Resources & Tools – Page 8 – ProjectPractical

Download this free Human Resource Management Plan template and use it for your new project. Scroll down to the bottom of the page for the download link. 1 Introduction Effective human resource management is a critical component of any project. The Human Resource Plan explains how project processes will be used to make the most effective use of the people assigned to the project. This section of the Human Resource Plan should provide a general description of what the plan includes and explains how the project manager and project team can use the plan to help manage project resources effectively. The purpose of the Human Resource Plan is to achieve project success by ensuring the appropriate human resources with the necessary skills are acquired, resources are trained if any gaps in skills are identified, team building strategies are clearly defined, and team activities are effectively managed. If used effectively, this plan will serve as a tool to aid in the management of human resource activities throughout the until closure. This plan includes information regarding the following topics: Roles and responsibilities of team members throughout the projectProject organization chartsStaffing management plan to include:How resources will be acquiredTimeline for resources/skill setsTraining required to develop skillsHow performance reviews will be conductedRecognition and rewards system 2 Roles and Responsibilities The roles and responsibilities of team members and stakeholders must be clearly defined in any project. Depending on the organizational structure, project team members may represent many different groups/departments and may have varying degrees of authority and responsibility. In these circumstances, it is common for multiple roles to be assigned to the same position. For this reason, this section is not meant to contain job descriptions, but rather a summary of responsibilities for each role. When listing roles and responsibilities, the following should be included: Role – description of the portion of the project for which the member is accountableDescription – detail of duties and definition of the roles, as they relate to the projectResponsibility – the work a team member must performName – the name of the specific individual holding the project role 2.1 Project Team Roles and Responsibilities Listed below are the roles and responsibilities for the project team: Senior Project Director Plans, directs and oversees the project, and ensures that deliverables and functionality are achieved as defined in the Project Charter, funding documentation, and subsequent project plansMaintains accountability for the management of all resources assigned to the projectServes as the primary liaison between the project and the Project Sponsor and the Steering Committee Quality Manager Manages both product and process quality activities for the projectMaintains the requirements management traceability matrixProvides insight into project health by reviewing process and product activities for adherence to standards and plans Technical Lead Manages day-to-day activities of technical staff who are engaged in the technical management aspects of the projectLeads in the technical disciplines of the project, unlike the Senior Project Director and Project Manager who will focus on the overall project management of the projectPartners with other IT areas to acquire appropriate technical assistance for such areas as enterprise architecture, database, software development, security, testing, configuration management, change management, release management, and other technical areas of the new systemProvides leadership and support to technical staff that are augmented to the project throughout the project life cycleProvides technical support to the Senior Project Director, Project Manager, and to Enterprise Architecture to establish and execute technical policies, processes, and procedures Implementation Lead Manages for the implementation portion of the projectProvides implementation management leadership through planning, organizing, coordinating, and monitoring implementation activitiesEffectively manages all information technology resources assigned by the project managerInterfaces directly with contractors to ensure technical obligations satisfy all objectives and expectations Application Support Lead Oversees and coordinates the change request process for installed software and for ensuring the change requests adhere to specified quality and configuration standardsManages application design sessions and walkthroughs, application change management processes and acceptance testing of application changesMonitors consultant performance of application support and ensures that the consultant maintains quality control Test Lead Coordinates the testing of the new systemWorks with the Quality Management staff to design test cases and data that will best represent “real-life” scenarios for the systemCoordinates interface tests with other organizations (county, state, federal) as neededPlans, monitors, and evaluates consultant and agency test plans, problem reporting, and resolution process Configuration Lead Supports the Technical Lead by administering the Configuration Management processCoordinates the control of all non-product related configuration itemsManages and coordinates the product related configuration itemsConducts configuration auditsWorks with Change and Release Management teams for approval to release programs and configuration modifications into the production environment Operations Lead Coordinates and oversees the operations of the new systemMonitors contractor management of operations and resolution of operations support problems 2.2 Project Stakeholders Roles & Responsibilities Listed below are the roles and responsibilities for the project stakeholders: Project Sponsor Provides vision, direction, and policy leadership for the projectAssists in removing barriers and supports change management initiativesParticipates in the Steering Committee, and provides support to this group as neededHas overall authority for the project Responsible for ensuring that deliverables and functionality are achieved as defined in the Project Charter and subsequent project plans Steering Committee Acts as the Project stakeholders groupEnsures that the deliverables and functionality of the project are achieved as defined in the project initiation documents and subsequent project management plansProvides high-level project direction, receives project status updates, and addresses and resolves issues, risks, or change requests Independent Verification and Validation (IV&V) Provides independent, technical review and verification of project deliverables, as well as independent testing and auditing