HR project management: 10 best practices identified

Project management is now an integral part of the HR function. Many projects, both strategic and functional, are carried out by human resources professionals.

As a result, the role of HR professionals is becoming increasingly polarized. They are no longer limited to traditional administrative management, training management or payroll management, but are faced with new issues such as the promotion of flexibility in the workplace, the management of HRIS management tools…

The vast majority of these new challenges are managed by the HR function in project mode. To ensure the success of these initiatives, it is crucial to determine who is responsible for steering HR projects within the organization. We have identified 10 best practices that cover the entire HR project lifecycle, from preparation to steering, implementation and follow-up.

1. Clearly define project objectives

The first crucial step in any HR project is to precisely define the project objectives. HR project teams can start with what is known as the pre-project phase, during which they can establish a clear framework. During this phase, they will have to identify, analyze and sometimes question the expectations and needs related to the project.

To implement this practice effectively, project leaders can rely on brainstorming methods, using tools such as Klaxoon. This phase ensures that everyone involved shares the same vision of objectives and expected results.

2. Plan the necessary resources

Secondly, it is essential to identify the tangible and intangible resources required for the project. For material resources, you need to define a budget, which will then be arbitrated at a higher hierarchical level.

As for the project’s stakeholders, the team must not only identify them (managers, mentors, trainers…), but also determine the roles of each of them, their degrees of involvement in the project and the potential tasks they will have to carry out. To build an effective team, find out how to set up a working group for an HR project.

To this end, they can create a resource schedule that will enable them to assess the budgetary and availability constraints of the players involved.

3. Anticipating change management

An often overlooked but crucial best practice is to anticipate change management from the very start of the project. A change management strategy needs to be tailored to each project, depending on its scope, outlook and stakeholders.

The project team, supported by Change Managers, can identify the type of change, whether cultural, technological or strategic. It will also be relevant to determine whether the depth of change is radical, revolutionary, incremental… and whether the pace of change will be sustained or gradual.

4. Managing transition throughout the project

Following on from the Change strategy implemented, the transition will need to be managed throughout the project. A variety of approaches are possible, such as William BRIDGES’ (mourning, moving into the neutral zone, then embracing change) or Kurt LEWIN’s (decrystallizing, taking action, then recrystallizing).

This practice helps to guide employees through the various emotional and practical phases of change, thus reducing resistance and facilitating the adoption of new management methods or tools.

5. Draw up a macro-plan and organize a kick-off

Using all the above practices and approaches, the project team will be able to draw up an initial macro-plan, containing the key stages of the project, as well as an overall view of the potential workload. This is an essential step in the project life cycle, as it helps structure the work ahead.

Once this schedule has been drawn up, the ideal thing to do is to onboard project participants by organizing a kick-off meeting, explaining the context, challenges and prospects of the project. This kick-off meeting ensures that everyone involved shares the same understanding of the project’s objectives and expectations.

6. Use Gantt charts to visualize planning

Once the project has been officially launched, the project manager must draw up a detailed schedule. Gantt charts are a great ally in this task. They provide a clear representation of all scheduled project stages and their deadlines.

This visualization tool distinguishes the duration of each activity, materialized by a longer or shorter bar depending on the time previously allocated. The diagram makes it easier to set dates and deadlines, highlight any time margins, and visually monitor project progress.

7. Structuring the project with the Work Breakdown Structure

The Work Breakdown Structure(WBS) is a valuable tool for refining and clarifying the relationships between all deliverables. Its role is to break down the project according to tasks, phases or deliverables.

Creating this matrix is essential for a project team, and enables everyone to know their own scope of work, with a clear view of the project’s content. The WBS can also facilitate risk management and identify the most important actions to be taken. It is important that it be drawn up in collaboration with all project team members.

8. Track progress with a Kanban board

For the more advanced phases of a project, the Kanban board is particularly useful. It contains columns indicating the status of each task (to do, in progress, done), providing a clear and immediate visualization of progress.

Originally used for technical projects, Kanban can be perfectly adapted to HR projects. Its use will enable the team to improve efficiency by representing the workflow, easily visualizing obstacles and modulating tasks according to priorities. This approach fits in perfectly with agile project management, which favors flexibility and continuous adaptation.

9. Set up a monitoring dashboard

To ensure effective management, it’s essential to set up a dashboard to monitor project progress. This dashboard must include relevant key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure progress towards project objectives.

A good HR project dashboard should make it possible to :

• Quickly visualize overall project progress
• Identify deviations from initial project plans
• Anticipating potential risks
• Facilitating decision-making
• Communicating effectively with stakeholders

The project manager can use specialized management software to create and maintain this dashboard.

10. Quality control with the Deming wheel (PDCA)

The tenth best practice is to implement the Deming wheel, or PDCA(Plan-Do-Check-Act), which enables the project manager to monitor the progress of tasks and deliverables, while controlling their quality.

It is made up of 4 crucial project stages:

• Planning the task or deliverable (Plan)
• Execution of the task or deliverable (Do)
• Checking results
• Action following the result obtained (Act)

This cyclical method is particularly effective for ensuring continuous improvement throughout a project’s lifecycle, and guaranteeing that deliverables meet expected quality standards.

Efficiently manage an HR project portfolio

Beyond these 10 best practices for individual project management, HR Departments often have to manage a portfolio of simultaneous projects.

This additional dimension requires a global approach and structured HR project governance to arbitrate between different projects, allocate resources optimally and ensure the coherence of initiatives.

To effectively manage a portfolio of HR projects, we recommend :

• Prioritize projects according to their strategic value
• Balancing resources between projects
• Identify interdependencies between projects
• Harmonizing schedules and deadlines
• Setting up appropriate governance

This approach optimizes the use of resources and maximizes the value created by all HR projects.

Conclusion: the evolution of HR project management practices

The evolution of the HR function, both operationally and strategically, has enabled it to adopt management methods and tools that were previously reserved for other functional areas.

The agile method, for example, is increasingly used in HR projects for its flexibility and ability to adapt to change.

HR project management will continue to evolve with the growing adoption of agile methodologies, the use of more effective collaborative tools and the integration of artificial intelligence into management processes. To take this approach a step further, you can also optimize your HR management with a data exchange platform.

At SQORUS, our experts are already supporting a number of customers in their HR transformation and projects. Contact our SQORUS experts to discuss your projects and find out how we can help you optimize your HR project management.

See also our feature on "HR strategy management tools".

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• HR strategy: how to achieve effective HR reporting?
• Who should drive HR projects in the company?
• Setting up a working group for an HR project: who should be involved?