[Guest Post]
As a company’s project leader, you must take project management seriously. You need to have excellent organizational and highly-developed problem-solving skills to successfully manage your company’s projects. And while meeting the deadline for each project is essential, you must know how to lead a team.
Managing human resources is one of the critical aspects of project management. First, you must know how to assign the right employees with the right skills. And this can be very challenging, especially if you are dealing with a large team.
It gets more difficult if you are working on a high-profile project as that takes a lot of resources which means more people to manage. However, when project management is done the right way, you will build a better working relationship with your team.
Check out these five HR project management practices you can use to make your next project an absolute success:
1. Maintain Consistent Communication
Poor communication will not only affect your project plan but will also delay the execution of your project. Therefore, you must maintain consistent communication with team members and project stakeholders. This will ensure every issue is tackled correctly and everyone is on the same page.
These strategies will help you to keep a consistent communication:
- Regular Meetings: This might not be every day but ensure you hold regular physical meetings with your team members. You can do this once a week or two weeks. The sessions will ensure that you address every issue and listen to your team’s concerns and opinions.
- Encourage Communication: Many team members will not open up if they make a mistake because the project leader will react. Ensure you create a working space that makes your team feel safe enough to communicate any problem to you.
- Use a Project Communication Tool: You cannot meet your team physically every day, especially if you have a deadline. But you must ensure that communication remains open using communication software, apart from email.
2. Mind Your Team’s Workload
This is a human resources project management practice that many project managers ignore. Please always remember that your team members are not machines. If you assign too many projects simultaneously to your team, they can quickly burn out.
Also, they won’t give their best output towards the projects. So the only way to get the best of your team is to keep them energized. You can do this by using a workload management tool.
You will be able to track how many projects your team is doing at a time. And also, set a realistic time limit for every project you are currently doing. This way, you will ensure they don’t overwhelm themselves.
3. Always Manage Risks
Risks cannot be avoided when executing a project. So while it is good that you are hoping for the best in your projects, it is vital that you also prepare for the worst. The risks you encounter should not determine how successful your project will be when working.
Before starting your project, make a list of relevant risks and perform a risk analysis. Then you can now create a response plan and allocate risks to their owners. This will help you control the risks you encounter when executing your projects adequately.
4. Ensure All Roles Are Clear
Your team assists you in planning and executing your project management plan. They make your HR project management easier with their opinion, suggestions, and work output. However, to avoid conflicts and issues, you must be clear about their roles and responsibilities to avoid conflicts and problems. This is one of the top roles of a project manager.
The following tips will help you to do this effectively:
- Develop a RICX Chart: RACI stands for responsible, accountable, consulted, and informed. It is a matrix used to plan and execute projects. You can use it to allocate roles and responsibilities to your team.
- Request Feedback: If you feel a part of your project is unclear, there is a high possibility that your team feels the same way. Always reach out to them to get their feedback.
5. Hold a Project Conclusion Meeting
Every project manager should engage in this vital human resources project management practice. Bring your team and project stakeholders together to deliberate the concluded project one final time.
You will discuss your setbacks, successes, and lessons you learned during the project. You will also reflect on how improvements can be made for future purposes. This is also a perfect opportunity to appreciate your team for their hard work and give gifts, no matter how small, to exceptional team members.
You need a human resources management system to effectively apply the project management guide highlighted above.
About the Author
Alex Lysak is the CEO of SEOBROTHERS. He has over ten years of experience in online marketing. He uses most of his time to build iGaming affiliates teams, and he hopes to become a force to reckon with in this niche.
