Strategic Project Management: Theory and Practice for

HR Professionals

Chapter 1 – Introduction to Project

Management for Human Resources

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Learning Outcomes
By the end of this chapter you should be able to:

1. Define the characteristics of a project and its relationship to Human

Resources.
2. Compare the difference between traditional and Agile project
management.
3. Describe how program management differs from project management.
4. List the functions of a Project Management Office and Project Portfolio
Management.
5. Explain the difference between a Project Lifecycle and the PMI Project
Processes.
6. Explain the three broad categories of projects.
Aligning Project Management with Human
Resources
● Human Resources is involved more than ever at the
strategic level of organizations

● Project Management is oriented towards processes

and requires sets of tools and skills that move the
organization towards its strategic goals

● Both require involvement with several departments

and work in collaborative teams
Image by Fathromi Ramdlon from Pixabay
What is a Project?

A project:
1. is a temporary endeavour
2. has a specific objective
3. has customers or stakeholders
4. has constraints (time, cost,
scope)
5. has measures for success
6. includes some uncertainty
Nick Youngson CC BY-SA 3.0 Pix4free.org
7. Beginning and end
What is a Program?
● Program is a collection of projects that can be conducted,
simultaneously or sequentially.
● Example of program: diploma or a degree in supply
chain/accounting/human resources.
● Each subject is a project and the entire degree/diploma is the
program.
● In business, a program might be your regular every day job.
 What is an Operation?

● Operations are ongoing and

repetitive.
● Involve work that is continuous
without an ending date and with
the same processes repeated
to produce the same results.

Nick Youngson CC BY-SA 3.0 Alpha Stock Images

Projects vs Operations

● Projects are different from ongoing operations.

● Project management addresses temporary endeavors
● Operations management focuses on improving ongoing operations.
● Human Resources may be involved in organizational projects, or
create and manage their own projects.
● Example: project to improve safety regulations (HR could be a
member of the project and support the project)
● Example: project to create an Onboarding Program for new
employees (an HR project)
Types of Projects
Strategic Projects: something new and
innovative ie new product or service that
affects the entire organization ie. Expand
company into a different country

Operational Project: improves a current

operation ie. Creating a Human Resources
Information System to increase efficiency of
payroll, training, scheduling, performance
reviews

Compliance: compliance with industry of

governmental regulations of standards ie.
WHMIS training for all employees
Traditional Project Management
● Focuses on thorough planning at the
beginning
● It is understood if you “plan first” and
take all the necessary steps to ensure
success at the beginning, then you have
success!
● All the details are thought through prior
to starting the project
● All the risks are discussed prior to
starting and assessed
● Costs and estimates are established prior
to start, and resources are all in place
● Budgets and schedules are created and
approved
Photo Credit- Eden Constantino (Unsplash)
Agile Project Management
● A loose scope is designed
● Is iterative (continuous loops)
● Uses short development cycles
● Features are reviewed and
tested before delivery.
● Changes are made regularly
● Software projects use agile
approach.
Image by Markus Winkler from Pixabay
Differences between Traditional and Agile Management

TRADITIONAL MANAGEMENT AGILE MANAGEMENT

● The work gets designed at beginning ● Continually designing and re-

● Fixed scope or goals/outcomes designing
● There are specific deliverables ● Flexible scope or goals/outcomes
● Changes do not get made after the ● More about features/requirements
initial stages ● Changes are made throughout the
● Everything (almost everything is project
decided before the work begins) ● Very little may be decided before the
● Does not change much from the project begins. (think about case
original plan studies in school for example!)
● The customer is very rarely involved ● Welcomes change
● Very traditional teams ● Customer are highly involved
● Team self-organize
Aspects of Project Management
● Project management Institute (PMI):

Non-profit organization to share best practices, and professional

development opportunities.
● Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) :

Codified standards for project management. Used as a reference guide.

 Project Management Institute (PMI)
● Started in 1969 as a non-profit organization to share best practices
● Today has over 500,000 members around the world
● Each chapter offers professional development and networking
opportunities
● PMI sets industry and ethics standards
● The organization works with: technology, research, policy,
education, trainings and certifications in project management
● PMI is similar to Human Resources certifications and HRPA
(parallels)
● PMI is useful to Human Resources in helping people prepare
projects, and ensuring the right people are in position to enable
achievement of organizational and planning goals
 Science and Art of Project Management

● Project Management has been around since building pyramids in the

19th century
● 1950s defense projects drove a scientific and data-driven
management approach that began the science of modern-day
project management
● Planning, design, scheduling are considered the science of project
management
● Communication and managing people are the art of project
management
Project Constraints
● Cost: balance between “use it or lose it” budget.
● Scope: purpose of the project
● Quality: standards and criteria for project outcome
● Risk: probability and impact of negative events
● Resources: required for completion
● Time: estimates of time to complete activities
Project Priority (when one changes, something else has to change)
 Life Cycle of a Project

● The project manager and project team have one

shared goal:
To carry out the work of the project for the
purpose of meeting the project’s objectives.
● Every project has a beginning, middle, and an
ending that is either successful or unsuccessful.
● Human Resources may be involved in the
project, at any point, in the life cycle of the Figure 1-3: Project management phases

project, or throughout the entire project.

4 Phases of a Project
1. Initiation Phase: Identify the need and
address the solution
2. Planning Phase: more details related to
the solution, ”the steps”, scope, costs,
deliverables, milestones, timeframes,
risks, measurement
3. Implementation Phase: ”put into
motion”, progress is monitored, people
carry out the tasks, performance is
measured, modifications are made,
stakeholders are kept informed, reports
are created,
4. Closing Phase: product/service is
Figure 1-3: Project management phases
released to customer, contracts
terminated, resources released,
evaluation, documents archived
Key Takeaways
● The starting point in discussing how projects should be properly
managed is to first understand what a project is and, just as
importantly, what it is not.
● There are three types of projects: strategic, operational, and
compliance
● Project Management Institute (PMI sets standards and ethics in
industries)
● Four main cycles of a project include initiation, planning,
implementation and closing