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Planning Considerations for the HR Project

HRM 517
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Project Scope and Scheduling

Defining project scope is very crucial in the project planning process. Scope defines what
should be or not be included in the project. It outlines all the facets of the project, including
goals, tasks and activities, costs, resources, and other project boundaries (Kloppenborg et al.,
2019). It is also imperative to consider other stakeholders affected by the project. Defining the
scope requires accuracy to ensure all the tasks and activities required to complete the project are
included. It is part of the scope statement, which is a project management document. A good
scope statement document should guide a project manager throughout the project lifecycle.
Without the project scope, managers would find it challenging to manage time, costs, labor, and
communication with other stakeholders. Further, the project scope facilitates monitoring and
controlling of the project by comparing the plan with the actual performance during and after the
completion of the project. Thus, defining the project plan is a critical part of project management
as it guides all the decision-making efforts throughout the project life.
A project schedule is a dynamic project document that shows the timeline for all project
tasks alongside resources required and the team members responsible. There are different
scheduling techniques. They include critical path method, program evaluation and review
technique, and Gantt charts (Pellerin & Perrier, 2019). Most project managers tend to use Gant
chart as it is easy, reliable, and can be used for complex projects. There are three main types of
project schedules such as master project, milestone schedule, and detailed project schedule
(Layton et al., 2020). Each of the schedules is fundamental planning, controlling, and
communication tool that the teams and managers utilize in executing a project. It is an effective
guideline for accomplishing the project objective. It outlines the time needed per task, milestones
to be achieved, and adequate allocation of the necessary resources per task. Managers develop
project scheduling to keep a project on track as it sets realistic times frames coupled by the
required resources. There are low probability of making the project related errors. Consequently,
there are reduced costs and increased productivity in each project milestone.
Behavioral Skills in Project Management
Communication skills allow managers in project resourcing. The basic communication
skills that managers should exhibit include persuasion, active listening, and non-verbal cues that
influence interpersonal relations and how they respond to situations (Kloppenborg et al., 2019).
It helps project managers in mobilizing the necessary resources to accomplish the project. For
instance, managers that exhibit utilize communication strategies like persuasiveness are more
likely to build trust with the human capital and other stakeholders who are necessary to
implement the project. As a project manager, it is imperative to have good communication skills
to allow smooth project progress throughout the project lifecycle.
Time management in the project is crucial as it determines whether it is implemented
according to the plan. Time management skills help organize work efficiently to complete every
task on time and ensure there are no extra costs incurred. Notably, if the managers do not have
adequate time management skills, it means the project will need extra resources to cater for the
extended project deadlines. Worker with exceptional skills set their goals and identify strategies
that they can use to achieve the goals. Also, they rank the project activities depending on the task
importance. The first is to work on the most critical tasks. Another time management aspect is
the ability to remove distractions to ensure all project tasks are delivered on time.
Conflict resolution skills allow managers to manage disputes and disagreements
harmoniously. It helps in project resourcing as conflicts stir new costs that can affect the overall
cost of the project. For instance, team conflicts can result in delays in accomplishing certain
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milestones within the required time, leading to increased costs. Also, some conflicts encompass a
significant cost to resolve. Thus, it requires managers that can identify sources of conflicts early
and resolve them before they become precarious. Some of the skills necessary for conflict
resolution include assertiveness, problem-solving, mediation, communication, and facilitation
(Layton et a., 2020). They understand different strategies that can be used to reduce conflicts
depending on the context. Conflict resolution helps to implement a project effectively.
Leadership skills are important in handling projects. A leader requires effective resource
management skills that affect efficiency. For instance, some managers exhibit better strategic
planning knowledge that can help manage the available resources to achieve the project's goals.
They have a set of leadership skills necessary to visualize and plan all the resources. Thus,
effective leadership skills are important in project resourcing as they determine the efficiency
and effectiveness of the project.
Budgeting
There are five different of determining project budgeting. They include cost aggregation,
reverse analysis, expert judgment, historical relationships, and funding limit reconciliation. Cost
aggregation involves summing the cost of each individual work package in the work breakdown
structure and rolling the estimates up to high levels of the project. The budgeting processes use
the work breakdown structure consisting of main project deliverables, control accounts, project
sub-deliverables, and work packages (Kloppenborg et al., 2019). The summation begins from the
work package level to the sub-deliverable level and finally at the deliverable level. The bottom-
up estimates are used as the entire project cost. The individual cost estimates of a task in the
work package can be estimated using the three main methods of cost estimation such as
parametric, bottom-up, and analogous.
Cash flow estimates provide solid grounds for establishing the economic viability of the
projects. There are discounted and non-discounted cash flow estimation methods. The net present
method is very effective in cash flow estimation. It involves the differences between the present
value of cash inflows and the present cash outflows (Kengatharan, 2018). Notably, it considers
the time value of money to ensure the project pays off in the long term.
Identifying Project Risks
Foremost, a project manager utilizes interviews on different stakeholders. For instance,
interviews with the employees can help determine risks that can sabotage the project's progress.
The manager has to set a list of questions to present concerning the project (Kloppenborg et al.,
2019). It can identify risks associated with unethical behaviors of the workers, work unrests, and
others that have potential harm of the project. It is an effective way of identifying potential
problems as the stakeholders are effectively involved in the project.
Assumption analysis is very effective method of highlighting substantial risks. The
project is usually based on assumptions, which are defined as factors considered to be true or
certain without any underlying empirical proof or demonstration. The have inherent risks, and
the managers can conduct further research and analysis on the analysis to establish any risk. For
instance, the risk can emanate from time allocated for a specific work package can turn out to be
false leading to further expensed and prolonged time of execution.
A cause and effect diagram is a simple and accurate method of identifying risks for the
project. They visual tool logically organizes the possible causes to a specific problem and
suggest the cause relationship. As a result, it is possible to pinpoint areas contributing to a
problem.
Project Budget
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References
Kengatharan, L. (2018). Capital Budgeting Theory and Practice: A review and agenda for future
research. American Journal of economics and business management, 1(1), 20-53.
Kloppenborg, T., Anantatmula, V. & Wells, K. (2019). Contemporary Project Management.
Cengage Learning.
Layton, M. C., Ostermiller, S. J., & Kynaston, D. J. (2020). Agile project management for
dummies. John Wiley & Sons.
Pellerin, R., & Perrier, N. (2019). A review of methods, techniques and tools for project planning
and control. International Journal of Production Research, 57(7), 2160-2178.

A project running out of time and budget can be solved by using the following steps. Foremost, I
will identify the source of the problem as the beginning point. Second, I will determine the status
of the project. On the budget, it is imperative to consider the actual cost up the current state of
the project and the estimate-to complete. It will provide the focal point to control the budget. On
time issue, is rational to identify time management on each deliverable. Third, I would adjust the
key areas that require changes. Finally, implementing the changes to control the project overrun.
One of the risk I can encounter when implementing the changes is resistance from different
stakeholders (Kloppenborg et al., 2019). Another risk would be limited resources to implement
the recommended changes.

References
Kloppenborg, T., Anantatmula, V. & Wells, K. (2019). Contemporary Project Management.
Cengage Learning.