Definition
The Human resource management includes the processes required to coordinate the human
resources on a project. Such processes include those needed to plan, obtain, orient, assign,
and release staff over the life of the project.
Functions
�� Development of Human resource plan
�� Acquiring staff
�� Measuring the Performance of staff
�� Release of staff at the end
Introduction
As we know that people are an important part of a project’s success. The projects are resource
constrained. The management of the human resources on a project has a major impact on the
project’s success or failure. Of course, this article has taken a general view, human resource
processes are strongly influenced by the human resource policies and procedures of the
delivery organization. Much has been written about dealing with people in the operations of an
ongoing enterprise; leading, communicating, delegating, motivating, team building, recruiting,
appraising, etc. Much of that knowledge is directly applicable to leading and managing people in
a project environment and the project manager should be familiar with it.
However, the project manager must also be sensitive to the unique needs of the project
environment and as to how this general knowledge is applied in a different way than in the
operational environment of the ongoing enterprise.
�� The temporary nature of projects means that personal and organizational relationships
generally will also be temporary and, quite often, new. Staff-related project management
processes must address these transient relationships.
�� Both the nature and number of people involved in a project change as the project moves
through its life cycle. For example initially there will be limited number of staff in the
project and as we move along we induct more staff into the project. Staff management
processes must recognize and address these changing needs.
Published in PM World Today - July 2007 (Vol. IX, Issue VII)
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�� Human resource management activities are often split between project management
and other managers within the performing organization. The scope of responsibility of
the project manager may lie somewhere between:
o An extended responsibility, including the selection of sourcing organizations,
obtaining staff and performance assessment.
o A limited responsibility focused on coordination with the permanent roles outside
the project such as the functional manager, the resource deployment manager
and/or the people development manager .
All the parties must understand and carefully adhere to the division of responsibilities that is in
force. All the processes here must be carefully interpreted based on the actual distribution of
responsibilities between the project manager and the other roles. In some companies there
may be a two managers for a team member – one the project manager who takes care of the
day-to-day work of the team member and provides feedback to others, second a people
manager who takes care of the people development aspects of the team member like
promotion, salary hike, career needs/interest. Ideally to my view a team member should have
only one Manager who should take care of everything (Project management and people
management) and should have no more than 14 people directly reporting to him. Again it
depends on many factors – company policies, location, style of functioning and project needs
