MANAGING PROJECTS IN HUMAN RESOURCES, TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT Vivien Martin Vivien Martin MANAGING PROJECTS IN HUMAN RESOURCES, TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT 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 publication may only be reproduced, stored or transmitted, in any form or by any means, with the prior permission in writing of the publishers, or in the case of reprographic reproduction in accordance with the terms and licences issued by the CLA. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside these terms should be sent to the publishers at the undermentioned addresses: 525 South 4th Street, 241 Philadelphia PA 19147 USA © 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 120 Pentonville Road London N1 9JN United Kingdom www.kogan-page.co.uk Contents 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 Figures and tables vii Acknowledgements viii 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 iv Contents 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 Contents v 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 vi Contents 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 101 8.2 Time estimates for relocation of an office 102 an office 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. [...]... something that is not part of ordinary day-to-day work It also indicates something that is purposeful and distinct in character In this chapter we consider how to distinguish a project from other work and some of the particular characteristics of projects in HR, training and development settings We also outline some of the factors that contribute to successful completion of projects PROJECTS AND CHANGE Projects. .. PROJECTS IN HR, TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT Inevitably, any project that takes place in a setting concerned with training and developing people or managing the performance and welfare of people at work will reflect the particular concerns and values of the human resources (HR) perspective This is not, of course, a single viewpoint HR departments are strongly aligned with the missions, values and cultures... the size and shape of the project and describing it in a way that helps everyone concerned to understand the intentions Scoping is essentially about deciding what is in the project and what is ‘outside’ the scope of the project HR, training and development services are always under pressure to change, to meet increasingly demanding expectations of employers, organizations and their customers In addition,... addition, individual learners in training and development programmes want services that meet individual needs Any project that aims to improve an aspect of organizational life will have to be understood from many different perspectives in complex settings Moreover, everyone in the setting who should normally be included in shaping and focusing the project is likely to be very busy and concerned with meeting... – Project definition The project aim is to improving literacy and language skills amongst low-paid workers, to increase their confidence and abilities so that they will take training and improve their skills and incomes This will benefit the organization by improving recruitment and retention rates and increasing the pool of more skilled workers It will benefit the individuals by increasing their opportunities... Transferring client records from a card file to a new computer system Yes ❏ No ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ 10 Managing projects in human resources (f) Setting up a management information system Yes ❏ No ❏ We would say that (a), (b) and (e) fall within our definition of a project, whereas (c) and (d) are routine activities and are therefore not projects In the case of (f) it is important to distinguish between the development. .. someone to gain the necessary skills and experience if suitable training or coaching is provided This last point is crucial, and carries implications for all aspects of the project If the project is to be used as a training ground the necessary support must be built into the What is a project? 17 planning and the resourcing if the outcomes are to be expected on time, within the agreed budget and to the... resources PEOPLE IN PROJECTS Although this model of three dimensions helps us to keep an overview of projects, another crucial dimension to keep in mind is the involvement of people in projects People are central to every aspect of a project People commission and sponsor projects, agree to provide resources, support or challenge projects, and contribute their energy and intelligence to carry out projects People... project definition and it is completed when the project has been thoroughly defined and the project brief has been written and agreed define Figure 2.1 plan A project life cycle implement close / handover evaluate 22 Managing projects in human resources In the model shown in Figure 2.1 there are five phases: Phase 1 – Project definition This is completed when the project brief has been written and agreed... is inevitable in a project and it would be impossible to achieve anything without exposing ourselves to some degree of risk The chapter covers risk 4 Managing projects in human resources assessment and impact analysis and suggests some strategies for dealing with risk Chapter 6 Outline planning Where do you start? Some straightforward approaches to developing a project plan are explained to help you . MANAGING PROJECTS IN HUMAN RESOURCES, TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT Vivien Martin Vivien Martin MANAGING PROJECTS IN HUMAN RESOURCES, TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT London and Philadelphia Publisher’s. 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. 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