HR pros have a lot on their plates. You handle tasks like recruiting, onboarding, compensation, performance management, and more. With so many responsibilities, efficiency is key. That’s why project management courses from experts like Priority Management Australia, should be standard training for all HR teams. Sounds like overkill? Consider this – nearly everything HR does can be framed as a “project.” Things like rolling out a new HRIS system, revamping benefits, or overhauling performance reviews. Approaching major initiatives with project management best practices saves time, reduces stress, and leads to better outcomes.
Let’s look at some key reasons PM skills belong in every HR toolkit.
Planning Out Projects in Phases
A cornerstone of project management is dividing big initiatives into distinct phases with milestones and deliverables. This “project lifecycle” approach prevents HR teams from getting overwhelmed.
For example, an onboarding program overhaul could follow steps like:
- Plan – Establish goals, create outline
- Design – Draft new program materials, workflows
- Test – Pilot program with sample of new hires
- Implement – Roll out company-wide
- Evaluate – Collect feedback, track metrics
Breaking a major revamp into logical stages makes it far less intimidating and easier to execute.
Creating Realistic Timelines
Pie-in-the-sky deadlines spell disaster for HR projects. Project management teaches how to create realistic time estimates based on objective factors like scope and resources.
PM tools like Gantt charts keep timelines visualized. And techniques like padding estimates account for unexpected delays. With realistic timeframes, HR teams can effectively schedule and coordinate all project elements. No more constant last-minute fires putting workloads into overdrive.
Improving Cross-Team Collaboration
HR rarely executes projects in a silo. There’s invariably collaboration needed with executives, IT, managers, etc. Project management frameworks like RACI models spell out everyone’s roles and responsibilities from the start. For example, who must be Consulted on a training overhaul? Who has final Approval? Who fills which Implementation tasks?
Defining stakeholders’ involvement eliminates confusion and makes teamwork more smooth.
Mitigating Risks and Issues
Murphy’s Law says that if something can go wrong, it will. Savvy PMs aim to minimize hiccups through proactive risk management.
HR teams can get ahead of risks like:
- Legal/compliance issues with new policies
- Resistance from managers on workflow changes
- Technology problems derailing an HRIS launch
By identifying risks early and planning contingencies, HR can tackle inevitable hiccups with less disruption.
Tracking Costs and Resources
Every HR project requires resources like money, personnel, equipment, etc. PM tools like budget templates track costs to avoid nasty surprises.
Resource allocation also means assigning the right people to match skills and bandwidth to project needs.
Careful resourcing keeps HR projects achieved within budget and without burning out employees.
Monitoring Progress and Performance
Once projects launch, PMs emphasize continuous monitoring. Metrics quantify progress on factors like:
- Budget – How spend compares to projections
- Schedule – Milestones achieved on time
- Scope – Tasks 100% completed
- Risks – Issues encountered
- Resources – Hours and materials used
Corrective actions can address any metrics veering off track. HR teams stay on top of things.
Post-Project Reviews for Continual Improvement
A final step in project management is retrospective reviews. HR analyzes what worked well and where processes could improve for next time.
Lessons learned get incorporated into PM plans and templates. It’s a virtuous cycle of constant optimization and knowledge sharing.
Aligning Projects to HR Strategy
Ultimately, all HR projects should tie back to core business goals. PM frameworks ensure initiatives map back to long term strategy. For example, how does an applicant tracking system upgrade support talent acquisition metrics? How will sales training initiatives improve retention figures? Project management keeps HR efforts aligned, impactful, and demonstrably contributing to the bottom line.
Conclusion
Hopefully this gives a sense of how vital project management skills are for tackling HR initiatives both big and small. Adopting PM best practices leads to increased efficiency, collaboration, organization and strategy. To get started on honing your HR project management chops, check out our in-depth training program. Let’s discuss how PM training can transform your team’s execution and amplify your impact.