Planning Considerations for HR Project

Introduction 

Project planning is the set up process that entails establishing necessary steps that determine the capacity of achieving project objectives. The process involves defining the scope and objectives, assigning budgetary resources and tasks for each steps, setting goals and deliverables, and assessing the probable risks. An apt project plan is one that is regularly revisited and is easily shareable to involved parties and authorities. Failure to discuss a project plan with team members is often a recipe for wasted effort and time. The objectivity of this essay will be to holistically discuss project planning as an integrative and collaborative aspect of varied factors like scope, risk assessment, budgeting, and resourcing. 

Scope and Scheduling 

Project scope, which falls under project planning, entails documenting a list of specific project tasks, deadlines, deliverables, and costs (Rouse, 2020). A term of reference, also called a scope statement, is a documentation that establishes the responsibilities and roles played by the team members, explains project boundaries, and dictates the due processes to be followed in verifying and approving work upon completion. The scope statement is very vital because it helps the project team maintain their focus on the expectation of the task at hand. It also offers guidelines that are used in effecting change in case it is required. A scope statement is often confused with a project charter, which only documents the existence of a project. It is unlike a scope statement that offers guidelines and directives on how to conduct a project. 

Scheduling is the process of defining the tasks that have to be completed, the resources and time required to complete the same tasks. Project scheduling is often documented in a project schedule and it entails all information about the timeframe within which all tasks need to be completed. Effective project scheduling is always a success factor in any project because it prevents overdue expenses. 

Project scope and scheduling are correlative in a way that one precedes the other. A project scope is usually set during the initial stages of project life cycle because it determines the scheduling and time allocation for all the tasks that are planned for assigning (Rouse, 2020). This statement explains, for example, why a task cannot be allocated time in the schedule yet it has not been defined in the scope statement. 

Statement of Importance for this Project 

Since there is no specification of the type of project to talk about, this section will use a scenario project objective which is to build a fence between Gate A and Gate B of Blue Valley High School, Kansas. The fence will include concrete filled holes and steel poles. It will be an 8 feet tall fence built out of cedar. The intention is to prevent students from creating several passages in and out of school and prevent stray dogs from entering the school compound. The fence shall be built close to the dining hall around Gate B and stretch toward the end of the expansive football pitch close to Gate A. 

Behavioral skills associated with project resourcing 

Project resourcing is the aspect of allocating the required workforce, funds, facilities, and equipment needed to complete a project. Project managers are obliged to follow either technical or behavioral skills in resourcing but this part will focus only on the behavioral part. Below are examples of behavioral skills. 

Selecting the right People 

A project manager should have the capability of assembling the right team because this determines the success or failure of the project. A successful project team ought to be talented and motivated to deliver an almost perfect output of any task assigned to them. When the executive team outsources a talented team, it becomes easy to delegate duties to the team members who will embrace the objectivity of the project with the seriousness it deserves. Besides, talented te4am members becomes champions and ambassadors of their work in the long-term. 

Identifying exactly what each member needs to accomplish 

This bit involves assigning roles and responsibilities to individuals and teams that are undertaking a project (Rics, 2020). When tasks are allocated effectively, each individual ends up having a unique involvement, thus enhancing effective communication with colleagues, reduces conflict, and facilitates for full integration. 

Dealing with People from Diverse Backgrounds 

Project teams that have a diverse talent have a higher success ratio than those with a restricted talent. This is the reason that will make project managers to hire a diverse team in the first place. The variance in professional and personal backgrounds means that these people can contribute different viewpoints and ides to the project. However, it becomes hectic for a project manager to handle this diverse team (Tran, 2015). First, they must avoid bias during hiring because they have to attract a multi-talented team. A strong leadership team has to get involved to ensure that message from the top is effectively delivered across diversity. Besides, it is important to create team spirit among members. This aspect can be achieved through team building exercises to ensure that the project is moving forward as a single complete package. 

Correctly estimating the amount of work each individual should complete 

A good project manager should apply leniency and accuracy in allocating tasks to team members. It is important that an individual or team is not overworked or underworked because there is the aspect of maximizing on human resource but with limits so that they are not over-exploited (Rics, 2020). This challenge can be solved when a keen analysis is conducted on every individual’s capability before assigning tasks. Doing this is very rewarding because the team operates at its optimum and presents outstanding outcome. 

