, project management software, and others)
• Discover the best practices for gathering your team, how to articulate the kind of skills, attitudes, and work habits you're looking for, and how to encourage your team to focus on your work and even a few ideas for how to deal with their rather reluctant bosses
• Implement the controls and safety nets you need to establish early on: learn how to set (and meet) milestones, gain the confidence to negotiate for new deadlines if necessary, motivate a team that's losing interest, and determine what to do when plans change midstream — or when the "Murphy factor" hits your project in a big way

Training Methodology

This is an interactive course. There will be open question and answer sessions, regular group exercises and activities, videos, case studies, and presentations on best practice. Participants will have the opportunity to share with the facilitator and other participants on what works well and not so well for them, as well as work on issues from their own organizations. The online course is conducted online using MS-Teams/ClickMeeting.

Who Should Attend?

• Self-taught project managers seeking enrichment training and new skills
• Project teams having trouble juggling their tasks and responsibilities
• People with limited experience in spearheading a project
• Anyone about to step into a project manager role for the first time
• Business Owners
• Managers,
• HR Representatives,
• HR Generalists,
• HR Assistants,
• Consultants,
• Managers,
• Supervisors, etc.

Course Outline

How to begin every project as an informed and ready driver of success

• Goals? Objectives? Desired outcomes? How to determine precisely what your project is expected to accomplish
• Essential elements of a Project Scope to be effective as a specification for action.
• Questions to ask that will bring any and all constraints — involving money, performance, deadlines — to the surface early on
• Not all works deserve "project" status — the pros and cons of project management

Fail to Plan, Plan to Fail… how to develop a project with success in mind

• Work Breakdown Structure — what it is, how does it work and how to use it to consolidate and prioritize tasks
• How to determine the time it takes to do a task — How to determine realistic time frames for each task within the overall project
• Gantt and Pert charts: 2 scheduling tools that can help you spot potential conflicts before they become a show stopper
• Creating a budget that's realistic, manageable and flexible

How to set your project in motion

• Put it in writing? Call a meeting? Send an email? Set up a one-on-one? Your communication options and when to use which ones
• How to organize and manage productive team meetings
• No news is not always good news. When you've got bad news — think facts and realistic action that encourages not disheartens
• Ways to develop a "balanced team" — add innovation and lessen the dangers of "groupthink"

Why you need to keep a close watch on your project's progress

• The importance of meeting milestones and the consequences of missing them
• Mind Your Dollars and Cents — coping with cost overruns
• "paralysis of analysis" and other red flags signifying troubled waters ahead
• "Crashing" a project: what it means, predict its outcome using compression

Closing up shop — "delivery"

• How to decide if your project has met all your objectives — key questions to ask yourself before making final delivery
• How to ensure you've covered all the bases
• Abandoned projects: the "salvage value"

Critiquing your performance and celebrating your success!

• What went right — and why? What went wrong — and how would you do things differently? Any lessons or insights to share with your successors? How to use your outcome to evaluate your team's performance so that you can leverage your experiences for the next project

Keeping the project spirit alive within your organization by celebrating your success: Rewarding team members does not always mean financial costs. How to acknowledge your project's contribution (to your organization, perhaps even your industry), and create the kind of goodwill that makes people want to be a part of your next project team.