of project deliverables against requirementsPerforms deliverable quality assurance and information security control reviews Department of Finance & Administration Representative Provides oversight and approval of funding for state planned IT projects 3 Project Organizational Charts This section should provide a graphic display of the project tasks and team members. The purpose of this information is to illustrate the reporting structure and responsibilities of team members as they relate to the project tasks. Tools such as the Responsible/Accountable/Consulted/Informed (RACI) matrix or Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) may be used to aid in communicating roles and responsibilities for the project team. Additionally, organizational or resource breakdown structures may be used to show how responsibilities are assigned by department or by type of resource respectively. The level of detail may vary depending on project complexity. The graphic below provides a representation of the reporting structure for . Table 1: Reporting structure The following RACI chart shows the relationship between project tasks and team members. Any proposed changes to project responsibilities must be reviewed and approved by the Project Manager. Changes will be proposed in accordance with the project’s change control process. As changes are made, all project documents will be updated and redistributed accordingly. RolesInfrastructure PreparationRequirements GatheringDesignConfiguration DevelopmentImplementation Software TestingConduct TrainingStakeholder Communication ManagementSenior Project DirectorAARRCCIQuality Manager ARC CITechnical Lead AR Implementation LeadIARC IIApplication Support Lead ACR IITest Lead ACRCCIConfiguration LeadRA RCIOperation Lead C CProject SponsorCCCIIIISteering CommitteeIIIICCAIV& VCCCCCIIAgency Subject Matter Experts R IC Table 2: RACI chart Key: R – Responsible for completing the work A – Accountable for ensuring task completion/sign off C – Consulted before any decisions are made I – Informed of when an action/decision has been made 4 Staffing Management Staffing management relates to all of the reasons staffing is needed, timing of adding and releasing staff as well as training and gap assessment of current staff. This section should contain samples of the following: how human resources will be acquired; the timeline for resource additions and releases; training solutions for any resources with identified skill gaps; how performance reviews will be performed; rewards and recognition systems to be used. It is important to note that, depending on the scope of the project, there may be other circumstances to consider such as government and/or regulatory compliance issues, organizational health and safety, etc. Day-to-day management of the project staff for is the responsibility of the Senior Project Director and designated functional managers. Performance evaluations, performance issues and recognition, promotions, and disciplinary actions are the responsibility of the state staff respective organizational chain of command. Staff Acquisition The Senior Project Director, with support from the Executive Sponsor, will negotiate with functional and department managers to identify and assign resources in accordance with the project organizational structure approved in the project charter. This plan shall also identify various external sourcing mechanisms to hire new project resources. All resources and their anticipated project assignment timeframe must be approved by the appropriate functional/department manager before the resource may begin any project work. The project team must be co-located at the site. Resource Calendars The Project will last for {insert timeline}. The chart below provides an estimate of the number of resources required per month for the project. Figure 1: Resource calendar Vendor/State Partnering Approach For the team will implement a model in which the agency project team is expected to work side by side with the vendor to deliver the project. This partnership will facilitate the training & knowledge transfer process to prepare the agency project team to operationalize and own the solution after the solution implementation. Though vendors are important and are used to implement project products, the State has responsibility for overall review and approval for work produced by vendors. Additionally, knowledge transfer of vendor expertise to State staff is required on all projects throughout the project lifecycle, rather than waiting to transition information at the end of a project. 5 Project Team Training This section should highlight training needs specific to this project, and should include ahigh-level project team training plan. If applicable, this section may also include information such as training topics and delivery mechanisms, schedule, cost, expectations, etc. Staff Training When new staff joins the project, the Senior Project Director (or delegated project staff) will provide a project orientation. The orientation should include discussions related to the following topics: Background of the ProjectCurrent Status of the ProjectSpecific Job Duties and ExpectationsIntroduction to the Staff and ConsultantsOverview of the Facility and InfrastructureOverview of the Project Processes, including time reporting, attendance, and status meetings Performance Reviews The functional manager will review each team member’s assigned work activities at the onset of the project and communicate all expectations of work to be performed. The functional manager will then evaluate each team member throughout the project to evaluate their performance and how effectively they are completing their assigned work. Prior to releasing project resources, the project manager will meet with the appropriate functional manager and provide feedback on employee project performance. The functional managers will then perform a formal performance review on each team member. Recognition and Rewards Although the scope of this project does not allow for monetary rewards, there are several planned recognition and reward items for project team members. The Senior Project Director will work with appropriate agency executive staff to identify potential opportunities and tools for creative recognition and rewards. Suggested Rewards: Upon successful completion of the Project, celebration of the success of each team memberUpon successful completion of the project, any team member who satisfactorily completed all assigned work packages on time will receive a certificate of thanks from the Executive SponsorTeam members who successfully complete all of their assigned tasks will have their photo taken for inclusion in the company newsletter Click here to download Human Resource Management Plan template.