Project Budget and Costs 

The determination of a budget for any given project is the process of estimating costs for every work package or activity and developing the aggregate cost for the whole project. 

Cost aggregation 

This is the process of summing costs for individual activities to ensure that the accounting aspect is at par with the project level. In my project plan, I would use scientifically proved tools to explain to managers and my team about how I would come up with cost aggregates. The tools include reserve analysis and limit reconciliation. 

Determining Budget using Reserve Analysis 

This is a model that will put into consideration the management reserve and contingency reserve. Contingency reserve is a baseline for measuring performance allocated for identified and accepted risks that is used to develop a mitigation response. A reserve is a –project management provision that mitigates schedule risk and/or costs (Watt, 2014). 

Contingency reserve concentrates on the risk register and the risks identified in it. It lowers risk by providing funds for phases of the project lifecycle, specific deliverables or the whole project. It also ensures that the available funds are not overrun by the project. 

Appling Fund Limit Reconciliation 

This would entail comparing results of cost estimates with any limitations in funding as depicted in the scope statement. A rescheduling is inevitable to help meet the funding limitations, and in most cases, the schedule is accelerated to minimize operation costs. Besides, I will verify the validity of the budget by comparing with industry or historic data that showcases relationships in cost. For example, there are organizations that undertake similar projects and their budgetary costs may be a good rubric for developing the cost aggregate in this scenario. 

Cash Flows 

Cash flows are the sum of funds going out and coming into a project. To come up with an apt project plan, I would first gather historical accounting data of the organization. This would include gathering reports of the project expenses and income or funding. This process entails five steps as shown below. 

I would calculate the project cash at the start of the period which would be a difference between available funds and any underlying debts of the project if any. 

I would then make an estimate of the next time the project will receive funding. This will be accomplished by looking at previous disbursement trends if there are any. 

I would make an estimate of the expenses and running costs for the next period of time fragment. Expenses would include insurance, utility, rent, among other bills. 

Calculating the difference between estimated next period funding and predicted expenses. 

The last bit would entail adding the cash flows to the initial funding or balance. The result would be the closing balance which would act as the opening balance or funding for the next period. 

Project Risk Identification 

There are innu8merable ways of identifying project risks. Most project managers may combine more than one way of identifying risk but this section will only highlight three ways. 

A project manager may adopt interview as a way to get wound of the risks. This aspect involves choosing notable stakeholders in the project, making plans of how to conduct the interview, choosing specific questions, and documenting the outcome of the interview conducted. 

With the help of the involved company’s checklist, a project manager can dig deeper to find out if the company has underlying common risks (Hall, 2020). It can best be approached by conducting a post-review of various past projects and listing the prevalent risks. This information can be used for the next project in regard to risk assessment and identification. 

A project manager can also use assumption analysis to identify risks. They may involve asking stakeholders about what they think may be the risks of the project and documenting these risks. 

Conclusion 

In conclusion, project planning is a vital aspect that shapes the success or failure of an entire project depending on how the project managers go about the same. Starting with scope and scheduling, a project manager can come up with the deliverables and objectives of a project and tally it with the time it will take to complete each task. It is also vital that a good project manager incorporates behavioral skills in coming up with their team members to ensure that individuals are motivated to achieve the goals of the project. The cost and budgeting bit is also important because it prevents a project from overrunning the available funding. Finally, project planning involves defining ways that can be used to determine the risks involved in the project. Project risks can be identified through interview, review checklists of before-hand risks, and assumption analysis. 

References 

Rouse, M. (2020). What is project scope? Retrieved 13 August 2020, from https://searchcio.techtarget.com/definition/project-scope 

Rics, R. (2020). The behavioural skills needed to succeed as a project leader. Retrieved 14 August 2020, from https://www.rics.org/ssa/news-insight/future-of-surveying/talent-and-skills/from-managers-to-leaders/ 

Watt, A. (2014, August 14). 12. Budget Planning . https://opentextbc.ca/projectmanagement/chapter/chapter-12-budget-planning-project-management/ . 

Hall, H. (2020, May 27). 7 Ways to Identify Risks . Project Risk Coach. https://projectriskcoach.com/7-ways-to-identify-risks/ .